Tom Dixon to launch Materiality range during Milan design week

Milan 2016: British designer Tom Dixon will debut a range of homeware that references the brand’s material “building blocks” in Milan next month.

The presentation will take place at The Restaurant by Caesarstone and Tom Dixon – a collaboration between the designer and the quartz-surface brand for which four kitchen units will be used to produce a menu for the visitors.

The collection – named Materiality – is made up of five ranges, each highlighting the basic materials or “raw matter” used by the brand to create its products.

“Marble, wood and plastic, glass, iron, brass and copper are the basic building blocks that have defined our products from the outset,” said the designer. “This year, we step back and take a look at our biggest influence and an underpinning inspiration for what we do: our materials.”

“Any designer worth their salt should be concerned by the choice of materials, but for us it is a veritable obsession,” he continued. “We wanted to tell you a bit more about the substances that we shape, the raw matter that we form into these extraordinary objects for everyday use.”

A geometric light named Curve aims to “push the boundaries of thin sheet etched metal fabrication” with its pierced shell and nickel silver coating. Its punctured shade means that light is emitted as a filtered glow.

Lamps in second collection named Fade are made from a polycarbonate shade moulded into a teardrop shape.

“The teardrop shape focusses the lightbulb’s output into a satisfyingly round and luminous circle, acting as the ultimate oversized spotlight,” said the designer. “The metal finish is unusual as it graduates from completely reflective to transparent in an even fade along the body of the lamp.”

Melt – an existing range of pendants designed to look like mouth-blown glass in collaboration with Swedish studio Front – has been updated with floor and table lamp versions.

A set of stackable DIY furniture named Offcut is designed to challenge the perception of flat-pack as cheap and disposable.

Flask is a series of three laboratory-style pendant lights. Each comprises two components – a clear rippled glass lens which produces a series of concentric, luminous rings, and a black glass shade finished in an oily iridescent colour.

The collection will debut at the Rotonda della Besana church during Milan design week, which takes place from 12 to 17 April 2016.

Also in Milan, Sou Fujimoto will create an installation for fashion brand COS that will feature cones of light created by spotlights.

Photography is by Peer Lindgreen.

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