Etch Candleholder

Designer: Tom Dixon

Born in Tunisia, Tom Dixon moved to England in 1963. He dropped out of Chelsea School of Art to play bass in the band 'Funkapolitan' before teaching himself welding and going on to produce furniture.

Tom rose to prominence in the mid 1980's as "the talented untrained designer with a line in welded salvage furniture". He set up 'Space' as a creative think-tank and shop front for himself and other young designers. By the late 1980's, he was working for the Italian giant Cappellini for whom he designed the Iconic 'S' chair. In the 1990's, he became a household name and Jack, his polypropolene "sitting, stacking, lighting thing" designed for his own company 'Eurolounge' was a symbol of the age.

Tom was appointed head of design by Habitat in 1998 and later became Creative Director until 2008. In 2000, his work was recognized by the award of an OBE by Her Majesty The Queen. Tom's works have been acquired by the world's most famous museums and are now in permanent collections across the globe including the Victoria & Albert Museum, Museums of Modern Art New York and Tokyo and Centre Beaubourg (Pompidou), Paris.

Since setting up his own eponymous design company in 2002, Tom's work has become even more prominent. The Tom Dixon brand gave Tom a platform to produce iconic designs such as Mirror Ball, Copper Shade, Wingback chair and Beat light. The company now sells in 63 countries with permanent set-ups in England, America and Hong Kong.

In 2004 Proventus, the Swedish-based private investment company, teamed up with Tom Dixon to establish Design Research with Tom acting as Creative Director. The brand's recent awards and nominations include 'Designer of the Year', London Design Museum, 'Best Lighting Design', ICFF show, 'Best Accessory' Elle Decoration and 'Designer of the Year 2008', Architektur & Wohnen Magazine.