Wooden chairs - a popular feature of many lines of pub furniture, bistro furniture and other ranges for commercial settings - are receiving recognition this year as icons of design.
The shortlist for the Designs of the Year Furniture Award 2012 features several examples of the world's most distinctive wooden chairs from the past 12 months.
Among them is Ed Carpenter's Harbour Chair, a low-backed concept that combines natural wood tones in the seat and back with primary colours in the strut-like tubular metal legs.
The design is a union between the comfort and natural appeal of wood in the chair's contact areas and the strength of metal for the supports.
Meanwhile, Kihyun Kim earns a nomination for Balsa Furniture (pictured), a range of furniture that celebrates the lightest hardwood through the use of modern manufacturing techniques.
The result is a wooden chair that emulates classic designs, yet looks somehow different due to the unique nature of its manufacture and construction.
Designs of the Year presents awards in seven categories and nominees are exhibited at the Design Museum in London until July 4th, 2012.
You can find wooden chairs in several of our collections, including our traditional pub furniture, where several wood finishes are available to suit your tastes.