Tom Dixon (industrial designer)
Encyclopedia
Tom Dixon, OBE
(born 1959, Sfax
, Tunisia
) is a self-taught Tunisian designer specialised in welded salvage furniture. He moved to Great Britain at the age of 4. Dixon has been head of design for the Habitat
chain of furniture stores (1997), and of the Finnish furniture manufacturer Artek
. His artistic career began when he discovered pleasure in welding while repairing damaged motorcycle frames.
Dixon became known as a designer when his S-Chair was manufactured by Giulio Cappellini
.
He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University
(2004), and was awarded an OBE for services to British Design in 2000.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1959, Sfax
Sfax
Sfax is a city in Tunisia, located southeast of Tunis. The city, founded in AD 849 on the ruins of Taparura and Thaenae, is the capital of the Sfax Governorate , and a Mediterranean port. Sfax has population of 340,000...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
) is a self-taught Tunisian designer specialised in welded salvage furniture. He moved to Great Britain at the age of 4. Dixon has been head of design for the Habitat
Habitat (retailer)
Habitat Retail Ltd. is a retailer of household furnishings in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, and has franchised outlets in other countries. Founded in 1964 by Terence Conran, it was sold by the IKANO Group, owned by the Kamprad family, in December 2009 to Hilco, a restructuring...
chain of furniture stores (1997), and of the Finnish furniture manufacturer Artek
Artek
The word Artek has several meanings:*It's the commonly used name for Arctic Technology Centre, established in late summer 2000 to teach and provide in-service training for Greenlandic and Danish students and businessmen in Arctic technology....
. His artistic career began when he discovered pleasure in welding while repairing damaged motorcycle frames.
Dixon became known as a designer when his S-Chair was manufactured by Giulio Cappellini
Giulio Cappellini
Giulio Cappellini is the owner of Italian design firm Cappellini based in Milan. The firm's collections are "known for tapping new trends and far-flung talents" and have included sofas, kitchen sinks, shelving and light fixtures "displayed in an industrial hangar far from the gold-plated shopping...
.
He holds an Honorary Doctorate from Birmingham City University
Birmingham City University
Birmingham City University is a British university in the city of Birmingham, England. It is the second largest of three universities in the city, the other two being the Aston University and University of Birmingham...
(2004), and was awarded an OBE for services to British Design in 2000.