Collection: Barber & Osgerby

Edward Barber (Shrewsbury, 1969) and Jay Osgerby (Oxford, 1969) founded Barber & Osgerby in East London in 1996 after meeting at the Royal College of Art, where they both studied architecture. One of their first projects was the Loop Table, an apparently simple table with a birch plywood top that wraps around its base. Loop Table was first produced in the UK by Isokon Plus, then in Italy by Cappellini.
Experimentation, innovation and continuous research into colour and materials are the central features of Barber & Osgerby's work, resulting in products that integrate industrial processes and the world of fine arts. They are considered among the key figures of the new generation of British designers, ready to take over the design heritage of Jasper Morrison and Tom Dixon.

As a result of their architectural training, their design objects enter into close relationship with their surrounding context, through openings or structures that create space around and through the object itself. Barber & Osgerby's work is characterised by human interaction. One example is the Tab lamp, designed for Flos in both table and floor versions. The very simple stand and base with a bent aluminium shade allows light to be directed towards a precise point or tilted towards a wall to produce ambient light. For several years, they have focused on sustainability, creating objects that last both aesthetically and functionally. They work only with manufacturers who use recycled materials and insist that their products be recyclable and durable.

Barber & Osgerby collaborate with some of the world's most innovative companies including Axor, Vitra, Knoll, Magis, Cappellini, Mutina, Glas Italia and B&B Italia, in addition to Flos and Cappellini. Their many accolades include the Jerwood Award in 2004 and their status as Royal Designers for Industry in 2007. In 2013, they became Member of the Order of the British Empire for their services to the design industry.

Barber & Osgebry's products are on display in the permanent collections of some of the world's leading museums, including the Design Museum in London and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. In 2001, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby founded Universal Design Studio an atelier that works in parallel with their main office on architecture and interior design projects like the London restaurant Pharmacy and Stella McCartney shops.