Design Secrets: Furniture

“We love working with plywood,” says Ed Barber, “because it’s

somewhere between working with regular wood and with plastic.

Like plastic, you can mold plywood into certain shapes, but unlike

plastic, it doesn’t deteriorate as it ages. In some cases, it actually

looks better as it ages.”

The other idea the designers, Jay Osgerby and Ed Barber, had in

mind was to create something as lightweight—both literally and

aesthetically—as possible. “We were intrigued with the strength

of plywood. Even though it’s thin, when you fold it, it becomes

very strong. The Shell Table puts that principle into practice,” Bar-

ber continues. “By just folding the top over ...