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design buzz

Celebrated designer tom dixon

still Considers himself

an amateur, always going

baCk to where it all began

his punk roots.

text mavis angphotos xtra designs

playing struCtural beautyexpressive minimalism is the term that he pegs on his distinct style, and he calls himself a vertebrae designer. im always interested in the structure and bones of the product, rather than just its skin, tom elaborates. this is seen clearly in one of his latest designs, the y chair (pictured), which is inspired by the spine and shoulder blades.

in a nod to the human anatomy, tom created an ergonomic, hyper-flexible chair designed to give lumbar support while withstanding heavy-duty usage. i think products shouldnt be too decorative. the decoration has to come from the structure or the material, rather than be another layer, he states.

in fact, it is the act of making that is at the core of toms designs: i spend a lot of time in factories; i get the best ideas when im close to a production process, whether its handcrafted or industrial.

the shapely silhouettes of the beat lamps, for example, are inspired by traditional indian cooking pots and water vessels, and the lights are spun and hand-beaten by craftsmen in northern india.

on the other hand, tom is propelled by the digital industrial revolution and its rapid manufacturing process so much so that he teamed up with german machinery giant trumpf to take its industrial fabricating machines to the milan furniture fair a couple of years ago to produce the steel stamp lamps and chairs from start to finish on-site, for all to witness.

b ritish industrial designer tom dixon needs no introduction in the design world. from the iconic Cappellini s chair which thrust his name into the global design scene in 1992, to the ubiquitous (and much imitated) beat lamps that hang from the ceiling of every other hipster home or cafe, toms designs are well-loved for their stimulating silhouettes and elegant finishing.

deservingly honoured as designer of the year for maison & objet 2014, his unconventional journey as a designer has taken him from creating chairs out of salvaged metal scraps to furnishing glamourous restaurants and hotels all around europe, and he sees no reason to settle on just designing for interiors. trying his hand at everything from candles and apparel to architecture he has managed to stay true to his own aesthetics by embodying a punk attitude that sets him apart.

the y Chair is made of glass-reinforced nylon, allowing it to withstand heavy-duty use, and its angular shape is derived from ergonomic considerations.

punk

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JaCk of all tradesthe tunisia-born designer has a slew of projects under his eponymous design studio. from travel-friendly apparel for adidas to the upcoming 360-room mondrian london hotel designed by the firms interiors and architecture arm, design research studio, tom is always on the lookout to do something fresh. whats great about what ive managed to create with my label is that every day can be different. its like having a new job every day. sometimes, ill be working as an architect, sometimes a businessman, a sculptor or an engineer, he muses. and with that, he is able to create a whole lifestyle, rather than just a range of products: im trying to build my world block by block, brick by brick.

and that usually starts with solving his own problems. weve been meaning to do accessories for a long time, but we thought wed do the furniture and lighting first so that we could be taken a bit more seriously, he rationalises, and the first few collections were a result of things that we couldnt find ourselves when we set up the restaurant [the dock kitchen at the brands london headquarters]. and now that hes taking on more restaurant and bar interior-design projects, he says that the accessories are necessary to complete his label.

above while the hand-beaten brass beat lights were first launched with a matte-black external finish, the range now comes in brass, grey, and white exteriors.

below titled Cog, toms latest home accessories collection heavily references machine parts, such as with this brass-plated solid aluminium candelabra, which embodies a masculine elegance.

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the mass dining table makes a bold statement with its chunky industrial profile and metallic finish.

inspired by digital manufacturing technologies, tom created ball, a pendant light formed by punching, folding and assembling 12 anodised aluminium panels together.

keeping it pure while the straight-talking designer continues to leave his distinct mark in a kaleidoscope of fields, hes confident that hes not spreading himself too thin. the whole idea is to have a strong point of view. you can take a specific attitude as long as its kept quite pure and go into many sectors without getting lost, tom asserts.

as a music and bike enthusiast who chanced upon design when he taught himself how to repair his motorcycle through welding back in the 1980s, tom started creating furniture by welding scrap metal bits together. and he intends to keep to his punk roots. he draws parallels with english punk-rock band sex pistols, who proved to the world that one doesnt need formal certifications to succeed.

i still look at things in a naive way and do things differently from others. ive never been interested in copying somebody elses model, says tom, who counts himself lucky to have affirmed his aesthetics before the onslaught of visual influences from the digital era.

as for young designers born into the internet age, tom urges them to diversify: in the modern world, its important to preserve your uniqueness. but its getting tougher and tougher to know what your opinion is compared to everybody elses, because everything becomes so popular so quickly now. today, you cant just be a designer. you need to be interested in many other things, from production to politics.

it is his child-like curiosity and audacity that keeps him on the forefront of the design industry; and despite being one of the most illustrious contemporary designers of our time, he still proclaims: i always consider myself an amateur.

tom dixon furniture and accessories are available at xtra designs, tel: 6336-0688.