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Barber & Osgerby's Pilot chairs for Knoll feature oversized square backs

Clerkenwell Design Week 2015: London design duo Barber & Osgerby will present a range of lounge chairs for American furniture brand Knoll during this year's Clerkenwell Design Week, which begins today (+ slideshow).

Pilot Chair for Knoll by Barber & Osgerby

Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby's Pilot collection is on show at Knoll's showroom in the central London area of Clerkenwell for the annual three-day festival of design.

Pilot Chair for Knoll by Barber & Osgerby

Following a sofa range for the brand launched in 2013, the pair's latest chair designs feature wide rectangular backrests – available in two heights – that extend past the sides of the seat.

Pilot Chair for Knoll by Barber & Osgerby

Seat and back elements are slim in profile but wide when viewed straight on. Both are gently curved to accommodate the form of the sitter's body.

Pilot Chair for Knoll by Barber & Osgerby

A variety of fabric and leather options are available to upholster the chair, covering the moulded foam that is formed around a T-shaped aluminium frame.

The four-pronged bases of the chairs are also aluminium, while optional looped armrests come in the same material.

Pilot Chair for Knoll by Barber & Osgerby

"When designing for a company like Knoll, one continuously wonders how to place new ideas into such an iconic collection," said the designers. "Of course times have changed since the early Knoll pieces and we are more focused these days on such aspects as flexibility, customisation 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," they added.

Pilot Chair for Knoll by Barber & Osgerby

First shown in Milan earlier this year, the Pilot collection will be displayed throughout Clerkenwell Design Week, which takes place from 19 to 21 May 2015.

Pilot Chair for Knoll by Barber & Osgerby

Among a series of installations being created for the event is a large wooden installation comprising a skeletal frame and intricate ribbon-like swathes, which has been placed under a 16th-century arch.