Tom Chung

Tom Chung - Functional design for urban life

Industrial designer Tom Chung was born in Vancouver, Canada, in 1990 and founded his eponymous design studio in Toronto in 2016. He now lives and works in Amsterdam. The Netherlands offers him a central location in Europe, good international connections, a lively design scene and an open, collaborative environment in which different cultures and ideas come together.

For Chung, who has designed products for companies including Muuto and Audo Copenhagen, cultural circumstances, local industry and his living environment play a major role in the design process. Urban life in Amsterdam characterises his design approach: Observations of how people organise small spaces lead to a clear focus on practicality, function and real-life application.

Chung's design philosophy combines simplicity, functionality and context. The starting point is always a concrete need: If a design works in one environment, it can usually be transferred to others. His minimalist design language is precise, the products are open to interpretation and versatile. Minimalism and technical sophistication are key elements in creating objects that are flexible, functional and durable. One example is the Beam table lamp for Muuto. Inspired by the renovation of his parents' house, Chung was looking for a light source that shines upwards and downwards and is individually adjustable. Depending on the Variants, the Muuto lamp appears restrained in black or decorative in a polished finish and fits on the table, floor or shelf in both modern and classic interiors.

Chung's central goal is to develop design as a response to real living conditions: clear, adaptable and sustainable objects that combine aesthetics, functionality and context.