You've undoubtedly seen one of these before. It's a chair that's cleverly designed to turn into a stepladder. In the 'States, everyone from Home Depot to Sam's Club to Hammacher-Schlemmer sells one.

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Americans like to say it was invented by Benjamin Franklin, but 18th-Century examples also exist in Europe, where Franklin traveled; so it's not clear who got the idea from whom. In America it's often called a Franklin Library Chair while in the UK they call it Library Steps or the Metamorphic Library Chair, absent Franklin's name.

While the mechanical components of this chair are established, it is interesting to see how designer-builders can play with the parts in between to yield very different appearances. Here's the American mass-market version:

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Not terribly easy on the eyes, but functional enough. You can buy slightly more expensive versions from independent workshops like this one:

Image by Lake City Woodworkers

I'm not crazy about how the piano hinge intrudes on the seat in the chair configuration, and glares at you in the ladder position, but I suppose that's subjective.

Here is a decidedly more modern-looking one by Italy's Morelato:

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And here's an antique version (circa 1880) from the UK. You'll notice it's got those stopped chamfers Joel was talking about:

Image by Graham Smith Antiques

Image by Graham Smith Antiques

Image by Graham Smith Antiques

Image by Graham Smith Antiques

"The chair has a brass locking rod that keeps the frame locked in the chair position. When the rod is released the back of the chair tips forward until it is vertical and becomes a set of library steps. The brass locking rod is then put back in place to keep the steps locked in position." —Image and text by Graham Smith Antiques

None of these designs really look elegant, at least to my eye. But I was surprised to come across this fine-looking Regency period version from the UK:

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I consider this a fine example of design. The hinges are largely concealed and do not intrude on the seat bottom. Its secondary functionality as a ladder is not obvious unless you know to look for it. It has a style—whether or not it's your style, it is a style—and perhaps most importantly, it fulfills both of the functions for which it was originally designed.

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Meaning, the chair was designed for readers. It was meant to be used in libraries, or in the homes of folks who owned so many books that their storage had expanded upwards to tall shelves that could not be easily reached from the ground. All of the chairs we've seen here have the ladder functionality, but it is only this last example, with the upholstered seat, that looks like it would actually be comfortable enough to sit and read a book in.

Think you can do better? Popular Mechanics has a brief tutorial on how you can build your own.

Image by Popular Mechanics

Image by Popular Mechanics