Unique Set of Four Colored Pylon Chairs by Tom Dixon for Cappellini, 1992
View Similar Items
Unique Set of Four Colored Pylon Chairs by Tom Dixon for Cappellini, 1992
About the Item
- Creator:Tom Dixon (Designer),Cappellini (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 48.82 in (124 cm)Width: 26.38 in (67 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)
- Materials and Techniques:
- Period:1990-1999
- Date of Manufacture:1992
- Condition:
- Seller Location:Milan, IT
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU948522842182
Tom Dixon
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.
Cappellini
In 1946, at the start of a postwar boom in Europe, Enrico Cappellini opened the doors to a small furniture studio in the Italian town of Carugo. But it wasn’t until his son joined the company nearly three decades later that Cappellini became a powerhouse fixture on the global design stage. Today Cappellini is one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of innovative chairs, tables and decorative objects.
Giulio Cappellini joined the family company in 1977 and, with his appointment, ushered in a stage of boundary-pushing modernism and prolific creativity at Cappellini. With a dual background in architecture and business management, Giulio was well equipped to steer the brand into both innovative design and economic growth in a rapidly globalizing economy.
The second-generation leader’s first major success came in 1981, with the launch of Sistemi, a modular, hyperfunctional storage system that would come to symbolize the chic functionality of Cappellini. That was quickly followed by a collaboration with renowned Japanese designer Shiro Kuramata for the Progetti Compiuti collection, a line that brought unexpected playfulness to the simple framework of a black-and-white cabinet and remains an iconic collectible today.
That first collaboration opened the doors to a prolific output of partnerships, with Cappellini tapping such star designers as Jasper Morrison, Marcel Wanders, Tom Dixon, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec and Nendo for collections over the ensuing decades that spanned a range of materials and styles. Speaking to this range, Marc Newson’s plumply curvaceous 1988 Embryo chair, Jasper Morrison’s slightly arachnoid 1987 Thinking Man’s chair and Tom Dixon’s sculptural 1991 S-chair — each quite stylistically unique — remain some of the company’s most recognizable pieces, with the latter in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.
Cappellini, now headquartered in Milan, continues to partner with guest designers across furniture, storage and lighting solutions, though many of its 1970s and ’80s designs remain its most coveted today.
Find vintage Cappellini furniture on 1stDibs.
- Trespolo Unique Sculptural Chair by Ennio NonniBy Ennio NonniLocated in Milan, ITTrespolo is a made to order sculptural chair designed by Ennio Nonni for FragilEdizioni. The hand crafted structure is made from wood, detail as bird is made from ceramic and could b...Category
2010s Chairs
MaterialsCeramic, Hardwood
- Set of Four Alessandro Pianon for Lumenform Murano Pendants from the 1960'sBy VistosiLocated in Milan, ITSet of four "incamiciato" greyish green Murano glass pendants, manufactured by Lumenform in 1961 and designed by Alessandro Pianon. They come with their ...Category
Vintage 1960s Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Black Flower 1, unique sculptural chair by Ennio NonniBy Ennio NonniLocated in Milan, ITBlack Flower is a made to order sculptural series of chairs designed by Ennio Nonni for FragilEdizioni. The hand crafted structure is made from iron, details as butterfly and globe e...Category
2010s Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Black Flower 3 and 6, Sculptural Unique Chairs by Ennio NonniBy Ennio NonniLocated in Milan, ITBlack Flower is a made to order sculptural series of chairs designed by Ennio Nonni for FragilEdizioni. The hand crafted structure is made from iron, detail as butterfly is made from...Category
2010s Chairs
MaterialsIron
- Pair of glass and colored plexiglass suspension lamps by Goffredo ReggianiBy Reggiani, Goffredo ReggianiLocated in Milan, ITPair of suspension lamps from the late 1950s designed and manufactured by Reggiani, diffusers made of "bark" glass and colored plexiglass. The measurements refer to the light fixture...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsAluminum
- Set of three pendants by Massimo Vignelli for Venini in Murano GlassBy Venini, Massimo VignelliLocated in Milan, ITSet of Three pendants mod. 4041 in light blue etched Murano Glass designed by Massimo Vignelli and produced by Venini since 1954. Perfect condition, original electrical system and or...Category
Vintage 1950s Italian Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
MaterialsMurano Glass
- Banana armchairs by Tom Dixon for Cappellini, 1980By Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in JASSANS-RIOTTIER, FRSet of 2 armchairs by Tom Dixon for Cappellini in 1980 Banana model, iconic piece Structure in black lacquered metal, seat/armrests/backrest in strawCategory
Late 20th Century Italian Armchairs
MaterialsMetal
- Tom Dixon S-Chair with Marsh Wicker Upholstery for CappelliniBy Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in New York, NYThe iconic S-chair by Tom Dixon is an object with an artisanal core, successfully transformed into an authentic Industrial masterpiece, without losing the essence of the original pro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Tom Dixon S-Chair with Marsh Straw Upholstery for CappelliniBy Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in New York, NYThe iconic S-chair by Tom Dixon is an object with an artisanal core, successfully transformed into an authentic Industrial masterpiece, without losing the essence of the original pro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
- Tom Dixon for Cappellini Pair of "Banana" Stools, Italy 1980sBy Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in Naples, ITPair of stools from the "Banana Chair" series. Anthracite gray metal and banana fiber frame. Prod. Cappellini 1980sCategory
Vintage 1980s Italian Mid-Century Modern Stools
MaterialsMetal
- Tom Dixon S-Chair with Marsh Straw or Wicker Upholstery for CappelliniBy Cappellini, Tom DixonLocated in New York, NYThe iconic S-chair by Tom Dixon is an object with an artisanal core, successfully transformed into an authentic industrial masterpiece, without losing the essence of the original pro...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
From $1,945 / item - Tom Dixon Wicker S-Chair, 'Pair'By Marzio Cecchi, Cappellini, Verner Panton, Tom DixonLocated in BROOKLYN, NYVintage pair of Tom Dixon S-Chair with wicker for Cappellini. Beautiful s- shape curved back. Very sensual design. Cast Iron base.Category
Late 20th Century Italian Modern Chairs
MaterialsSteel
$2,750 / set
Recently Viewed
View AllRead More
How Tom Dixon Became a Design Powerhouse without Formal Training
Dixon's eponymous London-based brand is known for its distinctive furniture and lighting, but his creativity is boundless.
The Married Collectors behind Stockholm’s Newest Design Museum
Kersti Sandin and Lars Bülow want their new endeavor to educate both students and professionals about furniture design.