Artistic, innovative and entrepreneurial, the self-taught creator Tom Dixon has been a contemporary design-world maverick for more than three decades. From his revolutionary art-meets-design projects of the 1980s and throughout his dynamic and influential career as a designer of furniture, housewares and interiors, the only consistent note has been change. Dixon’s chief fascination is exploring new materials and new ways of constructing things.
Dixon was restless even as a young man. He enjoyed ceramics and drawing in high school but later dropped out of the Chelsea School of Art in London. While repairing his motorcycle in 1983, Dixon learned how to weld and took to the craft. He began making what he has called semi-functional objects from scrap metal (sometime as performance art in a nightclub), then formed a furniture studio–cum–think tank called Creative Salvage. Amid the ritzy excess of the ’80s, Dixon — along with designers such as Tejo Remy and Ron Arad — forged a new, attention-getting aesthetic with furniture made from found materials.
In 1987, Dixon began working for the Italian furniture manufacturer Cappellini, which put his best-known design, the slender, sinuous S chair, into production, followed by such pieces as the Pylon chair (1992), a wire lattice that resembles electrical transmission towers. Starting in the 1990s, Dixon expanded his interests rapidly. He started a company to manufacture the stackable plastic Jack light; joined the housewares retailer Habitat as creative director; and breathed new life into Artek, the venerable Finnish maker that Alvar Aalto and his wife Aino helped cofound. Since 2002, Dixon has run his namesake company fabricating furnishings from novel materials like brass foil-clad wood and “vacuum-metalized” glass.
The hallmark of Dixon’s design is his captivation with the process of creating pieces such as chairs, tables and lighting fixtures. “A kind friend once described me as a ‘vertebrate designer,’” Dixon has said. “That means that I design from the bones outwards and am not really interested in surface.”
Classic Dixon pieces are those that exhibit the manner of their making — from his early work in welded scrap metal to the woven rattan seats and backs of his Fat chair for Cappellini. There are two ways to approach Dixon designs: as a collector, or as a decorator. The former will seek Dixon’s one-off and limited edition works and prototypes. These historical artifacts carry high prices that range from around $8,000 to $50,000 and above. Those more interested in a dynamic look will find that manufactured Dixon designs — such as his Jack lights or his Melt pendant — can be found for prices that range from about $300 to $1,000. Either way, as you will see on 1stDibs, the designs of Tom Dixon have a singular allure that makes them a noteworthy element in any room.
Tom Dixon Bolide Iron Woven Seagrass Rocking Chaise London 1991
By Tom Dixon
Located in Boven Leeuwen, NL
One of the most special chairs we have ever had is this one designed by Tom Dixon. A steel frame as a skeleton and woven seagrass as a skin make it a true sculpture. Not only does ...
Iron
$1,067Sale Price|60% Off
Tom Dixon Speed lounge chair for Space Design, UK 1999
By Tom Dixon
Located in London, GB
A rare lounge chair by British designer Tom Dixon for Space Design. A delicate braided rope has been systematically woven across its iron frame, a method Dixon employed in various ea...
Rope
Tom Dixon Bolide Iron Woven Seagrass Rocking Chaise
By Tom Dixon
Located in Vittoria, IT
Rara seduta disegnata da Tom Dixon modello Bolide, struttura in acciaio come scheletro e corda di banano intrecciate come pelle ne fanno una vera scultura. Non solo ha un bell'aspet...
Metal
$640Sale Price|44% Off
H 28 in W 21.25 in D 56 in
1960s Cushman Furniture Rock Maple Chaise Lounge Chair
By H.T. Cushman Manufacturing Company
Located in Elkton, MD
Crafted from durable and high-quality rock maple, this chaise lounge is both sturdy and comfortable. The elegant design, with its sleek lines and smooth curves, makes it a timeless p...
Upholstery, Maple
$2,344
H 32.29 in W 36.62 in D 33.86 in
"Banana" Lounge Chair by Tom Dixon for Cappellini, Italy, 1990s
By Tom Dixon, Cappellini
Located in Milan, IT
"Banana" lounge chair by Tom Dixon for Cappellini. Aerial metal frame fully covered with natural fibers.
Metal
Pair of “Rubber Band” Chairs by Tom Dixon, UK, 2005
By Tom Dixon
Located in DE KWAKEL, NL
Originally conceived in the Tom Dixon studio as an experimental café-style chair, the “Rubber Band” was first assembled from rubber bands and paper clips. In its final form, oversized rubber bands are stretched across a simple galvanized steel frame to create a seat that is both bouncy and supportive. The design is a playful yet radical exploration of materiality and form, reflecting Dixon’s view of furniture as functional sculpture. Extremely rare on the market, these chairs are suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, and represent a striking moment in contemporary British design. About the designer Tom Dixon (b. 1959, Tunisia) is a British designer renowned for his industrial, material-driven approach to contemporary design. Rising to prominence in the 1980s with his welded salvage furniture...
