Get to Know the Groove: Tom Dixon’s First Outdoor Furniture Collection

For decades, Tom Dixon has been recognised for creating furniture and lighting that challenges convention. From his instantly recognisable Beat pendant series to the molten forms of his Melt lighting collection, Tom Dixon designs balance innovation and function, always adding a touch of the unexpected to create something exceptional.

With the Groove collection, Tom Dixon brings that same design philosophy outdoors. Rather than simply creating another range of garden furniture, Groove is the culmination of more than ten years of research into how outdoor furniture can be lighter, more durable and more sustainable without compromising on character. 

The six-piece collection has Tom Dixon’s distinct signature: it uses cutting-edge manufacturing techniques, is highly functional and is bold in form.

From the HYDRO Chair to Groove

The prototype for Groove was born out of a 2021 collaboration with the Danish aluminium and renewable energy company HYDRO. Together, they developed the HYDRO Chair: an ambitious concept exploring what truly circular furniture design could look like.

The HYDRO chair has a weightless, almost inflated appearance which changed the expectations of what metal furniture could look like. The challenge was to make the chair out of one single sheet of aluminium. 

This was achieved by using innovative techniques often used in the automotive industry: blow-forming the metal at high temperatures and precision laser-cutting it.

Groove’s design is playful and distinctive. It has a rounded profile with a ridged, Art Deco-inspired detail. Instead of staying true to Art Deco styling, the collection feels entirely fresh and contemporary. These repeating grooves are a feature that runs consistently throughout the collection, giving every chair and table a defined, architectural presence.

The colours chosen for the Groove collection are Putty, an off-white stone, and Moss, a muted green. The understated colour palette allows the distinctive forms to take centre stage while sitting naturally in outdoor surroundings.

Groove is garden furniture with personality. Unlike traditional or minimalistic outdoor furniture, which can be simplistic and linear, the chunky, inflated grooved detailing makes Tom Dixon’s collection look unique and refreshing. Not only is the design functional, but it also offers sculptural interest to the spaces it’s placed within. 

More Than Garden Furniture

One of the Groove collection’s greatest strengths is its versatility. While perfectly designed for residential terraces, patios and gardens, the collection also feels at home in hospitality settings, such as outside a design-led bar or café. The pieces have been designed to last years, standing up to rigorous daily use, needing little to no maintenance.

Visitors can experience the collection outside the Tom Dixon Studio at London’s Coal Drops Yard, where Groove demonstrates how contemporary outdoor furniture can blur the lines between everyday seating and functional sculpture.

How to Style the Groove Collection

Groove invites a more expressive approach to outdoor styling. Rather than disappearing into the background, it encourages you to think of garden furniture as part of the overall landscape design. Its playful, sculptural form can become the focal point of a minimalist outdoor space or sit comfortably among bold planting and architectural landscaping.

In urban courtyards and roof terraces, Groove works particularly well as the main design feature. The rounded forms and signature grooved detailing soften the straight lines often found in urban gardens, bringing character to concrete, brick and stone surroundings.

Keep the rest of the scheme simple with clean paving and simple planting to let the furniture take centre stage.

For larger or more rural gardens, Groove takes on a different personality. The soft curves pair beautifully with ornamental grasses, generous planting and winding garden paths, while its chunky silhouette complements rounded topiary and sculptural shrubs.