The result is a straightforward design that thoughtfully combines two traditional materials: steel and wood. Skilled metalworkers use a series of complex mechanical procedures to gradually shear, coin, curve, and cut the metal pieces. The legs and round seat are milled out of solid beech. Together, the materials form a chair that is strong and durable with a natural warmth. Easy to assemble and offered in a selection of painted finishes, its subtle silhouette adapts to a number of environments. “We tried to make a chair that could fit a number of people, and it doesn’t look like a chair for rich or poor, woman or man—it’s universal,” explains Erwan. “Just made in metal and wood that will last and grow old quite nicely. The chair says, ‘Believe me that I’m a chair that will last.’”

Read more about the design’s manufacturing process at Magis here. To add the chair — or any of the Steelwood family, including its stool and table — to your dining or working space, visit the Herman Miller store.

If you will be in the Midwest before the end of January, don’t miss the brothers’ exhibit “Bivouac” at the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. The exhibit is open now and continues through January 20, 2013.

1. Piani Light - With its tray-like base and hovering parallel light source, the Piani creates both a unique illumination as well as a modestly lit stage for desktop and night table. Injection-molded body, available in black, green, red and white. Find one at Flos.

2. Magis Steelwood Table + Chair - Initially seeking to create an alternative to plastic seating and to reduce complex assembly, the Steelwood group has a broad appeal. Inviting in shape and texture, but strong and durable in design, Steelwood Tables and Chairs will offer style and comfort for years to come. Find both the table and chairs at Herman Miller.

3. Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec by Anniina Koivu - The first career and design chronicle of Ronan and Erwan, Anniina Koivu’s book features 10 themed chapters examining the various aspects of their design as well as an illustrated catalogue, interviews with collaborators, and more. Get your copy from Barnes & Noble.

4. Ovale Table Set, Alessi & Ronan Bouroullec - Blissfully spare and modern, the Ovale series re-imagines stoneware and stainless-steel tableware, drawing minimal from the origins of the traditional. Simply eye-catching whether for special or everyday use. Choose your setting at A+R.

5. Pico Tiles - Eschewing the slick, shiny trends of contemporary tiling, Pico focuses on the substance and material’s innate characteristics and textures. With a matte finish, gentle colors, and a subtle, organic relief, the tiles lend a nuanced accent to spaces both public and private. Choose from monochromatic and two-tone color combinations. Learn more at Mutina.

6. Matiazzi Osso Chair - The environmental pedigree of the Osso Chair is almost as impressive as its material-focused design. The beauty of the chair’s locally harvested wood is intensified by sophisticated sculpture, polish, and construction techniques. Choose from six colored finishes as well as natural ash, maple, and oak. Choose yours at Herman Miller.

Photos linked within the text.

1. Triangle Brush, Veronika Becker - Crafted in Germany by blind artisans, this unique desktop implement combines a metric triangle ruler with a hand-wired boar’s hair brush for dusting away the refuse of the creative process. Get one from Canoe.

2. Magis Chair_One Stacking, Set of 2, Konstantin Grcic - From triangles comes comfort in this distinctive seating modeled after the combined planes of a soccer ball. Sold in sets of 2. Choose from grey, red, and white seating on painted or polished aluminum legs. Get yours at Herman Miller.

3. Extraction Series: Extruded: White, Matthew Shlian - Through his most recent collaboration with Ghostly, Matthew Shlian incorporates energetic motion, rotation, and extrusion, creating shapes that strain to release themselves from two dimensions. Limited edition of 30, available now from The Ghostly Store.

4. Triangle to Triangle Small, Mike Perry - Mike Perry’s hand-drawn work knits and fastens together an intricate weave of shapes and colors. Like his hand-painted Eames Molded Plastic Chair, the effect of his complex illustrations is both beautiful and hypnotic. Get this and more at Mike Perry Studio.

5. Grimm’s Magnetic Play: Triangles - If you’re interested in creating your own triangular complexity, try the 64-piece set of birch plywood magnetic triangles. Arrange them into faces, landscapes, or abstract patterns for a perpetual exploration in color and shape. Pick one up at Module-R.

