Born in Scotland, raised in Dubai, adopted in adulthood by an Australian Aboriginal family, and now living in the Tstsikamma Forest along South Africa's Garden Route, Darren Lyon is a true citizen of the world.
Bringing 1010 Creative to SA, Lyon’s primary mission is to uphold a purely holistic philosophy to furniture making, the local community and the planet. Using harvested “alien” timber from his own forest, he is dedicated to sourcing raw talent from the community and providing up skilling opportunities.
With a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Furniture and Industrial Design from Kingston University in the UK, Lyon is a sought-after interior architect in London and Dubai, winning key awards and industry recognition. Using a keen knowledge of materials to guide his designs, he combines traditional furniture-making skills with a working expertise of cutting-edge manufacture.
Having been deeply immersed in Western, Middle Eastern, Aboriginal and, more recently, African culture, these influences can be seen and often felt in many of his more personal pieces. For instance, the Mashrabiya Light Consol Table, which echoes the centuries-old Arab/Persian architectural design of carved wood latticework commonly located on the upper sections of buildings.
Lyon is revelling in the multitude of Afrocentric influences he is currently being exposed to since his recent relocation. His Big Chief Little Stool, for example, inspired by a mix of classicism and the well-known Ashanti stool, is made from “alien” pine, and has an iconic stance while still being functional.
An ancient Egyptian aesthetic with a contemporary twist can be found in the Thebes Day Bed. The yogic meditation bed is superbly comfortable, with an ergonomically designed neck rest that instantly de-stresses and stills the mind. As nerve endings at the base of the skull and upper spine are triggered to induce release, the head rest is specifically designed to open the chest, encouraging deep, even breathing. The plush leather upholstery certainly helps too.
His craft-based furniture design studio and workshop in Plettenberg Bay, operates from a renovated old dairy atop a glorious kopie overlooking the indigenous forests of the area. With horses, zebra, wild buck and an ostrich to welcome visitors, the studio and workshop enjoy an average of 336 sun-filled, pollution-free days. The studio’s natural light lends itself well to Lyon’s soulful approach towards his work, creating tactile, rich and meaningful pieces that blur the contemporary dividing line between “art and design”, challenging our notion of the function of objects.
Born in Scotland, raised in Dubai, adopted in adulthood by an Australian Aboriginal family, and now living in the Tstsikamma forest of the Eastern Cape, Darren Lyon is a true citizen of the world.
Bringing 1010 Creative to South Africa, Lyon’s primary mission is to uphold a purely holistic philosophy to furniture making, the local community and the planet. Using harvested “alien” timber from his own forest, he is dedicated to sourcing raw talent from the community and providing up skilling opportunities.
His craft-based furniture design studio and workshop in Plettenberg Bay, operates from a renovated old dairy atop a glorious kopie overlooking the indigenous forests of the area. With horses, zebra, wild buck and an ostrich to welcome visitors, the studio and workshop enjoy an average of 336 sun-filled, pollution-free days. The studio’s natural light lends itself well to Lyon’s soulful approach towards his work, creating tactile, rich and meaningful pieces that blur the contemporary dividing line between “art and design”, challenging our notion of the function of objects.
With a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Furniture and Industrial Design from Kingston University in the UK, Lyon is a sought-after interior architect in London and Dubai, winning key awards and industry recognition. Using a keen knowledge of materials to guide his designs, he combines traditional furniture-making skills with a working expertise of cutting-edge manufacture.
Having been deeply immersed in Western, Middle Eastern, Aboriginal and, more recently, African culture, these influences can be seen and often felt in many of his more personal pieces. For instance, the Mashrabiya Light Consol Table, which echoes the centuries-old Arab/Persian architectural design of carved wood latticework commonly located on the upper sections of buildings.
Lyon is revelling in the multitude of Afrocentric influences he is currently being exposed to since his recent relocation to Plettenberg Bay on the Garden Route. His Big Chief Little Stool, for example, inspired by a mix of classicism and the well-known Ashanti stool, is made from “alien” pine, and has an iconic stance while still being functional.
An ancient Egyptian aesthetic with a contemporary twist can be found in the Thebes Day Bed. The yogic meditation bed is superbly comfortable, with an ergonomically designed neck rest that instantly de-stresses and stills the mind. As nerve endings at the base of the skull and upper spine are triggered to induce release, the head rest is specifically designed to open the chest, encouraging deep, even breathing. The plush leather upholstery certainly helps too.
