Thomas David Scrimgeour

Design Products (MA)

Grounding : Design for living. A floor table to share the memories of the past, the ideas of the present and the promise of the future. Design for the ground forges connections to, and deepens our relationship to the earth and to each other. Crafted in London Ash with indigo dyed legs.

London felled Ash - showing the natural colour against the indigo dyed leg which permeates the surface of the wood.

An Invitation to a siesta - The piece explores our connection to the ground and to each other, whilst encouraging purposeful time for rest in the workplace/studio. Designed to change cultural perceptions around napping, and to foster a closeness between two partners joined together across soft sculpted beech wood.

The Thames Mussel Conservation Center - A social and ecology enterprise, reintroducing mussels to clean the river and provide low barrier public third spaces for communities. Winner of the Grand Challenge 2024. An ocean and cities intervention using end of life barges to form a new floating local community run ward in the former fishing capital, disenfranchised and forgotten for a time, and now developing borough of Barking and Dagenham. As part of our proposal we designed for a freshwater Mussel conservation and breeding centre, to filter and clean the river and by extension the ocean. This powerful narrative speaks to the potential of healthy waterways, fathoming the thought of one day being able to eat homegrown Thames Mussels. I was inspired by the floating communities from Kowloon to Can Tho in Vietnam, and excited to put community, ecology and education at the heart of London’s reconnection with its waterways and connection to the ocean.

About

Bridging practical needs and abstract thinking, Tom explores rituals, human connection, and our relationship with the environment and our objects, highlighting the essence of life and how design shapes our behaviours and interaction with the world around us. Emphasising mindfulness, Tom offers a holistic approach that integrates practicality with an appreciation of the emotional and spiritual aspects of human experience and nature. By blending cultural awareness with responsible craftsmanship, he poses a question: How can we live, produce, and consume responsibly?

Tom Scrimgeour is a designer living in London. With an adventurous soul and with a passion for the natural, tangible and physical world. From founding textile and future foods businesses in Vietnam, permaculture projects in Spain, as a chef in Hong Kong, furniture design and wood work at the Royal College, he has made his home amongst differing cultures and perspectives, thriving in the familiarity of the unfamiliar.

Awards & Exhibitions

Winner of the Grand Challenge 24 (Link 1, Link 2, Link 3)

Co-creation with Nature : A SustainLab RCA exhibition (Link)

RCA24 Exhibition – Grounding Table – Design for Living (Sustainability/Ecology)

Social Media

@tdscrimgeour

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