There is a distinct class and elegance which exuberates from the classic collections of Tomoko Azumi. The British design scene has accepted the lovely furniture creations of the renowned designer Tomoko Azumi and this Japanese designer has been offered the wonderful chance to represent her collections in London. Tomoko Azumi has also managed to make her own stand in the production of stage sets which are represented in a gracious and playful manner.

Although Azumi was born in Japan, she has accepted London as her adopted homeland right from the time she has been in the city while studying at the Royal College of Art in the early years of 1990s. Tomoko’s work has been inspired by the Bauhaus hero or even the Bauhaus heroine such as László Moholy-Nagy. She also emphasizes that their influences also range in from the female contortionist which has been cast as Puck in the Robert Lepage’s production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ wherein which the hero systematically plans to consume the contents of the bento box when he is travelling in an overnight train.

Tomoko was born in Hiroshima in 1966 and studied to be an architect in the 1985-89 batches at the Kyoto City University of Arts and continued with her architectural journey by practicing the same in Tokyo. She took up specialization in Furniture Design at London and started her career in this foreign land from 1993.

Azumi’s direction of work is focused on transforming the behavior of the people in a subtle way and she deeply concentrated in this direction. She met her ex-husband Shin Azumi at the Royal College of Art and opened their first design practice AZUMI with him and became a part of the British Design scene.

They were a part of the exhibitions such as the 100% Design London, Happening Tokyo and SaloneSatellite Milano and started setting up their forte with UK, Japanese and European clients. After Tomoko separated with her husband, she started the t.n.a Design Studio in 2005 and this studio is the new hub which takes up on it the chance to be a part of new challenges and specializes to meet customer demands in an elegant fashion. She is also going ahead with her researches as well and has been a Research Fellow at London Metropolitan University in 2006-2007.

Azumi has attained the title of an eminent interior architect and has acquired the position of a leading design figure of London. Azumi likes to take everything in her hand. She is not only interested in designing furniture but also wants to design exhibitions because then she can create something which can be transported and this aspect captures her interest in designing exhibitions.

With her hands full on all these aspects, she takes a special interest in lighting as well as she is really excited with the outside results produced through lighting. In 2004, after the refurbishment of her work space which she shared with her husband, they split up. She wanted to get a better knowledge about the intricacies of modern designing and took the research fellowship in 2006 wherein which she got the chance to get exposed to rapid prototyping and attempting. Through this program, she understood the importance of theory and the entire process of working with clients. After she became a part of this fellowship, she got the chance to speak about her failure and positioned her as a better designer and maker.

Tomoko is a unique asset of London as she is one of the independent female Japanese designers in there. She is in touch with her counterpart Kazuyo Komoda who is in Milan but Tomoko confirms that Italy and London have different perspectives. Italy sounds more hierarchical while London is open to newer and finer ideas.

Azumi has no intention of returning to her homeland although she is invited to get back to her home country, especially since she is a part of the jury of the Good Design Award. She feels that Japan needs to undergone tremendous change and she feels that the younger Japanese designers should open up their horizons and should leave the country to explore newer waters. Right now, Tomoko has settled down with her new partner in Clapton who is a curator at the contemporary photography and Tomoko is on another journey of her life.