New York industrial designer Mariana Folberg has thought up a chair that doubles as a stool. The binaries don’t stop there: her Stool Chair (how’s that for transparency) can be used indoors or out. The idea is to accommodate “a new nomadic society requiring flexible products and furniture, allowing simple storage and convenience.”

Stool Chair. Designed by Mariana Folberg.

This adaptable piece is not intended as an “improvised emergency solution,” but rather as a dual-purpose design that recognizes the way people live their lives today. With that in mind, Folberg created Stool Chair so that it would be easy to operate. It takes a user a simple motion of one hand to turn the chair into a stool or vice versa. I like the idea that we are all nomads, trading in our camels for cars and our tents for apartments. It’s a modern primitivism that’s all paradox.

The slats of Stool Chair give it an airy feel: Folberg states that when viewed from the front, “the chair becomes partially transparent due to the spacing of the sections.” As a stool, it makes a wonderful storage space that’s hidden from view at one side, so users can veil (if not hide) their errant laundry when unexpected guests come calling. Envisioned in plywood, Stool Chair should be easy to construct (CNC or laser cut). Folberg imagines an aluminum version as well. Ergonomics have also been paid attention to: the seat has a good depth and the curve of the chair cradles the back. Forget crossing the desert with tapestries in tow. Stool Chair is the new ware for wayfarers.