The British art of design

KNOWN FOR its avant-garde designs and innovations for the modern home, leading British brand Tom Dixon has something to brighten up every home in its new collection of furniture, lighting and accessories that come in glittering shades of copper, yellow gold and silver. 

The Tunisia-born British self-taught designer opened his first shop Space in the mid 1980s, promoting it as a creative think-tank stage for him and other young designers and by the late ’80s was working for the Italian giant Cappellini for whom he designed the Iconic S chair. 

In 1998, he was headhunted by Habitat to revive its flagging fortunes and remained there as creative director until 2008. To underscore his commitment to innovation and resurrect the English furniture industry, he set up his own brand in 2002. 

Today, Tom Dixon has plenty of branches and distributors in more than 40 countries. In May, the brand opened the first shop-in-shop concept store in Thailand, which is operated by veteran entrepreneur Akarat Vanarat and his friends, owners of 12-year-old luxury multi-brand furniture boutique Motif.

“We brought Tom Dixon to Thailand three years ago. We kept some space in Motif for its furniture and lighting collections and they proved immensely popular with Thai customers. Last year, Tom Dixon changed its strategy to focus more on the retail market and launched shop-in-shop boutiques in London, New York, Paris and Tokyo. Bangkok is the latest in line,” Akarat says.

“Siam Discovery is a perfect shopping spot for the new store as it brings together many innovative design products from several brands under one roof. This is a good chance to expand the Tom Dixon fan-base in Thailand. We offer exclusive collections to fit the Asian lifestyle and these are only available at Siam Discovery.” 

The new shop occupies space on the third floor of Siam Discovery and stocks the latest in ceiling lamps, vases, stationery, tableware, scented candles, diffusers, chairs and side tables. 

 Dixon has utilised several materials to reflect the elements of earth, water, air and fire and this year’s key colours are copper, yellow gold and silver. Among the highlights are the Beat vases and pendant lamps, inspired by Indian-style brass cooking pots and traditional water vessels, the Cube set, which comes with a stapler, desk tidy tray, tape dispenser and pen in geometric forms, and the Ink notebooks which boast a bold geometric pattern and gold edges. 

Fashioned from polycarbonate, the Melt Chrome ceiling lamps are translucent when you turn on the light and convert to a glossy mirror finish when it is switched off. The coffee set Brew comprises cafetiere, stovetop, espresso cups, milk pan, coffee caddy, coffee scoop, biscuit tin and tray made from stainless steel with a copper finish for a luxury look.

The Wingback chair combines the original silhouette of the 17th-century wingback and its smaller sibling, the 18th-century balloon back, to create extra comfort. The Materialism Oil scented candles take inspiration from the multicoloured iridescent sheen of ancient glass bottles dug from the ground and pools of spilled oil.

 

 

CONTEMPORARY CHIC

>> Tom Dixon is located on the third floor of Siam Discovery. It’s open daily from 10 to 10. Find out more at www.TomDixon.net and www.MotifArtofLiving.com.