Outdoor Beauty & Strength

The words, tobi-ishi trans­lates to ​“step­ping stone”, refer­ring to orna­men­tal stones used in Japan­ese gardens. Upon first glance, Tobi-Ishi’s seem­ingly mono­lithic construc­tion appears both massive and heavy – aesthet­ics not produced by stone itself, but rather by an unex­pected combi­na­tion of mate­ri­als. The orien­ta­tion of the Tobi-Ishi Outdoor’s gently curved recti­lin­ear base supports at an open right angle provides both a levity to the percep­tion of volume, as well as a range of varying aesthet­ics when the table is observed from different angles.

Barber & Osgerby is a design studio in London, estab­lished by design­ers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby in 1996. Known for their work in furni­ture, light­ing, and product design, Barber and Osgerby are both Royal Design­ers for Indus­try (RDI), and many of their award-winning pieces are placed as part of perma­nent collec­tions in museums in both the United States and Great Britain. In addi­tion to their indus­trial design studio, Barber and Osgerby founded an archi­tec­ture and inte­rior design studio, Univer­sal Design Studio; as well as MAP, a consul­tant firm for indus­trial design strat­egy. Some of their early work started with folding and shaping sheet metal. Notable indus­trial design pieces include the London 2012 Olympic and Para­lympic Torch; as well as the Tip Ton chair they designed in 2011 for Vitra.