Today, we present a great furniture designer who became even more famous due to his stunning lighting designs and managed to bring lighting design into the spotlight, all while being self-taught. According to him, he started this career somewhat by chance and without a specific goal in mind.
So, who is Tom Dixon?
Born in Tunisia to an English father and a half-Latvian, half-French mother, he lived until he was four years old in Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and Suez, before moving with his family to northern England, to Huddersfield. As a child, he attended an experimental school with a very good art department, where he often took refuge. His first encounter with what would become his future career was in a ceramics class, where he experimented with forms and shapes. Despite this, he graduated without knowing what he wanted to do next, and although he enrolled in the Chelsea School of Art, he left school after six months. He began playing bass in a band that became popular in London and started touring. Later, he worked in clubs only two days a week, giving him time the rest of the week to build his own business focused on welding. What did this mean? He created various objects and chairs by welding together objects he found, then sold them. So, as he claims, his work was not just for the sake of art but always had a commercial spin on it.
Capellini approached him, as he had created as a young designer Space project, and he designed for the brand the “S” chair in the late ’80s, which became iconic. His fame skyrocketed even further when he designed the Jack lamp in 1994. He served as Creative Director at Habitat from 1998 to 2008, and in 2002, he simultaneously launched his own brand, “Tom Dixon.” While his portfolio began with chairs, he became famous for the lighting designs he created, such as the Copper Shade, Beat, Flame-Cut (which were furniture with light), and Melt collections.
In 2000, he was honoured by Queen Elizabeth II with the OBE title for his services to design, and some of his works now adorn museums around the world, such as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Museums of Modern Art in New York and Tokyo, and Centre Beaubourg (Pompidou). In 2007, DRS (Design Research Studio) opened under his leadership, and since then, he has taken on large architectural projects, such as Shoreditch House.
S Chair, Tom Dixon
Collections
Let’s explore some of the collections that brought Tom Dixon international fame, and which I have highlighted among his impressive body of work.
Beat
This series consists of many different designs, such as the Fat, Tall, Wide, Stout Pendant, as well as corresponding floor, table, and wall-mounted lights, in black, gold, white, and silver colours, bringing the craft of blacksmithing closer to us.
Beat Series, Tom Dixon
Bell
This elegant series plays with the reflection of the surrounding environment through its glossy surfaces. It includes table lamps in metallic colours: Brass, Copper, Chrome, Iridescent Blue, and Glossy Black. Recently, it has also been released in four additional non-metallic colours: red-orange, light grey, taupe, and white.
Bell Table Light, Tom Dixon
Puff
These unique geometric ceiling lights, made of 30 different metal panels that form a polyhedral shape, are truly stunning, whether in gold or silver, and can be hung individually, in sets of three, or in larger combinations.
Puff Pendant Stainless Steel, Tom Dixon
Mirrorball
One of the designer’s most recognisable collections, with a plethora of pieces, including chandeliers in various formations and even floor versions, table lamps, floor lamps with thin or thick bases, and single pendant lights that can be grouped in threes or fives. The inspiration for these lights came from both the astronauts’ helmets and the disco ball.
Mirror Ball LED Pendant Gold, Tom Dixon
Plane
Geometric shapes made from gilded metal combined with opaque white glass spheres create an interesting visual effect in both short and long chandeliers.
Plane Chandelier, Tom Dixon
Spring
Hanging lights in three different sizes and a wall-mounted version. Here, the focus was not on colour, and it is currently only available in gold, which beautifully highlights how the metal bands connect to form a single piece.
Spring Pendant Brush and Spring Surface Brush, Tom Dixon
Stone
Inspired by the marble of the Taj Mahal, this collection differs from the others, which often play with glass and metallic colours. It is not limited to pendant, wall, and table lights but also includes various accessories, such as bookends, candle holders, mortars, etc.
Stone LED Pendant Light and Stone Wall LED Light, Tom Dixon
Void
The inspiration here came from Olympic medals and consists only of single pendant lights in two sizes and wall-mounted versions. Metallic colours (brass, silver, gold) are highlighted once again, but this time not in the classic sphere shape, but in a more mysterious shape with soft curves.
Void LED Pendant Brass, Tom Dixon
Globe
The ultimate spheres! They resemble the Mirrorball but without the transparent glass, beautifully playing with light during the day and creating strange reflections when lit. There are many variations, including chandeliers, floor lamps, table lamps, and in the classic metallic colours, such as brass, silver, as well as white.
Globe LED Silver, Tom Dixon
Melt
They could be spheres that have melted. The glass in this shape creates images inside that resemble melted icebergs or even a picture of the space. Whatever you imagine while gazing at them, they remain mesmerising as works of art. Beyond the classic metallic colours of brass, silver, and gold, the collection also includes a perfect Smoke colour, something between charcoal and dark blue. The collection includes everything: chandeliers, pendant lights, floor lamps, table lamps, and wall-mounted lights.
Melt LED Pendant Smoke, Tom Dixon
Words fall short when you have to present such a rich and high-quality body of work. Although he has achieved remarkable feats in his career and he is globally recognised for his work, he paradoxically still does not consider himself a designer. He is certainly a unique personality who continues to surprise us, and now there are so many of his works considered iconic that, if he doesn’t accept the title of designer, then we must bestow upon him the title of a genius artist.
Until next time!!!
Design Geek in Athens