The inventor behind the Aurum Reformer is about to hide a full Pilates system in your living room. In plain sight.

Amy Jordan went from Marvel Studios to Pilates studios. Now, her latest project brings her experience in Pilates equipment design into the home.

Her newest invention, HLNA (pronounced "Helena"), is an accent chair designed to transform into a home Pilates system, with a Wunda Chair, Reformer and Jump Board hidden inside.

"Everything you need for Pilates. Plus a gorgeous chair," Amy says.

HLNA responds to a question Amy has heard from clients for nearly 20 years and since opening WundaBar Pilates: can I have this at home? Her earlier invention, the patented WundaFormer, combined several apparatuses in one machine. That design is now known as the Aurum Reformer, used in Pilates Addiction studios.

““Everything you need for Pilates. Plus a gorgeous chair.””

— Amy Jordan

How the chair transforms

The transformation begins by lifting the chair seat to reveal the Wunda Chair pedal and springs, with the chair risers concealed in the frame. The Reformer rails pull out much like a suitcase handle, and the carriage slides from beneath the chair onto the rails, ready to use. The foot bar locks into place, and a Jump Board tucked into a pocket in the carriage pulls out and fits over it.

"No Jump Board screws. No pieces to assemble. Chair to studio in under a minute,” Amy says.

When the session ends, the process reverses and HLNA returns to its furniture form.

Amy says retaining the functionality of studio equipment has been central to the compact design.

"This is where I really won't compromise. We matched studio specs for the same five springs, carriage travel, carriage length, chair height, chair risers, Jump Board and foot bar."

One deliberate difference is height: the Reformer sits lower to the ground so it can slide beneath the chair. Amy says the lower profile is also intended to improve stability and accommodate lower ceilings.

Designing for the home

Amy’s aim is to combine the versatility of studio equipment with furniture people can live with between sessions. "HLNA isn't a smaller Reformer or a prettier piece of fitness equipment. It's an entirely new category,” she says. “It's an instant studio. Home Pilates has always meant choosing between real versatility and something you'd actually want to live with. I refuse to choose."

The inspiration behind the design

The idea of Pilates equipment that doubles as furniture has a precedent in Joseph Pilates’ original Wunda Chair. Amy sees HLNA as a way to apply that concept to a system containing a Reformer and Jump Board as well.

"It fits in a New York apartment just as easily as a home anywhere else, with a Reformer and Jump Board inside too, and without giving up a room or banishing it to the garage." Amy says.

The name is a tribute to Helena Pilates, Joseph's mother. "The mother of all Pilates, if you will. HLNA also nods to Helen of Troy. Like the Trojan horse, the real surprise is what's hidden inside."

Fourteen years in development

Amy sketched the WundaFormer in 2010 and opened WundaBar Pilates in 2012. That same year, clients began asking for a version they could own, and she started designing a home machine. The early design looked like exercise equipment and took up too much space, even folded.

"I couldn't move forward with a design I didn't believe in or want in my own home. Every machine or product I invent must be something I personally desire in my own life."

After beating cancer in 2020, she returned to the project in 2021 with a renewed perspective and a new starting point: a compact chair that could contain the equipment. HLNA is patent pending, and Amy is refining prototypes and finalising materials with Southern California-based manufacturers.

"It's exciting AND excruciating. Inventing takes an enormous amount of patience and discipline, much like Pilates!"

Pilates for everyone

"I've had Olympians in the same class as 80-year-olds, and everyone leaves sweaty and smiling."

Amy and her teaching team plan to offer streamed classes and an on-demand library, with options for different levels of experience.

"You don't need prior Pilates experience to start. Pilates was never meant to be exclusive or kept secret."

Launch plans

A live Zoom launch is planned for November 10, when the HLNA waitlist will open. Shipping is planned for 2027, with pricing and final shipping dates to be shared with the waitlist first.

"HLNA is designed for anyone who wants to remove the distance between themselves and their fitness."

Launch and waitlist details will be available at hlnahome.com. Follow @hlnahome and @amyjordanofficial for updates.

HLNA at a glance

Closed: about 36 x 21 inches (91 x 53 cm), the footprint of an accent chair
Open: about 119 inches (just over 3 metres), plus room to move around it
Inside: Wunda Chair, Reformer and Jump Board
Ships: 2027
Final production dimensions are still being refined
WundaFormer: U.S. Patent no. 8,602,953.
HLNA: Patent Pending, U.S. Patent Application No. 19/693,291