6. Triangle Notebook, Tan Mavitan - Looking to escape the tyranny of the square or rectangle? At first glance the Triangle Notebook does just that… until you open it to form a perfect square on which to write and draw. Consider it the best of both worlds. Available at MoMA.

P.S. We couldn’t resist adding a few extra triangles. Enjoy some pizza on these triangular Pizza Plates from Uncommon Goods.

Photos: Linked within the text.

1. Magis Steelwood Table & Chair, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec - It shines dressed up for wine and cheese, and is a breeze to dress down for PB&J. The Steelwood table is handsome and sturdy with a subtle contrast brought on by solid beech legs and cross pieces, and resin-painted joints and laminate tops. Pair with the Magis Steelwood Chairs for the perfect setup. Get yours at Herman Miller.

2. Copenhagen Salad Servers, Normann Copehagen - With oak handles and melamine grips, these unique shaped servers are perfect for healthy helpings (and second servings). Find them at YLiving.

3. Vers 1E Earphones w/Microphone - Let your eardrums embrace the warmth of handcrafted hardwoods with the natural sound quality Vers is known for. They’re complete with integrated microphone and noise-canceling and sustainably sourced materials — plus, they’re on summer sale at Vers Audio.

4. Ash and Porcelain Desk Catch-All, Farrahsit Etsy Store - Your workspace probably needs a catch-all — and you’ll probably need a post-it soon, too. Get both in this mélange of modern shapes and textures, combining solid ash wood, glazed exterior porcelain, and a useful note pad. Get one at from Farrahsit on Etsy.

5. Drum Tables, Sandback, white painted maple surrounding natural oak - Sit yourself or set your things on this striking union of minimal silhouette and natural complexity. Available in five diameters, the natural oak and painted marble table comes in white, but can also be ordered in any custom paint color. The perfect marriage of white and wood. Check them out at Peter Sandback.

6. Shuffle Calendar, CB2 - Usually things with dates on them expire, but here’s an exception. The perpetual Shuffle Calendar will allow you to mix and match plywood month/day/date panels within its white wood base for the next 365 years. Perpetual living not included. Shuffle into CB2 for yours.

Photos: Linked within text.

Design can be as playful as it is functional. For kids as well as the kid in all of us, here’s six ways to fill the playroom with fun and design.

1. Eames Elephant, Charles & Ray Eames – Fascinating to the Eameses, elephants popped up in Charles’ photos of circus life. Designed as molded plywood toys but never produced, the enchanting Eames Elephant comes back to life in durable polypropylene. Available in five colors. Get one at DWR.

2. Magis Puppy, Eero Aarnio – With its minimal, modern shape and detail, Aarnio’s brightly colored Puppy draws the eyes, of children especially, while simultaneously blurring the line between toy and furnishing. Leash one up at Hive Modern.

3. Eames House Blocks – The Eameses moved into Case Study House No. 8 on Christmas Eve, 1949. Now your children can enjoy building their own Eames House with these hand-pulled, screen-printed blocks. (Maybe even on Christmas Eve!) The set includes both the house and studio, comprised of 36 Michigan-grown, basswood blocks. Start building at House Industries.

4. Eames Hang-It-All, Charles & Ray Eames – Like so much of the Eameses work, the Hang-It-All is a beguiling work of art that also possesses great functionality. With its colorful wood knobs and web-like wire lattice base, it will make hanging just about anything from coats and scarves to hats and umbrellas a delight. Hang your hat on one at Herman Miller.

5. Cubebots, David Weeks – At rest, the Cubebot is an unassuming wood block; but awaken one and discover his dynamic profiles and poses. Elastic “muscles” and sustainably harvested cherry wood limbs make him impervious to years of play — the perfect, environmentally conscious, robot companion. Obtain him at Unica Home.

6. Alma Stacking Children’s Chair by Magis – Designed by Javier Mariscal for Magis, this contemporary stacking chair is the perfect height for manning a front-yard lemonade stand, a baby-doll tea service, and more. Produced in rotational-moulded polyethylene for durability with a unique sprouting chairback detail, it’s an attractive, functional addition to any playroom. Stack them up at Emmo Home.

