Are tubular metal chairs back? Almost a century since Marcel Breuer started churning out seating designs formed from sculptural lines of curved stainless steel, like the B5, Wassily, and Cesca models, Australian designer Sarah Ellison has paid homage to these Bauhaus icons with the launch of her Chromeo lounge chair. A more contemporary and feminine twist on the intentionally simple style, with its curvy silhouette and bolstered cushioning, the design offers a fresh approach to the movement’s ethos of combining art, craftsmanship, and mass production.

The design certainly features heavy references to products created by the Bauhaus school masters, but it also incorporates the postmodern shapes — and lush upholstery — for which Ellison is known. Rounded cushions are covered in either deep brown velvet or a soft corduroy, off-white fabric — a timely update to bouclé — and the metal tubes arc gracefully to form the back support and arms. An accompanying ottoman, a sculptural item in its own right, offers the optimum seating position with outstretched legs. The set is intended as a statement piece to be placed anywhere in a room, and to be visible from all angles. “It’s a piece that would help curate an interior and make it feel more interesting,” says Ellison. “The best view is actually the back view.”

This is the latest in Ellison’s series of statement furniture pieces that nod to bygone eras, which she describes as “new classics,” following her revival of the ’70s conversation pit with the Float sofa. The designer hopes that Chromeo will bring about a rediscovery of the Bauhaus era, and help introduce the timeless style to a new generation. Chromeo is available exclusively from Design Within Reach.