Shore Studios
Landing Pad StoolThis project reinterprets the traditional Japanese maru zabuton through Shore Studios’ custom Nautical Rope, a recycled polyester rope engineered for both flexibility and structural integrity when woven. The cushion’s form is created entirely through the tension of the rope itself—no internal frame, just a dense, continuous weave that generates a firm, supportive
body.
Designed for use directly on the floor or elevated on a metal base as a stool, the piece sits between familiar categories of furniture. Its “alien” quality comes from this shift in typology and from the unexpected behavior of the rope material, which allows a soft object to perform as a structured, load-bearing surface. Rather than approaching “alien” through aesthetic tropes (though in the right context the form can appear subtly
“saucer-like”), the project focuses on how material and construction can make a familiar object feel slightly foreign—a small displacement of expectation that reframes how we understand something as simple as a floor cushion.