Traditional joinery is utilized in this modern take on a counter top height stool.  I've painted a few coats of red, applied a wash of shellac, followed by a thin coat of dark gray to give an almost faux-grained rosewood appearance.  It reminds me of red coral earring I bought my wife in the Himalayan mountains of Nepal. 

The front cross stretcher has been flattened to give a perch for your feet.