David Trubridge graduated from Newcastle University in Northern England in 1972 with a degree in Naval Architecture (Boat Design). For the next ten years he lived and worked in rural Northumberland. He taught himself furniture making while working part-time as a forester on a private estate. He went on to develop his own designs which were exhibited around Britain. Many commissions followed, most notably from the Victoria and Albert Museum, St Mary’s Cathedral, Edinburgh and the Shipley Galler, Newcastle.
On Thin Ice, David's exhibition for the Nobel Peace Centre investigating climate change
David's work can be found in many of the world's leading museums, such as the Pompidou Centre, the V& A, Te Papa, the Minneapolis Design Museum, and at the New Zealand Embassy in Tokoyo. He has also been commissioned for various public art projects around New Zealand and Australia and continues to develop this part of the company's practice. Since his early days as the leader of company his lights have been featured in a wide range of restaurants, bars, airports and foyers around the world. Retail displays have included English high street favorite Top Shop as part of the Kate Moss collection; Stella McCartneys diffusion line for Printemps, Paris; and on a catwalk for the Milan Fashion Week.
David's company has worked extensively with other companies, continuing to deepen its design dialogue and capacity to adapt fluidly and intuitively to a client's needs. Some of these collaborations include Hemptech,Bleux, Finewood, Boffi, CRONZ and Cappellini, whilst commissions range from renowned New Zealand winery Cloudy Bay to Bombay Sapphire and Australian luxury store Oroton.
David has received an incredible range of awards for his work and contributions towards design. These include the Good Design Awards (NZ), the Best Awards (NZ), Home NZ Design Awards, the Silver Leaf Awards (Japan), Designboom / Sotheby's Awards (London), the UN / Natural World Warming awards and New Zealand's greatest prize for innovative design, the John Britten Award.
