Knoll - Pilot Chair for Knoll low back

Begun in 2013 with the launch of the Barber & Osgerby Collection of sofas, armchairs and ottomans, the brilliant interaction between Knoll and the designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby continues, with the aim of moving forward with the brand’s cultural heritage, from a forerunner of modernism to an interpreter of contemporary design.

The collaboration with the London-based studio has led to the Pilot Chair, a modern, innovative lounge chair, perfect for any type of space, from the home to the office. The slim backed chair has a striking profile that will perfectly suit the domestic setting whilst adapting perfectly to use as an executive armchair.

The Pilot Chair is the sum of elegant design, comfort, exclusive materials and fine craftsmanship, and a perfect example of the approach the two English designers apply in all their projects, which always stand out for great intellectual rigor and avant-garde design.

“When designing for a company like Knoll, one continuously wonders how to place new ideas into such an iconic collection,” Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby comment. “Of course times have changed since the early Knoll pieces and we are more focused these days on such aspects as flexibility, customization and logistics as an integral part of our design. Our new Pilot chair not only responds to today’s needs, but also offers an elegant, innovative design for a different culture.”

Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby

Edward Barber & Jay Osgerby founded the studio of the same name in 1996. After graduating in architecture from The Royal College of Art in London.
The Barber & Osgerby studio, thanks to their research-based practice, has developed collections for Vitra, B&B Italia, Venini, Cappellini, Magis, Swarovski, Flos and Established & Sons. In addition to this, they also produce editions of furniture and unique pieces for private and public customers. Their work is exhibited in permanent collections around the world, including the V&A Museum in London, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Design Museum in London and the Art Institute in Chicago.
In 2001 Barber & Osgerby founded the Universal Design Studio. This is currently known as one of the most innovative consulting firms in creative design operating in the world of architecture, interiors and exhibitions. In 2011 Barber & Osgerby were commissioned to design the London 2012 Olympic torch, while in 2012 they launched MAP, a strategic industrial design studio, drawing on the creative and commercial capabilities of Barber and Osgerby to offer particularly ambitious clients insights into design, creative direction and research.

Knoll

Knoll uses modern design to connect people to their work, to their lives, to their world. Since 1938, it has been internationally recognized for creating furniture for work and residential environments.

For more than 80 years Knoll has remained true to the Bauhaus design philosophy that modern furniture should complement the architectural space. At Knoll, modern design has been the guiding principle and this passion has been shared by customers and design professionals around the world. The founders, Hans and Florence Knoll, embraced the creative genius of the time.  Supported schools were Bauhaus School and Cranbrook Academy of Art to create new types of furniture and workplace environments.

Their approach, where craftsmanship joins technology through the use of design, sets the perspective and shapes the values that live today. 80 years of historical collaborations, with pioneering modernists and daring contemporary designers, define not only the past but the future through active, recent and future collaborations with Antenna Design, Don Chadwick, Formway Design, Jehs & Laub, Joseph D'Urso , David Adjaye and OMA.