This is a cut out. Here is a picture of the stool in a room setting.
Thank you for your interest!

Thanks for the additional views, I thought it was a pillow, too. Which leads to a rather obvious question - Why are multiple views of items offered for sale not available? Are there people who will actually pay $500 for a counter stool based on this single photo?

We try to get as many pictures up as possible. Yes there are people who will pay for a piece based on a single photo. Thank you.