British designer Faye Toogood has used chubby upholstery to soften the hard-lined metal base of the Puffy Lounge Chair, created for Swedish furniture brand Hem.
The chair, which has been shortlisted in the seating design category of this year's Dezeen Awards, features a detachable quilt-like cushion that drapes over its back and arms.
Supported by a canvas sling and fixed to the frame using six hooks, this separable construction is intended to extend the chair's lifespan, making it easy to refurbish and reupholster.
The plump upholstery creates what Toogood describes as a "purposeful and playful juxtaposition" when combined with its rigid stainless-steel framework, which takes cues from classic modernist designs.
"The idea behind the Puffy Seating Collection is to emphasise the two almost contradictory ideas at play in the furniture," the Studio Toogood founder explained.
"[The chair] combines the clinical lines of modernist furniture with a deep, satisfying sense of comfort. The overall feeling is one of being enveloped in a plumply padded duvet."
Nearly all components of the Puffy Lounge Chair can be disassembled by hand save for the rivets, which can be removed using common tools.
Built to last "for decades", the chair's frame is made with 25 per cent recycled steel and fully recyclable at the end of its life.
Zippers running down the inside of the cushions can be used to take out the duvet-like stuffing.
The upholstery, which is available in a cotton-linen blend or chrome-free leather, can then simply be recycled and replaced.
The Puffy Lounge Chair is the result of a two-year research and development process, undertaken by Toogood together with Hem's own design team.
"I've always admired Faye's work," Hem founder Petrus Palmer said about the collaboration. "She borrows freely from a multitude of cultures and expressions but always makes it distinctly her own.
"To be able to work together has been an ambition of mine since first starting Hem," he added.
The Puffy Lounge Chair is the first product in Hem's upcoming Puffy Seating Collection, which will include a series of steel-framed chairs and stools.
Hem has previously dabbled in the chubby design trend with its Puffy Brick counter, made from jesmonite-injected balloons.
Other pieces shortlisted in the seating design category of this year's Dezeen Awards include a 3D-printed chair made using offcuts from the makers' fab lab and a pair of armchairs by Note Design Studio that offer opposing yet complementary designs.