About

Diplomat is the creative partnership of Ashley Hall and Matthew Kavanagh.

With a passion for furniture and a background in product, lighting, retail and exhibition design, Diplomat first came to prominence with the ‘Micro Furniture’ range exhibited at 100% Design in 1999. Quickly followed by a more comprehensive launch at the Salone Satellite expo in Milan, they gained attention and projects from a range of furniture and product manufacturers including Edra, Artifort, Zeritalia, Saporiti, Origlia, ArrMet, Bart Design and many other leading European furniture brands. Diplomat continue to develop products alongside consultancy projects in the USA, Australia, The Netherlands and the UK.  Their work comprises strong components of innovation thinking & exploration of systems, material and form.

Diplomat offers consultancy services to brands and manufacturers in the following areas:

Research, innovation, art direction, creative & design development for furniture, product, packaging, lighting & retail

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Biographies

Ashley Hall

Ashley is Professor of Design Innovation in the school of design at the Royal College of Art in London and a visiting Professor at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing. With a BA in Furniture Design from Nottinghan Trent University, an MA from the RCA and PhD from the University of Technology in Sydney he has a background in design practice, teaching and research. He worked as a designer in the fields of furniture, product, lighting & interiors for a variety of design consultancies and manufacturers and set up the Diplomat Design partnership with Matthew Kavanagh in 2000. He joined the Royal College of Art in 2006 lecturing and researching on the Innovation Design Engineering programme and now leads postgraduate research for the school of design and the MRes in Healthcare Design. Ashley researches in design innovation methods ranging from innovation strategy to design thinking, design for safety, experimental design, design pedagogy, globalisation design and cultural transfer. His international activity includes leading cross-cultural design innovation collaborations in Australia, China, Ghana, India, Israel, Palestine, Japan, Korea, Norway, Mali and the USA.

Matthew Kavanagh

Matthew Kavanagh was born in the UK and studied engineering product design at South Bank University, London, graduating in 1988. Inspired by the Memphis Design movement of the early 80’s Matthew moved to Italy and worked for Olivetti, then art directed by Memphis designer George Sowden. After a year, Olivetti patented his designs for their new hybrid electronic products. Matthew then returned to the UK to start a furniture, lighting and product design consultancy eventually formalising this as design partnership DIPLOMAT in 1999. Meanwhile in 1994 he began working for the first of many companies in the retail sector, specialising in design, brand strategy and customer research, setting up the retail consultancy SPACE 11 in 2011. In 2009 Matt began working with the Royal College of Art in London, running modules on their innovation design engineering MA course. Currently Matthew divides his time between DIPLOMAT & SPACE 11 working from his studios in Deptford, South London.

Books

  • Avverati A Dream Come True 2007, Fondazione Cosmit EventiDesign

  • Design Furniture & lights 2007, Oscar Asensio, ISBN- 10: 0-8109-9294-9

  • The International Design Yearbook 2007, Lawrence King ISBN-10: 1-85669-516-6

  • ADI design index 2007

  • 1000 New Designs and where to find them 2006, Jennifer Hudson ISBN-10: 185669466 6

  • Absolut Architectuur 2005,  ISBN 908085252X

  • ZOO Issue 4 2000, Will  Gompertz, The Friary press

  • The International Design Yearbook 2000, Lawrence King ISBN 10: 1856691802

  • International Lighting book 1996, Laurence King, ISBN: 1856690865

Shows

  • 2019 "Modern makers", NoFormat gallery, London (NOS SPHERE)

  • 2019 Second Floor Studio Arts", London (NOS SPHERE, Iron, Carved bowl, concrete Hoola)

  • 2018 "Tiny world" Studio 11, London (artist models)

  • 2016 "Diplomat on the canal", Regent Studios, London (group show)

  • 2015 "Translocated making" Royal College of Art, London (Lacquer stool, Copper King, paper stool)

