TOM DIXON

After starting off the ’80s as a bass guitarist in the band Funkapolitan, Tom Dixon switched gears to teach himself industrial design and develop a signature, somewhat rock and roll-inflected style. Since 2002, he has led his own brand, specializing in designs that go heavy on metal, smoky glass and luxurious fabrics. His greatest hits – including the voluptuous, velvet- upholstered Fat armchairs and the amorphous glass-blown Melt pendants – can be spotted in stylish homes and restaurants all around the world. But Dixon also understands the importance of getting the details right – as evidenced by his wide range of barware, candles and home fragrance products, now on offer as part of Harry Rosen’s newly expanded home department. We caught up with him to hear about his creative approach.

You’re based in London. What makes that city home for you?

During the World Cup, there were many countries I could support, whether that's Tunisia, where I was born; Morocco, where I was raised; or England, where I live now. Wherever I go, London always manages to pull me back. It’s not a pretty city, like Paris, but I am interested in things with a slightly less slick design. I often draw a parallel between my work and British cars. If you look at a Land Rover, it’s definitely not a Maserati, but I relate to its brutalism.

Your brand turned 20 this year. How has your approach to design changed?

Many of the same themes crop up again – now I’m just addressing them with new materials and manufacturing techniques. I would love to be a bit more of a David Bowie with all these chapters of reinvention but I think, ultimately, the bones of my work remain the same. It’s expressive minimalism. Extreme minimalism pursues reduction over everything else, but I prefer a design’s function and materials to still express themselves.

You started off in a band and you still perform at your product launches. How do music and design overlap?

The process of learning to play my own instrument and getting signed by a record company prepared me to do the same thing, essentially, in a different sector.

I learned the value of being self-propelled, in terms of having ideas and then working to make a business of them. Design has also evolved into an industry with a certain amount of stagecraft, with this need to communicate the story behind something.

Your Tank barware borrows ideas from science equipment. What’s the story there?

Sometimes design is about spotting shapes or proportions and applying them to another function. I’ve always liked the pared-back nature of things that come directly from professional environments. The science lab is one of those places where you find tools that are highly optimized for specific functions – and, as a result, they have this amazing sculptural quality.

You run a restaurant as part of your London headquarters. How does that help to shape your glass and cocktail shaker designs?

When we are developing a range, we work with the bartenders downstairs to evaluate the designs – making sure that a glass suits many different cocktails and that it celebrates not just its own shape but also the drinks themselves. It’s a balancing act. You want a design to be decorative enough to be interesting, but you also need to make sure that it does its job.

When it comes to your candles, how do you choose your scents?

It requires a lot of experimentation and simplification to get to the heart of a smell. Some candles are based on memories from when I was a kid, and others have more to do with function – I wanted something cleansing or nocturnal. The glow of a candle also adds to the experience of a space. Even after all the lights I’ve designed, I find a simple flame can be the most mood setting of any lighting possibility. It reminds us of our primitive past.