Metal
Cassina LC4 Black Leather Chaise Lounge Chair by Le Corbusier 1991
By Cassina, Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand Cassina
Located in Detroit, MI
This authentic Cassina LC4 lounge chair was produced in 1991 and features a classic black leather pad and headrest on a tubular steel frame with polished chrome finish and a black la...
Steel, Chrome
$3,315Sale Price|20% Off
H 40.95 in W 50.01 in D 35.83 in
Vico Magistretti Veranda Lounge Chair for Cassina, Italy, 1980s
By Figli di Amadeo Cassina, Vico Magistretti
Located in Milan, IT
Veranda adjustable lounge chair by Vico Magistretti for Cassina 1980.
Metal
$1,614
H 41.74 in W 19.69 in D 20.48 in
1 x Hourglass Rope Dining Chair Tom Dixon Style Metal Frame UK, 1980s Postmodern
By Tom Dixon
Located in London, GB
An amazing hourglass rope chair designed after the famous 'S' chair of Tom Dixon. The chair is weaved with rushed rope weaved around a metal frame. It holds a playful and beautiful...
Iron
French Patio Wrought Iron Chaise Longue
Located in Sheffield, MA
The undulating black patio metal garden chaise loungeis relatively light weight for easy movability. The seat peaks where the knee bends making it extremely comfortable. The mesh cou...
Wrought Iron
$4,640Sale Price|20% Off
H 33 in W 22 in D 61 in
MCM Le Corbusier LC4 Chaise by Charlotte Perriand & Pierre Jeanneret for Cassina
By Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret, Charlotte Perriand Cassina
Located in Plainview, NY
A timeless and elegant Mid-Century Modern chaise lounge or recliner designed by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand for Cassina. Marked on the frame ( signature and...
Metal, Chrome
$1,600Sale Price|44% Off
H 42 in W 26 in D 36 in
1950's Rattan & Woven Cane Chaise Lounge Chair Paul Laszlo Style
By Paul Laszlo
Located in Las Vegas, NV
In the style of Paul Laszlo design this lovely vintage rattan and woven cane lounge chair with ottoman. 3 banded arms with woven cane seating ...
Wicker, Cane, Rattan
$7,500Sale Price|57% Off
H 31 in W 63 in D 26 in
Rare 1950s John Louis Graz Chaise Longue, Inset Woven Raffia
By John Graz
Located in Miami, FL
Rare 1950s John Louis Graz Chaise Longue, Inset Woven Raffia Offered for sale is a rare chaise longue attributed to the Swiss born designer John Louis Graz (1891 - 1980). Graz moved...
Wood, Raffia
$11,800Sale Price|20% Off
H 32.5 in W 36 in D 55 in
1960s Reupholstered Adrian Pearsall Rocking Wave Chaise Lounge
By Adrian Pearsall
Located in Medina, OH
The Adrian Pearsall rocking "Wave" chaise lounge fully reupholstered in an Ana Elisabeth S5443 Arctic faux fur fabric. The walnut base has been professionally refinished and is in an...
Fabric, Polyester, Wood, Walnut
$8,900
H 39.5 in W 30 in D 87.5 in
Heywood-Wakefield Chaise Lounge, Antique 1920 Design with Woven Reed
By Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Located in Nashua, NH
A grand sized close woven reed chaise lounge by the Heywood Wakefield Company of Gardner, Ma. C. 1920 This chaise is beautifully woven in a handsome natural finished reed and accented by woven paint decorated reeds in red, black and green. The chaise has a large close woven back containing a beautiful decorated diamond design, large comfortable arms coming down to a large woven skirt which is designed in a decorative manner to both hold the chaise cushion...
Wicker, Reed
Sold
H 40.56 in W 19.69 in D 61.82 in
Chaise Longue 'Bird Chair' by Tom Dixon Production Cappellini 1990s
By Tom Dixon
Located in Milano, IT
Rocking seat with a sculptural, monolithic form with a wood and metal frame, differentiated density foam padding and freshly reupholstered blue fabric cover.
Metal
Tom Dixon Bird Chaise Lounge for Cappellini
By Cappellini, Tom Dixon
Located in Miami, FL
Sculptural Bird rocking chaise lounge rendered in blue Hallinglal wool by Tom Dixon for Cappellini. The very rare and unusual furniture typology of the rocking chaise longue is exp...
Fabric, Foam, Wood