  • 2013 "IronMan" .IT_All about Design Gallery, London (Ironman)

  • 2010 Salone de mobile, Milan (6 gun - Officinanove)

  • 2010 100% Design, London (Paper Clip - Zoeftig Supporto)

  • 2009 Tent London (Zuki, Ironman)

  • 2009 "Prima", Ansorg gallery, London (Zilla)

  • 2008 Tent London (Zuki, Zilla, Omega)

  • 2008 "Multiplicity", Neubeger Museum, New York (Zilla)

  • 2007 Tent London (Zilla, Bronzeknuckle)

  • 2007 "Avverati, a dream come true", Milan (Micro furniture, Iron)

  • 2007 Edra Showroom, Milan (Dip - Edra)

  • 2007 Salone de mobile, Milan (Palm - Arrmet, Arc - Zeritalia, Bono - Artifort)

  • 2006 Tower 42, London (Bronzeknuckle)

  • 2006 Edra Showroom, Milan (Dip - Edra)

  • 2006 Artemide showroom, Milan (Dip - Edra)

  • 2006 "Cohabitationes" St Etienne Biennale, Paris (Micro furniture)

  • 2006 Salone de mobile, Milan (Palm - Arrmet, Arc - Zeritalia, Bono - Artifort)

  • 2005 Salone de mobile, Milan (Inglesina - Sintesi, Arc - Zeritalia, Bono - Artifort)

  • 2005 Artemide showroom, Milan (Dip - Edra)

  • 2005 Edra Showroom, Milan (Dip - Edra)

  • 2004 Kolne Messe (Bono - Artifort) 

  • 2004 Promosedia, Udine (Smarter - Arrmet)

  • 2004 "Diplomat with Momentum. A retrospective", Momentum Cardiff (Dip, Pocket, Parasite, Story of Ooh, Moby etc)

  • 2004 Salone de mobile, Milan (Bono - Artifort)

  • 2004 Edra Showroom, Milan (Dip - Edra)

  • 2003 Promosedia, Udine (Smarter - Arrmet)

  • 2003 Salone de mobile, Milan (Austin, Sonny, Omega, Moore, Sweeney - Bart)

  • 2003 Edra Showroom, Milan (Dip -Edra)

  • 2002 Salone de mobile, Milan (Lobe - Covo, Pocket & Parasite - RSVP)

  • 2002 "MACEF", Milan (Lobe - Covo, Pocket & Parasite - RSVP)

  • 2002 Salone de mobile, Milan (Smarter - Arrmet, Dip - Edra)

  • 2002 Koln Messe, Cologne (Smarter - Arrmet, Plus & More - Origlia)

  • 2001 Salone de mobile, Milan (Plus & More - Origlia)

  • 2001 Saporiti Showroom, Milan (Micro Furniture)

  • 2001 "BBC Innovate exhibition", London (Micro Furniture)

  • 2001 "Circline", NYC (Story of Ooh!)

  • 2000 "Anotomique", Paris (Moby, Iron)

  • 2000 "Salone satelite", Milan (Micro furniture, Story of Ooh!, Moby, Iron)

  • 1999 "British European Design Group", Berlin (Corian Hoola, Micro furniture)

  • 1998 "Diplomat on Concorde", 100% Design, London (Micro furniture)

  • 1998 "Diplomat at the Embassy", London (Concrete Hoola, Story of ooh!, Moby, Drop Lounger, stalk light..)

  • 1997 MACEF, Milan (Oasis - RSVP)

  • 1997 "Design Resolutions", Festival Hall, London (Drop Lounge chair)

  • 1996 100% Design, London (Homer)

  • 1995 Koln Messe, Cologne (Homer)

  • 1994 "BBC Design Awards" Architecture Foundation, London

  • 1994 "Design Museum", London (RSJ, Teller lamp)

  • 1993 "Decorative Arts Today" Bonhams Auction House, London

Press

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