After being presented at this year's Maison d'Object in Paris, Riluc has rolled out their new collection of designs as odd as they are inviting. The series was designed by Toni Grilo, whose previously released Bibendum Chair has caught a lot of eyes with its chrome. This set of seating takes some small cues from earlier work, incorporating bold chromed structural bars, and not much else. 

The Anel seating collection simultaneously off-putting and inviting. Grilo is an enthusiastically materials-forward designer, and I enjoy his continued use of slightly jarring stainless steel elements posed against softer and more organic shapes. It's less bold, but also much easier to imagine sitting on an Anel Sofa than his edgier Line chairs. 

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The majority of the visual weight could easily have been carried by the steel accent, but the lumpen forms do a smart job keeping the interest distributed. The mix of cushioning appears almost like casually assembled parts, like napkins rolled and futzed with over after dinner drinks, and more modular than they actually are. 

The combination of cozy and austere seems ideal for an executive office or design studio that trades in expensive discomfort. 

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The high-low Anel chair feels like a plush update to the regularly rehashed modernist plank seats. And the small and tall stools drive home the updated-'80s bar stool feeling, with proportions and shapes just off enough from common to be perplexing. 

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Pair any or all of these with the Grilo-designed Swing Sofa and a smokin' Patrick Nagel print and I'd be happy to come by your loft. 

Swingin' sofa is right