Design Histories





Tom Leslie



Born 1994 in Newcastle upon Tyne UK, Tom graduated from the Industrial Design program at Northumbria Newcastle School of Design (2016). Having gained experience at Deadgood (UK) and Normann-Copenhagen (DK), Tom went on to complete his furniture cabinet makers apprenticeship (2017/18) in the North East of England. Subsequently, he established his rural workshop / studio (2020), practicing in both commonplace objects and interior joinery projects. His work explores a balance of craft and industrial process, focused on the values of materiality, experience and overall usefulness.

‘If an object / interior space can naturally uncover (through use, through experience, through everyday life) what you thought was good in something, then that’s a good thing to have, right? For me, the value of any object / interior space should be justified through its genuine relationship with the environment in which it is situated. When an object is created with intention, it naturally becomes a part of the place it inhabits. And when true to its purpose, this object(s) will subconsciously enhance our experience of that space, rather than overconsume it.’



︎ tomleslie.co.uk
Design Histories Working Group