Yla launches Audace – where metal transforms into sculptural elegance

Founded in Dubai, UAE, Yla was founded by Benoit Rondard, a seasoned industrial engineer who shaped the creative vision behind the brand. Having led Eurotech, a regional leader in steel innovation and high-performance construction systems for over two decades, Rondard’s relationship with metal evolved.“I began to see metal not just as something functional but as something expressive,” he says. “I started to notice how it reflects light like emotion, holds its shape like memory and how it responds to space. What moved me most is the permanence of metal and it potential for transformation. It can be reshaped, reborn, reimagined.There’s something deeply poetic about that. That shift in perspective – from industry to emotion, rigidity resonance – is what inspired Yla.”

Benoit Rondard, Founder of Yla

The brand’s debut Audace Collection is a curated series of sculptural furniture pieces designed in collaboration with French designer Rémi Damilleville. The collection includes seating, tables and storage crafted in fluid, curved forms from stainless steel and aluminium and accented with rich, tailored upholstery.“We tend to think of metal as sharp, shiny, or cold – but it doesn’t have to be.” shares Rondard. “When we focus on line, proportion, and surface, it becomes quiet and fluid. There’s a certain calm in a curve that feels drawn, not engineered. Creating softness out of strength – something serene, not stark – that’s where design becomes emotion.”

Matte-finished metals and gentle curves feature throughout this collection, with four rich nature inspired signature hues: Charcoal – a symbol of transformation and strength, Imperial – bold and radiant, yet balanced, Polar – crisp, meditative, and still, and Desert – warm, grounded, and resilient. Contemporary in style and design approach, these pieces have global appeal – they are equally at home in Milanese loft, a Kyoto gallery, or a Dubai villa.

Another highlight is how the pieces capture light in different ways. The surface of each object is shaped to catch, reflect, and diffuse light in unexpected ways. Shadows are treated as part of the design experience, softening and sharpening with natural rhythms. “The goal was never to create furniture that sits still,” Rondard says. “That’s why we focus so much on surface treatment, matte finishes, and curvature. It had to feel alive, like it was part of the atmosphere.”

At its core, Yla is a collaborative studio where designers and engineers work in harmony.The studio is committed to low-impact manufacturing, thoughtful material selection, and timelessness in design. “Luxury today isn’t about excess,” says Rondard. “It’s about care – care for materials, for craftsmanship, and for how objects make people feel.”

This philosophy of emotional sustainability is central to Yla’s mission: to design pieces that transcend trends and grow more meaningful with time.