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Tom Dixon (industrial designer)

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Tom Dixon
Born21 May 1959
Sfax
OccupationDesigner, creative director
Awards
Websitehttps://www.tomdixon.net
[edit on Wikidata]

Tom Dixon OBE (born 21 May 1959 in Sfax, Tunisia) is a self-educated British designer. He is the creative director of the eponymous brand "Tom Dixon", specialising in lighting, furniture, and household accessories. Dixon's collections are shown at events such as the Milan Furniture Fair and the London Design Festival. Dixon also spent 10 years as head of design at Habitat. Through Design Research Studio, he has designed restaurants, clubs and hotels.

His works are in museum collections, including London's Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museum of Modern Art in New York and Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. In 2001 he was appointed to the OBE for services to British Design.

Career

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Prior to becoming a designer, Dixon was the bass guitarist for the band Funkapolitan, "who toured with Rita and Ziggy Marley, the Clash and Simple Minds", and appeared on Top of the Pops.[1][2][3] In 1981 the band supported The Clash on their US Tour.[4][5]

A series of motorbike accidents and a broken arm led Dixon to experiment with welding and designing welded products.[6] Dixon became increasingly well-known in the mid-1980s and was described as "the talented untrained designer with a line in welded salvage furniture".[7] In 1994, Dixon established his own shop, 'Space'.[8] It became a creative think-tank for Dixon and other young designers such as Michael Young, Thomas Heatherwick, and Michael Anastassiades, who worked with Dixon during this period.[9][10]

By the late 1980s, he was collaborating with Italian design impresario Giulio Cappellini, whose company manufactures and distributes designs such as Dixon's S-Chair.[11][12]

Mirrorballs pendant lamps

In 1996, Dixon launched a new product line, Eurolounge[8] and became well-known for Jack, a polyethylene "sitting, stacking, lighting thing".[13][14] In 1993 he was part of "In the Swim. Eine Ausstellung kreativen Designs der British European Design Group", organized by Helmut Diez in Bremerhaven, Germany.[15] The show was described in Der Spiegel as the "greatest exhibition of British furniture design of the 20th century".[16][17]

Dixon became head of design at Habitat in 1998[8][18] and later became Creative Director. He credits Habitat with enabling him to learn the business side of design.[19] He publicly represented a collective team responsible for rejuvenating the Habitat brand.[13][8][18] Dixon left Habitat in 2008.[20]

In 2002 Dixon established his personal brand, "Tom Dixon",[21] basing the company in Kings Cross, London. In 2004 Dixon worked with Proventus, a Swedish private investment company, to create Design Research, a holding company for design and product development.[22] Tom Dixon brand collections of lighting and furniture have been launched regularly at the Milan Furniture Fair[23][24][25] and at the London Design Festival.[26][27] In 2012 the company launched its first accessories range at Maison et Objet, Paris.[28][29] The company's products are sold internationally in 65 countries.[citation needed]

Wingback chair
Pylon chair (1991)
Copper Blow light

In 2007 Dixon expanded his West London Studio by creating the Design Research Studio for interior and architectural design.[30] Design Research Studio has designed high-end restaurants such as Jamie Oliver’s London restaurant, Barbecoa[31] and Restaurant at The Royal Academy in London.[32] It also created the private members' club Shoreditch House in East London for the Soho House group.[33][34] In 2014, Design Research Studio completed their first hotel project, redesigning Sea Containers House for the Morgans Hotel Group.[35] In 2016, Dixon and Revolution Precrafted developed a design for a prefabricated house, aptly named HOME.[36]

In 2017, the first Tom Dixon textile collection was launched, named Super Texture, featuring three sets of cushions. Two of the three cushions were commissioned from British textile artist Josephine Ortega[37] – Paint and Abstract. Her sets were urban-inspired, with bright colors and varying textures. A third set, Geo, used hand and machine embroidery to create the impression of layered rocks and sediment.[38]

Dixon's work is included in collections such as the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the National Museums Liverpool in the UK; the Vitra Design Museum in Germany, M+ in Hong Kong; and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and New York's Museum of Modern Art in the US.[39][40][41][42][43][44]

Awards

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In 2001 Dixon was appointed an OBE for services to British Design.[45]

He holds Honorary Doctorates from Birmingham City University (2004) [45] and University of the Arts London (2007).[46]

Publications

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  • The Interior World of Tom Dixon (2008) Octopus Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-84091-519-8, ISBN 978-1-84091-519-8
  • Dixonary (2013) Violette Editions. ISBN 978-1-900828-42-0

