Designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby started their studio in London in 1996, after they graduated from the Royal College of Art. Their earliest works involved the folding and shaping of sheet metal and they would become known for the use of color in their furniture projects. They were awarded the Jerwood Applied Arts Prize in 2004. Some of their work is in the permanent collections of the V&A Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; London’s Design Museum and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Barber & Osgerby recently produced a tableware collection with the Royal Doulton ceramic company. “Oilo,” which means “a miscellaneous collection of things” includes 40 pieces made out of a combination of materials— ceramic, wood and stainless steel. The shapes are idiosyncratic. The ceramic pieces are made from different clays and include glazed and unglazed elements. The purpose behind Olio is seamless assimilation into the rest of one’s kitchenware. The designers state:
“…(T)he principle idea behind Olio is that it is not a ‘set’, it is a collection, and because of that the pieces will sit happily alongside other objects in the home. Each piece has been designed to sit alone just as well as it will sit amongst the rest of the collection.”
The set was produced by Royal Doulton, a 200-year-old English ceramic company, which is near the designers’ studio. The set is available for purchase here.
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“Olio” by Barber & Osgerby. Photographs by David Brook and Amber Rowlands.
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