Furniture Review: Alda Ly Architecture and HBF's plush poufs are a classic and comforting accessory

Alda Ly and Tania Chau with their first furniture collection with HBF. Photography by Pippa Drummond.

By Kate Mazade

Alda Ly Architecture's new furniture line adds a pop of playfulness and sense of softness to any space. The rounded, upholstered seating pieces cushion a room with timelessness, flexibility, and femininity.

The six-piece pouf collection launched in May and is the first furniture foray for New York City-based architecture and interiors studio Alda Ly Architecture (ALA). Drawing on the studio's API heritage, the collection is entitled "Bao" — a play on the Chinese word that is a homonym for "bun," "bag," "precious," and "baby" — evoking both quiet formality and familiar comfort.

Founder Alda Ly and interior design director Tania Chau collaborated with Hickory Business Furniture (HBF), a manufacturer based in North Carolina led by general manager Casey Baxter, to create the customizable seating collection.

The Bao pieces can be easily rearranged, stacked, or combined. Photography by Pippa Drummond.

Bao consists of six sister pieces: 22-inch and 34-inch poufs, a 48-inch half-round piece, an 18-inch stackable model, and two chairs with looping handles that form the chair back. The collection comes in two heights: 16 inches tall for lounging or 18 inches for working.

The circular fabric poufs kneel demurely atop a thin wooden base and are cradled by four vertical rounded legs that lift the seat just off the floor. The light-weight pieces are easily lifted — particularly by the single-piece wooden loop that stretches softly above the seat like a purse strap — and moved to cluster together for a whispered conversation or pulled up to a table for a quick seat.

“There is practicality in the handles, mobility with the loop back, and stackability; but also whimsy and approachability in its soft, round shape and variety of upholstery options and finishes," Ly said. "We enjoyed creating something that we hope is like nothing else in the market — flexible and functional, but also fun.”

The stacking model has a decorative metal cap on the top of the legs to receive the rounded foot of the next piece, which pressure fits for stability. The stack becomes a sculptural feature for a room, as well as a space-saving strategy.

The half-round piece can be pushed against a wall for a petal-like bench or ganged, using concealed brackets, to form a large circular centerpiece. Multiple pieces can also be connected off-center to create a trailing, sinuous bench.

Each piece is upholstered in HBF Textiles (or can be covered in the customer's own fabric) and features a signature seam stitch, with different quilted top options. The oak, walnut, and maple wood finishes add craftsmanship and warmth to the piece or can be painted for a defined look.

“The details of this collection are important," said Chau. "We wanted the design to be impactful both at first glance and also up close, so we explored ideas for decorative detail options that could provide visual interest at a smaller scale."

The low-profile pieces are both comforting and stylish — as if you could cuddle them against your leg like a small child or tuck them under your arm like your favorite handbag — plush and accessorizing. The loop handled pieces, specifically, seem as if a doting teacher would swing them into place alongside their student and settle in for a few words of quiet encouragement — the chair providing a moment of security and intimacy.

The design combines the hugability of Eileen Gray’s 1926 Bibendum chair with the simple flexibility of Shigeru Ban’s 1997 paper tube and plywood stool to create a subtle and practical addition that brings merriment to corporate interiors and sophistication to casual settings.

The HBF Showroom opened on Fifth Avenue in April. Photography by Pippa Drummond.

The collection reflects ALA's signature softness. The rounded forms guide people through a space in the same way that the studio's gently curving corners and arches welcome people into the curated interiors.

The Bao collection is currently on display in HBF's flagship showroom, which ALA completed in Manhattan's Flatiron District in April. The pieces are available for order on the HBF website.