Hasta La Ideas

Milan 2014: designer Tom Dixon presented a collection of pendant and table lights that combine geometric brass-plated planes with spherical glass shades in Milan last week.

Dixon‘s Plane collection features two-dimensional surfaces surrounding spherical diffusers, creating lamps with geometric outlines that change depending on the aspect they’re viewed from.

“Geometry is a constant in my work,” Dixon told Dezeen, explaining the form of the lamps. “Actually I think in the main I have been minimal and geometric for many years now, starting with the Jack Lamp in 1997, or maximal and geometric, such as with the Pylon Chair in 1990.”

The flat planes are made from steel covered in reflective brass plating, while the spherical diffusers are produced from white glass.

“The flat and the round, the shiny and the matt, the reflective and the translucent is just part of the exploration of opposites that we started a couple of years ago with a collection called Rough & Smooth,” Dixon added.

Pendant versions are available with either round or triangular planes, while the table lamp balances on a separate surface fixed perpendicular to the rear of the metal section surrounding the light.

Electrical cords that carry current to the bulbs disappear into raised channels that lead from one edge of the flat surfaces to the central glass sphere.

Grouping the lights close to one another results in dynamic reflections across the warm brass surfaces.

The lights were displayed at Tom Dixon’s stand at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile last week, alongside a range of new furniture and lighting products referencing the comfortable and cultured environment of a traditional British members’ club.

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Plane light collection appeared first on Dezeen.

British designer Tom Dixon‘s interior for Paris restaurant Éclectic combines raw, industrial concrete surfaces with tactile brass, marble and leather details.

Commissioned by restaurateurs Fabienne and Philippe Amzalak, the restaurant is the first flagship interior in France to be completed by Dixon‘s interior design office, Design Research Studio.

Located in the Beaugrenelle Centre – a redevelopment of a monolithic concrete shopping mall originally opened in 1978 – the 160-cover brasserie features materials and motifs intended as an homage to 1970s brutalist architecture.

“Tom Dixon began with the idea of making the restaurant an integral part of its modernist surroundings,” explained a statement from Éclectic. “The technical areas of the building are exposed for maximum space, and concrete – the superstar of brutalism – is exploited in every possible texture.”

Concrete floors are left raw in places and waxed in others, while structural columns and ceiling beams are left exposed and the material is juxtaposed with warm brass panels on the walls.

The angular forms popularised by exponents of Brutalist architecture influenced the recurring use of geometric shapes, which appear in the hexagonal wall panels, the sharp edges of the panels surrounding the circular booths, and a faceted plinth at the entrance.

Fitted furniture creates different environments throughout the space, while brass table tops and benches upholstered in fabric and leather give the seating areas a warm and tactile feel.

A long curving bench provides seating with a view of the river Seine through full-height windows.

The interior features several examples of Dixon’s furniture and lighting, including a huge central chandelier made from 124 of his Cell lights.

Pieces including high tables with inverted conical tops, rounded sinks in the bathrooms that resemble Dixon’s Void lamps, and the angular podium at the entrance provide a sculptural presence.

As well as the Cell chandelier, smaller clusters of the lamps illuminate tables, while Dixon’s Etch lights, Base lamp and Lustre pendants also feature.

Photography is by Thomas Duval.

The following information is from Éclectic:

Tom Dixon’s Éclectic opens in the Beaugrenelle Centre, Paris

After relooking Le Bon and launching Ma Cocotte, Fabienne and Philippe Amzalak open Éclectic restaurant this January in the magnetically attractive surroundings of the Beaugrenelle Centre in the 15th arrondissement of Paris. For this address within an address, the couple entrusted the design brief to UK designer Tom Dixon’s Design Research Studio: its first flagship interior in France. The menu offerings give a contemporary twist to brasserie classics in this new 160-cover eatery.

A happy marriage between Parisian chic and British eccentricity, a free-form tribute to 1970s architecture and a new take on the traditional brasserie format to create a more private and more comfortable experience. The clue to the identity of Eclectic is right there in the name: a concept that mixes influences on the menu and in the restaurant.

70’S First

Tom Dixon began with the idea of making the restaurant an integral part of its modernist surroundings. The technical areas of the building are exposed for maximum space, and concrete – the superstar of brutalism – is exploited in every possible texture.

On the walls, it alternates with a backdrop of golden brass. On the floors, it is sometimes unfinished, sometimes waxed, and interspersed with areas of thick carpet to offset its potentially cold appearance.

Hexagons are used as a recurring theme, recalling the geometric and modular concepts of the 1970s. This theme is clear in the spaces formed by the interlocking central bench seats, the brass detailing that frames the view to the kitchen, and again in the design of the 124 metal lampshades of the chandelier, which presides over the dining room as the central pivot of its decorative style.