Photos: Linked to sources within text

1. Magis Folding Air-Chair, Herman Miller A pioneering chair in the use of gas-injection technology, Jasper Morrison’s Magis Air Chair is durable, light and adds a pop of color to the patio. Have a seat: store.hermanmiller.com

2. Scholten & Baijings Minimal Collection for Hay Dutch design-due Carole Baijings and Stefan Scholten are anything but drab, infusing their work with sophisticated levity, singular style, and, of course, color. Get between their sheets: hayshop.dk

3. PF Flyers Center Lo Sneaking right into your color-craving heart is the Center Lo sneaker. Since 1933, PF (“Posture Foundation”) Flyers have been helping us “play at full speed longer.” Lots of great spring hues for you’s and yours. Pick up a pair: pfflyers.com

4. Silicone Leaf Plates, MoMA Store Instantly organic (each is slightly different in size and color) and simultaneously modern, Nao Tamura’s silicone leaf plates unite technology with nature. Perfect for al fresco service. Dish them up: MoMA Store

5. Forage Apricot Plaid Bow Tie, Forage Need a spring in your step? Just put a bow on it! Hand crafted in 100% cotton in 100% Brooklyn, NY, Forage’s Shauna and Stephen seem to tie off a new project weekly, collaborating in pop-up shops, festivals, and more. Tie one of their ties on here: forage.bigcartel.com

6. Eames Hang-It-All, Herman Miller Charles and Ray Eames designed children’s products, like the playful Hang-It-All, mostly because they wanted to share them with the children around them. Isn’t that cool? Of course, it’s not just an eye-catcher; it catches a lot of hats, coats, and bags, too. Home is where you Hang-It-All: store.hermanmiller.com

Photos: Linked to their sources within text

1. SF Girl By Bay’s coverage of this Norwegian home (check out how its small workspace, above, incorporates a Magis Chair_One).

2. LA Times’ look at Lisa Ling’s new Santa Monica house.

3. Solo, an easy-on-the-eyes project management tool for “the modern freelancer” (via Design You Trust).

4. Pippa Lord’s photo collection of home-office inspiration at sousstyle.com.

5. Dwell’s “Coolest Homes for Artists & Art Collectors” article and slideshow.

6. This amenity pouch by the Eames Office for American Airlines makes us want to travel even more. (via NOTCOT).

7. The Poppin blog’s roundup of business card resources.

8. The Instagram feed for Shades Detroit Graffiti (congrats on the new Embody Chair).

9. Did you spot the Eames Lounge Chair and Ottoman in Apple’s video for the new iPad?

10. Apartment Therapy Tech’s friendly reminder of the things that are important. (So take a break outside after you finish reading this, won’t you?)

Photo: Trine Thorsen for Elle Decoration

The brothers are also part of the excellent Phaidon video interview series which I have included below. In this short clip they talk about their designs, their responsibilities and the poetic quality of a well-made object. We also get a great peek into their Paris-based workspace where the interview was shot.

Giovannoni is  probably best known for his iconic Bombo stool. Its soft organic seat is formed with injection-molded plastic sprouting from a chrome stem and base. Using advances in that same air-molding technology Giovannoni designed Chair First. This time there was no chrome. The whole chair is one durable, sturdy, lightweight piece of plastic that is 100% recyclable. For all its elegant simplicity of form it is a major breakthough in chair design – hence the name Chair First.

For more on Giovannoni check out the post over on Discover.

Herman Miller + Magis: Jasper Morrison, Konstantin Grcic

Magis works a lot like Herman Miller in that they partner with outside designers. Who have they worked with? The list is a who’s who of the design world – look out for pieces by Richard Sapper, Jasper Morrison, Stefano Giovannoni, Marc Newson, Konstantin Grcic (his Chair_One is pictured above) , Ron Arad, the Bouroullecs, Robin Day, Pierre Paulin, Jerszy Seymour, Naoto Fukasawa, and Thomas Heatherwick. Come check out the Herman Miller booth at Neocon (June 13-15) to see just how our pieces will work with Magis’ designs.