Helen Kontouris’ Vene Chair is certainly not the first metal and wood combination we’ve seen. However, it is among the most elegant. Kontouris, a recent recipient of the IDEA Designer of the Year award, envisioned a duel indoor/outdoor life for her chair. The base is aluminum and the slats are made of teak. The Vene Chair will be available through Australian manufacturer Schiavello. (via Conteporist).

More looks at the Vene Chair after the jump.

Based in Tel Aviv, Israel, Godspeed is a small conceptual design studio that produces marvelous work from refuse wood. The forms are quite typical – chest of drawers, arm chair – but the sculptural nature of the product gives new life to both the rather regular material and case and seating furniture. Perhaps not perfectly suited for the home, Godspeed’s creations hover between studio craft and

Yatzer published a thorough profile on Godspeed earlier in the week. Ricardo Hernandez does a nice job of contextualizing the work against contemporary high design and pushing the “waste no more” philosophy.

After the jump, my favorite Godspeed designs.

Designed for Globe Zero 4, a Danish firm specializing in high design contract furniture, the Capri Lounge Chair sits on a brushed aluminum base and has a moulded foam seat. Busk+Hertzog were recipient of last year’s Good Design Award, and their involvement with Globe Zero 4 is indicative of the company’s desire to promote Scandinavian design.

While not particularly bold, the Capri Lounge Chair has benefits in multi-color options. Perfect as an accent piece or to fill large public areas with smaller conversational groupings. (via Daily Icon).

Collaborating with Italian firm Kartell’s owner and chairman Claudio Luti, Tokujin Yoshioka has produced “The Invisibles.” The chairs, built of polycarbonate allow Yoshioka to further explore an interest in the ethereal. They may remind, in theory, of Philippe Starck’s “Ghost” chairs (similarly produced by Kartell), but take the idea further by floating the sitter completely.

In addition to the chair, Yoshioka plays with the invisible in an installation called “Snowflake” which will run at the Kartell Gallery during Milan design week 2010. (via db).

Above is a working sketch for “The Invisibles,” head to the jump to view the range directly.

Frame presents a minimal preview of what Emu will show at the Salone del Mobile in Milan next month. The Pattern Collection by Arik Levy, a designer best known for his furniture, is made of metal with patterned cut out. Devised with a slim profile, the chairs come in two colors (gray and red).

The collection is in keeping with Emu’s dedication to providing innovative outdoor furnishings.

The Salone del Mobile runs from April 14 to 19, 2010.

More images of the Pattern Collection after the jump.

Superb use of bent plywood in the “Alle” chairs, designed by Luca Nichetto for Skitsch.

Two bases are utilized (legged and columnar) in tubular steel frames. Then, bent wood seats are fitted in. The result blends two materials well, and the theme of blending is carried into the decorative theme. Gradation to the paint is meant to invoke wear – the aim to make the “Alle” reminiscent of beat up wooden cafe chairs.

Skitsch will preview the pair in London at the opening of their Brompton Road shop at the end of this month. (via DB).

Individual looks at the two “Alle” chairs after the jump.

Never too late (I suppose) to mention a newish design from Thos. Moser. The company is guided by a mission to: “build furniture that celebrates the natural beauty of wood; is of simple, unadorned, graceful line; and is crafted for a long, useful life.” Their offerings skew towards the tradition, but in the Meridian collection the subtle detail and line gives more contemporary feel. The undercut of the Dining Chair is particularly charming.

The chairs are also exceptional in the Moser line for the use of Ash.

More direct looks at the Meridian Dining Chair after the jump.

The Chipstone Foundation has produced a series of enlightening videos about specific craft processes. Above, a trip to Randy O’Donnell’s shop covers the making of a great chair. Watch as he explains which tools were available to the maker and how it relates to the finished product.

The series is called “Object Lab.” Check out the clay video after the jump. (via Art Babble).

The Zorro, or Z-Chair, places a plastic/composite seat atop steel tube legs. The seats can either come raw or upholstered. For those with spatial concern, the chairs are completely stack-able.

The Z-Chair name derives from a hardened s-curve which delineates the shape of the seat. The molding produces a bold form, and despite the simplicity of the leg there is definite weight to the over all design. (via Industrial Design Served).

Paul Loebach, one of “The Nifty 50,” designed two distinct object sets for New York-based Matter. Above is the Victor Armchair, part of a series which combines simple geometeries and classic matterials. The series includes an ottoman, 2 and 3-seat sofas, and the single chair.

The Orchard ladder collection is a series of accent pieces inspired by 19th-century orchard ladders. View an example after the jump.