References

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  1. ^ Cooke, Rachel (22 June 2013). "Tom Dixon: 'I design for longevity, and I want something to be anti-fashion'". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  2. ^ "Tom Dixon Is Too Punk Rock for You". Architectural Digest. 5 April 2019. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  3. ^ "Tom Dixon and Brad Shellhammer Come Together to Form a Rock Band of Well-Designed Proportions". Core77. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  4. ^ Radio, N. T. S. "Funkapolitan | Discover music on NTS". NTS Radio. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  5. ^ "The Clash Live 1981". www.blackmarketclash.co.uk. Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  6. ^ Khan, Zohra (18 December 2023). ""Tom Dixon: Metalhead" peeks into 40 years of the self-taught British designer's practice". www.stirpad.com. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Tom Dixon". Interior Design. 1 January 2016.
  8. ^ a b c d Cresswell, Lesley (2004). Graphic with Materials Technology. Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-435-75768-7.
  9. ^ Tsai, Florence. "Industrial Designer Michael Young Sets His Sights On China". Forbes. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  10. ^ Dawood, Sarah (5 March 2018). "Tom Dixon: "I never planned to be a designer – I just liked fixing things"". Design Week. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  11. ^ "S-Chair, TOM DIXON". www.cappellini.com. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
  12. ^ Rushton, Susie (11 September 2007). "Design: Ahead of the curve". The Independent. Retrieved 1 December 2022.
  13. ^ a b designmuseum.org (British Council) Retrieved 10 May 2011
  14. ^ "Tom Dixon". Museum of Design in Plastics. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  15. ^ Phillips, Karin-Beate; Farrelly, Liz; Diez, Helmut (1993). In the Swim. Eine Ausstellung kreativen Designs der British European Design Group. Ausstellung im Design Labor Bremerhaven vom 2. Mai bis 30. Juni 1993. London: Blueprint.
  16. ^ "Helmut Diez". NINA Digital Art Gallery.
  17. ^ "größte Werkschau britischer Möbeldesigner des 20. Jahrhunderts" (Sonntagsmagazin, ARD 1993-05-05, KulturBuffet, N3, Gerd Röhlke, Jürgen Schöffel: Visions in the swim and VOX (features)).
  18. ^ a b Châtel, Francesca de; Hunt, Robin (2 August 2004). Retailisation: The Here, There and Everywhere of Retail. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-47608-3.
  19. ^ "A Retrofuturespective: 20 Years of Tom Dixon Studio". The Edit. Lumens. 6 July 2022.
  20. ^ "Tom Dixon: Free spirit". The Independent. 13 September 2008.
  21. ^ Mun-Delsalle, Y.-Jean. "One Of The UK's Most Celebrated Designers, Tom Dixon Brings The Factory To The Consumer". Forbes. Retrieved 23 January 2024.
  22. ^ "Tom Dixon History". Tom Dixon. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  23. ^ Carlson, Cajsa (9 June 2022). "Underwater furniture features in Tom Dixon's exhibition Twenty". Dezeen. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  24. ^ Wallis, Stephen (31 March 2012). "Tom Dixon's MOST Event in Milan". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  25. ^ Madlener, Adrian (25 April 2023). "Squishy Tables and Light Shows: An Insider's Look at a Refreshed Salone del Mobile, the World's Top Design and Furniture Fair". Artnet News. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  26. ^ "7 things to see at London Design Festival 2023". ICON Magazine. 19 September 2023.
  27. ^ Feldman, Melissa (28 September 2023). "See Highlights from This Year's London Design Festival". Galerie.
  28. ^ Treggiden, Katie (31 January 2012). "Trends at Maison & Objet 2012". Design Milk. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  29. ^ Cohen Blatter, Lucy (13 July 2020). "British Designer Says 'You Need to Stick Out to Survive'". Mansion Global.
  30. ^ "Ever the innovator". www.pirelli.com (in Italian). Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  31. ^ "Restaurant: Barbecoa, St Pauls". London Design Guide. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  32. ^ "Restaurant at The Royal Academy by Tom Dixon". Dezeen. 2 February 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  33. ^ "Shoreditch House by Tom Dixon". Dezeen. 16 July 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  34. ^ Fairs, Marcus (16 July 2007). "Shoreditch House by Tom Dixon". Dezeen. Retrieved 30 June 2024.
  35. ^ "Tom Dixon To Turn Sea Containers House Into Mondrian Hotel". Design Week. 13 March 2012. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  36. ^ "HOME BY TOM DIXON | Revolution Pre-Crafted Properties". revolutionprecrafted.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2015.
  37. ^ Yang, Vy (12 February 2018). "Tom Dixon Adds New Ranges and Colors to the SUPER TEXTURE Textiles Collection". Design Milk. Retrieved 26 September 2022.
  38. ^ Wing-Sze, Lee (26 January 2018). "Tom Dixon launches first textile collection". South China Morning Post. Retrieved 31 January 2018.
  39. ^ Dixon, Tom (8 February 2019). "Tom Dixon". Houseology. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  40. ^ "Pylon Chair". National Museums Liverpool. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  41. ^ "Dixon, Tom". SFMOMA. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  42. ^ "S-Chair (1988) – Tom Dixon | Objects | M+". www.mplus.org.hk. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  43. ^ "S-Chair, 1987, Tom Dixon". Vitra Design Museum. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  44. ^ Dixon, Tom (1987), S Chair, Victoria and Albert Museum, retrieved 20 June 2024
  45. ^ a b "Tom Dixon, Esq, OBE". Debretts. Retrieved 10 May 2011.
  46. ^ "Doctorates for Dixon and Ive". Design Week. 10 May 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
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