English Twists

Lighting is central to Tom Dixon’s design scheme, which showcases his talent for creative mood making. An orchestra of different lamps provides controlled lighting designed to reflect effectively from superb surfaces of wood, metal, stone and paint, and enhance the colours used for fabrics and leathers.

This scheme creates an interior where the influence of the architectural environment is balanced against the magnetic appeal of the department stores.

The bespoke furniture is sculptural, even jewel-like in places. It structures the dining room around key elements that include the imposing coloured leather bench seats, the central alcoves and a succession of small open lounges along the wall overlooking the River Seine.

The result is a hyperquality mix-and-match that is elegantly welcoming and makes the 300 m2 dining room an intimate and friendly space.

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restaurant in Paris appeared first on Dezeen.

British designer Tom Dixon will show his latest range of brass home accessories based on cogs at the Maison&Objet trade fair later this month.

Tom Dixon has designed two collections of brass items for the home. His Cog collection references industrial machine parts and tools.

“As we scour factories worldwide, we find ourselves constantly referring to great British engineering,” said Dixon. “Creating a sense of the tooled and the machined, these pieces are formed in brass-plated solid aluminium.”

The range features candle holders in two sizes, cone and cylinder-shaped tea light holders, different sized trinket boxes, a candelabra and a desk tidy.

Sections of each item have been turned on a lathe to create a diamond-shaped pattern, a process known as knurling, to create a better surface for gripping.

The Arc collection contains a two-piece trivet, a bottle opener and a corkscrew, all created in solid brass using a sand-casting process. Dixon called them “science fiction-inspired futuristic simplicity combined with practical shapes that are easy to use.”

A four-point star can be removed from the centre of the circular trivet so the elements can be used to protect table surfaces from hot or wet cooking utensils.

The bottle opener and corkscrew both have curved tops and embossed edges.

These new products will be exhibited at the Maison&Objet trade fair outside Paris from 24-28 January.

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at Maison&Objet appeared first on Dezeen.

British designer Tom Dixon has launched a tea set made of spun brass.

Tom Dixon‘s six-piece Form Tea Set includes a tea pot, tall jug, tea caddy, milk jug, sugar bowl and tray.

Pieces in the set are made from spun brass, then polished and dipped in a gold wash to give a matte surface.

Incorporating stepped ridges, the tray has been stamped from a solid sheet of brass.

“Our Form Tea Set calls to a forgotten era and is the sophisticated way to serve British afternoon tea,” said Dixon.

It’s in production under Tom Dixon’s own label as part of his Eclectic range of homeware inspired by British heritage.

The designer also produced a range of solid brass champagne buckets as part of his Rough and Smooth collection earlier this year.

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by Tom Dixon appeared first on Dezeen.

Designer Tom Dixon launches a flexible new chair for the contract market during the London Design Festival next week. It’s made of glass-reinforced nylon and has a faceted back resembling bunny ears.

The one-piece seat and back of Y Chair is made of nylon strengthened with overlapping glass fibres, giving it strength and flexibility. The chair comes in black and white versions with the option of sled, swivel or wooden bases.

Dixon will launch the chair at The Dock in London next week during the London Design Festival, which runs from 14-22 September. See our online World Design Guide map of the London Design Festival 2013 for more details about this and over events across the city.

Here’s some info from Dixon:

Y Chair – A new silhouette. Super Ergonomic. Hyper-flexible, and Ultra-robust

Our recent adventures in hotel, restaurants, bar and office design got us looking for a chair to withstand heavy use, constant knocks and the daily abuse of the professional world. But we also wanted a recognisable silhouette, an ergonomic shape and a modern attitude.

Not too much to ask we thought. But after much fruitless searching we decided it was time to make our own.

Two years of complex engineering, significant tooling investment and intense shape-making later we think we may have got it.

The Y Chair’s expressive form is injection moulded in glass-reinforced nylon which is extremely fatigue resistant – absorbing shock and load through its flexibility. Tested to contract level it will withstand the most demanding environments.

The shape of the Y chair is prompted by ergonomics – with lumbar support, space for the spine and a generous brace for the shoulder blades. All adding to its instantly recognisable silhouette.

Product Information:

Available in two shell colour options; Black and White. Also available with upholstered felt seat and back pads. Three base options: Sled, Swivel and Wood.

Sled: Black or White Powder Coat base; Stackable up to 8 high; 100% recyclable; Suitable for outdoors.

Swivel: Sand Blasted Die Cast Aluminium base; Clear lacquered and Black Powder Coat options.

Wood: Oak base; clear lacquer or black stain; Copper cross brace.

Further information:

Most chairs seen in the contract market are made from Polypropylene but Glass Reinforced Nylon has short overlapping strands of glass fibre in the plastic which provides a much higher degree of strength.

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Tom Dixon appeared first on Dezeen.