High-flying design: the new Cloud collection by Tom Dixon

Combining the lightness and reflective qualities of aluminium with the tactility engendered by handmade production, Tom Dixon’s new Cloud range is a beautiful blend of the romantic and the rough.

For a while now, we’ve been interested in more organic shapes,” says designer Tom Dixon, citing the UK brand’s recent Melt and Bash collections as good examples. Having started out as a metalworker, Tom has long been intrigued by the process of working metal and by the skills involved in hand-beating it into a desired shape.

In his new Cloud collection, which consists of a platter, a bowl and short and tall vessels, every unique mark and indentation created by each individually handmade item’s maker are preserved in the final product. As a result, the amount of work that’s gone into the creation is always readily visible, adding a further dimension of tactility to the organically inspired shapes – reminiscent of seed pods as well as the clouds for which the range is named – that characterise it.

The pieces can be used for a variety of purposes, ranging from a fruit bowl to a Champagne bucket, and are all made from aluminium. “We chose aluminium because it’s the metal that’s powering the modern world, and it can be used to create big objects that are very light,” Tom says. “The natural grey metallic finish that is a feature of raw aluminium also creates soft reflections.” tomdixon.net | cremadesign.co.za