I can honestly say that I’ve never before encountered the likes of Shin Yamashita’s Land Peel. This isn’t because I haven’t previously seen packable, stowable modular furniture (I have–Casulo’s Life in a Box), nor because I haven’t previously come across such an easily transformable rug (check out TacTiles by InterfaceFlor), but rather because the concept of a rug that’s also a low table, seat, and backrest is brand new.

Land Peel. Designed by Shin Yamashita.

Yamashita’s Land Peel is a large, padded rubber mat–nothing particularly revolutionary or excessively convenient about that, unless you plan on doing impromptu gymnastics on your bare cement floor. But closer inspection reveals that this particular padded mat is divided into pliable segments that can be folded and molded into the aforementioned furnishings.

The piece thus doubles as a floor covering and a nifty assemblage of bare bones living room accoutrements: A quick transverse double fold reveals a foot high table–ideal for a temporary office or a tv dinner; an easy slide and scrunch creates a trapezoidal backrest–perfect accompaniment for a laptop and/or plate of macaroni and marinara; and a series of lateral adjustments results in a short seat–just the thing for propping a wayward elbow and reliably resting a cold brew (the demographic here is probably students, after all).

That last line might seem derisive but it’s not. Would, in fact, that Land Peel had been around during my university days. I could have avoided the familiar litany of post-college regrets: in no particular order, 1. smelly shag rug; 2. threadbare couch of dubious origin; and 3. frequent spillage of cold brew. How nice for today’s assorted budding scholars to have Yamashita’s land to peel.

Via DesignBoom.