This informed both the small architectural projects they focused on at the time and their first furniture piece, the Loop Table, originally designed for the lobby of a restaurant but subsequently manufactured by Isokon. The Loop Table was shown at the London Design Fair in 1997, spotted by Giulio Cappellini and introduced into the Cappellini catalogue in 1997. Much of Barber and Osgerby's early work involved the shaping of sheet material such as perspex and plywood, influenced by the white card that they had used frequently in architectural model making. The Loop table evolved into a series of products that shared the same plywood loop construction while the Flight Stool in 1998, the Pilot Table in 1999 and Stencil Screen in 2000 employed the similar materials and processes. The Shell Table in 2000, which was nominated for the Compasso d'Oro, and the Shell Chair in 2001 were further structural studies in moulded birch plywood. By 2001, Barber Osgerby Associates were "turning away work" and split the practice with the architecture and interior design studio renamed Universal and the furniture and industrial design studio renamed Barber Osgerby. Barber Osgerby Barber & Osgerby's first furniture to use solid wood was the oak Home Table in 2000, initially conceived for their own homes. In 2002 the pair were asked to design new furniture for the 13th century St. Thomas’ Portsmouth Cathedral, as part of an ongoing programme of renovation. The only definitive criterion for the pieces was that they be made of oak. Solid oak is heavy and a key requirement for furniture was that it was light and easily manoeuvrable. This was resolved by the engineering of the design, resulting in the slender form of the bench. In 2005 Barber and Osgerby moved on from wood, fulfilling a commission to design a new chair for the newly restored modernist De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill-on-Sea. The resulting aluminium armchairs were in two versions, the restaurant version was upholstered while the external version featured a powder-coated finish and perforated seat and back, capable of enduring the coastal exposure to on the pavilion's outdoor terraces. The De La Warr Chair was subsequently put into production by Established & Sons who also produced Barber Osgerby's aluminium Zero-In table as part of their launch collection in 2005. That table's construction employed automotive industry welding and polishing techniques never before applied to furniture manufacturing. These techniques were