About A Stool AAS 33 bar stool by Hee Welling

The AAS 33 is the About A bar stool with a fully upholstered shell, mounted on the wooden base of the AAS 32. Same silhouette, same footprint, same seat heights—65 cm for a kitchen counter, 75 cm for a bar—but with different comfort and acoustic properties.

The base is made of four legs in water-based lacquered oak veneer: HAY explicitly notes water-based lacquered oak veneer on its product sheets. Two finishes are available: natural oak or black-stained oak. The footrest is a steel ring, either powder-coated black or stainless steel.

A fully upholstered shell

Unlike the models with a bare shell, the seat and backrest here are covered across their entire surface: HAY refers to this as full upholstery. Foam is applied to the shell and then covered with the chosen fabric: the feel is softer, and sound is better dampened in busy rooms. On the downside, upholstery must be cleaned by blotting rather than with a spray.

Three coverings are offered here, which accounts for the price difference between the versions. Remix is a Kvadrat wool fabric (92% wool, 8% nylon) with a mélange effect, and is the most affordable. Sierra is a protected leather: a pigmented, uniform, and easy-to-maintain leather. Sense is an aniline leather: dyed through without a top coating, it shows the natural grain and develops a patina over time. It is the most expensive finish in the series.