Barber & Osgerby

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby met while studying architecture and interior design at the prestigious Royal College of Art in London. The duo, who share a common passion for innovation and creativity, founded their own agency, “Barber Osgerby,” in 1996, marking the beginning of their successful collaboration in the field of design. From the creation of their agency, Barber and Osgerby distinguished themselves with a unique approach situated at the intersection of industrial design, furniture design, and architecture.

Their talent was quickly recognized, notably at the 1996 Milan Furniture Fair, where their first creation, the Loop Table, caught the attention of Italian designer Giulio Cappellini. He developed a strong professional and personal relationship with them, leading to a series of collaborative products. Together, they created works that rapidly gained international recognition in the design world. Over the years, the duo accumulated numerous prestigious awards, including Best New Designer at the ICFF Editors Awards in 1998 and the Good Design Award in 2010 for their Tab T table lamp, edited by Flos.

But their most iconic achievement is undoubtedly the design of the Olympic torch for the London 2012 Olympics, which earned the Design of the Year award. The designers are renowned for their innovative approach to folding materials, a technique they masterfully use to create objects that are both aesthetic and functional.

They also skillfully play with colors and textures, producing pieces that, while modern, draw inspiration from existing production processes, which they reinterpret in original and intelligent ways. Their work has a clean aesthetic, yet is always inventive and forward-thinking. Barber and Osgerby have collaborated with some of the world’s leading design brands, such as Magis, for the Poppins umbrella stand, Vitra, Established & Sons, and Cappellini, to name just a few.

Their work is widely recognized for its ability to combine aesthetics and functionality, with creations featured in the permanent collections of prestigious museums around the world, such as MoMA in New York and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Today, the Barber Osgerby duo continues to explore new frontiers of design, pursuing projects that redefine industry standards and inspire the next generation of creators around the globe.