UK Furniture Designers Struck Gold Designing the Olympic Torch

Janet Ramin - By now you've seen it light up the London's 2012 Olympic Flame, but did you know who designed the torch? The brilliant British design duo, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, of course!

Barber and Osgerby - known for clean, minimalist modern furniture - designed the golden aluminum Olympic torch. Pierced with over 8000 holes, the triangular torch was sleekness defined. On the opening night, young budding athletes carried the Olympic torch and lit the lily-shaped copper petals. Then the petals rose up on long stems to create a gigantic shimmering bouquet that became the Olympic Flame. Wow!

The view below the Olympic Flame transformed to a starburst of indvidual torches. Then Paul McCartney serenaded the audience with Hey Jude ... a lovely ending to a memorable night.

Reprinted with permission of Sheffield School. Are you interested in learning more about furniture and home design? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you'll learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories. 

Free Book Give-Away: Rizzoli Profile on Designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby

British designers, Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, have brought together their diverse and exciting designs into a collector’s book: The Design Work of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby.    

The design duo has wide roots in design – Barber studied interior design and Osgerby furniture and industrial design in undergrad. They both finished their graduate work in architecture from the Royal College of Art in London and quickly became immersed in the design of furniture and accessories. 

Starting with their first success, the Loop Table (see photo above), Barber and Osgerby recount the origins of their designs and the development from idea to manufactured product. The book traces by theme the inspiration behind each of their successful designs. Included are preliminary sketches, models, and snapshots of works in progress. Many of their furniture and product designs have subsequently been produced by international companies such as Cappellini, Vitra, and Sony. 

The Design Work of Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby is published by Rizzoli and will be released on April 19^th, 2011. 

FREE BOOK GIVE-AWAY: Design2Share is joining forces with Sheffield School in a special pre-release drawing for a free copy of this beautiful, design-rich book. To enter, leave a comment on this post, and tell us in one or two sentences: "My favorite piece of designer furniture is . . . ." - and tell us why you love it so much! The deadline for entries is April 15, 2011.

Barber and Osgerby