Now based in New York City, Giancarlo Valle has had a whirlwind of a career including a stint with the architectural firm Snøhetta, where one of his projects was the expansion of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Today he creates both interiors and separate furniture pieces. This Stump Stool, upholstered in linen, is in his recognizable idiom of curved, stout forms. Though soft and eminently functional, the piece has an assertive sculptural presence.