Eskimo Design

Making its debut with the world launch of Outline, a collection of contemporary radiators, and Dry, a range of towel-warming devices, is Eskimo Design, a manufacturer set up last year by Ed Dimmock and Phil Ward. After meeting in 1991, Dimmock and Ward formed their own record label, Rotunda Records, before securing regular slots as DJs on the London club circuit at Fabric, Herbal, 333 and Home, where they have since become residents. So what makes two successful DJs decide to start designing radiators? The move to product design may seem like rather a bizarre choice, but it is not a complete change of direction, more a continuation of their past interests, they insist. Prior to becoming DJs, Dimmock worked as an interior design consultant and Ward as a director of his family’s heat exchange business. Financial backing from dance act Groove Armada’s Tom Findlay and architect Tchaik Chassay finally allowed the pair to set up Eskimo in February 2001, and they haven’t looked back since. In addition to its radiator collection, Eskimo is also in the process of developing a range of other interior products. Eskimo claims to actively equate technical excellence with design aesthetic, and its approach to industrial design looks set to make a big impact on mass-produced domestic radiators similar to that achieved by Bisque. ‘Up until now, the only choice available to consumers has been a radiator that looks nice or one that works well. Eskimo’s designs combine beauty with functionality,’ says Ward. With this in mind, Eskimo has also developed the Eskimo Star heating element, designed to maximise the surface area of the heating elements while still allowing for total flexibility within the design of each piece. By concealing the components behind a ‘floating’ steel cover, all Eskimo’s designs can be scaled to any size and finished with a wide range of finishes and colours. The company also offers a bespoke service. Stand number C1