Design Guild Mark Holder
Smalto Table Collection
Name of Designer:
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby239
2021
Knoll International
Starting in 2013 with the launch of the Barber & Osgerby collection of sofas, armchairs and ottomans, the brilliant collaboration between Knoll and the designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby continues along the lines of the brand’s cultural heritage, from the modern, innovative Pilot Chair in 2015 to this new collection of tables: Smalto.
The new Smalto table, in the round or longer versions with rounded ends, conquers the living area to become its protagonist, adding a unique touch to the spaces of contemporary living. The collection is a perfect blend of stylistic innovation and painstaking workmanship, as in the finishing of the metal using a process at high temperatures to achieve results comparable to vitrification. The tables have a grand presence, with large, inset tubular legs and a thick (32mm) table top, whilst still remaining perfectly proportioned – the balance between the table’s curves and its high gloss enamel finish gives the product a refined appearance.
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby founded their eponymous studio in 1996 after graduating with Master’s degrees in Architecture from The Royal College of Art in London. From their first studio in Trellick Tower in London, they designed their first piece, the Loop Table, produced by Isokon in 1997. Much of Barber and Osgerby’s early work involved the folding and shaping of sheet material, influenced by the white card that they had used frequently in architectural model making.
