Knoll Barber Osgerby Compact Armchair

In 2013, Barber and Osgerby debuted their first collaboration with Knoll at Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano, before introducing their eponymous collection to the market the following year. Inspired by Florence Knoll’s iconic sofa—which, in turn, borrowed the aesthetic vocabulary of Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s oeuvre—Barber and Osgerby began the design process by considering the chair as an architectural object, "Architecturally, we wanted to refer to the famous Florence Knoll Sofa. So we created this architectural, delineated envelope which is also supremely comfortable."

The chairs’ t-shaped legs are both a source of structure and support, fitting between the joints of the cushions to serve the dual purpose of foot and connector. The result is seamless design that does away with the frame, creating the appearance of a wholly integrated piece of furniture composed of several different components. For this reason, Osgerby contends, “The foot is really the icon of the sofa. It fits between each one of the arms and the seats, which are the architectural building blocks of the sofa."

Casual comfort meets modern simplicity. An elegant architectural profile is reinforced by stitching details, while the curved cushions soften each face and invite you to get comfortable. The Compact Arm Chair is ideal for smaller spaces. The signature cast aluminum leg brings it all together.

MEASUREMENTS:

• Height: 63.5 cm / 25 inch


• Width: 100 cm / 39.4 inch


• Depth: 86 cm / 33.8 inch

MATERIALS:

• Plywood, Aluminum

HELPFUL NOTES:

• Greenguard Indoor Air Quality Certified®


• Frame: Hardwood and plywood construction with elastomeric suspension sheet webbing and foam supported sit-through feature at the cushion breaks. Inner frame is 7/8" plywood


• Upholstery: High density foam construction throughout with gel infused high density memory foam on top seating surface


• Stitching: Pinched topstitched seaming


• Legs: Die Cast aluminum legs with height adjustable glides

Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby

UK

Barber, 1969 / Osgerby, 1969

“The pencil is the ultimate tool for the transfer of ideas from mind to paper.” - Edward Barber

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, both born in England in 1969, studied architecture and interior design together at the Royal College of Art in London. They founded their own architecture and design studio – Barber Osgerby – in 1996. Known for their roguish designs such as the Tip Ton chair for Vitra and the Tab Light for Flos, the East London-based pair have been showered with a number of prestigious awards including the Jerwood Applied Arts Prize for Furniture, and most recently they were awarded the title of Royal Designers for Industry by the Royal Society of Arts.

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. Plywood and perspex were used in the development of the Pilot Table, 1999, and Stencil Screen, 2000.

Shop all designs by Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby