It's always a thrill when we get new ranges in the shop, especially beautifully designed and shiny new jewellery, prints and stationery to satisfy our magpie tendencies. When we received the magnificent Tom Pigeon range we were intrigued to know more about what makes this talented Pigeon tick, so we came up with some questions and Mr Pigeon provided some great answers. Get ready for Question 1, it's quite the bombshell!
Are the rumours true, your surname isn’t actually Pigeon and you’re not even called Tom! Where did the name come from?
The rumours are true! We are actually Pete and Kirsty Thomas. Tom Pigeon is just our pen name, and someone to blame if it all goes wrong! Kirsty used to run a company called Lovely Pigeon so the “Pigeon” comes for there and the Tom comes from our surname.
So Tom Pigeon is actually a pair! How do you know each other and how long have you been working together?
We are husband and wife. We met at university way back in 1992 and have always worked in the creative industries. We decided to combine forces and experience in 2014.
Do you create work together?
Yes, but we have very different approaches to our creative work - Pete is very ordered and likes structure and rules, whereas I am a bit more chaotic in my approach. Some pieces are our own but we collaborate on most of the collection especially things like the stationery and jewellery.
What inspires you the most?
We love pattern, colour and form that is found in nature and the built environment. This spans everything from local sailing boats to Brutalist architecture. (BALTIC note: Tom Pigeon are based in the stunning East Nuek of Fife in Scotland).
What’s next for Tom Pigeon? We’ve been admiring your new children’s toys..
The toys are great- they are part of our Sourced collection, which is a showcase of the work of other designers, makers and artisans that we really love.
We’re currently working on an exciting collaboration with the V&A, and are planning to launch new jewellery, print and stationery ranges at London Design Festival in September. I am also in the very early stages of working on some textile pieces.
Quick fire round!
Copper or gold? Oh dear! Em, gold.
Prints or stationery? Prints
Colourful or monochrome? Colourful
Cats or dogs? Cats
Toy cars or building blocks? Building blocks (so much more room for creativity!)
Thanks Pete and Kirsty for taking the time to answer our questions. We're just off to try on a necklace or two...
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