We want to make the act of gifting common-nature and the experiences received worth remembering. We exist to make you smile through the use of art and historic crafts paired with contemporary mediums as we celebrate the big and small special moments.
2010
A business started while at school, Tom Martin London was the project of the then 16 year old Tom. Our first ornament, a design which has remained untitled, was unveiled at midnight on the 1st December, 2010, with only 100 decorations painted.
In our early days, Tom Martin London had the privilege of creating a custom one-off design to commemorate the receipt of a Military Division MBE. The ceremony was held at Windsor Castle and the award gifted by Her Majesty The Queen.
The bauble depicted Windsor Castle and The Long Walk, with a representation of the Military MBE painted on the reverse.
2011
In September 2011, in time for the release of the second design of our Winter Collection, Tom Martin London became a Partner on Not On The High Street, a website which helped with the introduction of many of our first-time customers.
Four years at University made for some quieter years at Tom Martin London. With University rooms filled with boxes and ribbon, strategically covering the obligatory desk textbook, Tom Martin London was an illuminated ball of energy during Winter, and a hibernating creature by the time the daffodils sprung in spring.
April 2016
During April of 2016, Tom Martin London took the decision to depart from Not on The High Street, after what had been just over four successful years. The business relaunched its brand identity and a new, dedicated website. This step forward allowed us to bring greater focus onto our core ethos and enrich the craftsmanship and detail of our products - a skill that has become synonymous with our brand.
June 2016
In celebration of Her Majesty The Queen’s 90th Birthday, Tom Martin London unveiled a special, Limited Edition bauble titled ’Celebration Ready’. The Summer design reflects The Patron's Lunch - the largest street party to be held on The Mall in St James’s Park, London, which was hosted on Sunday June 12th.
SPRING 2018
At the beginning of Spring, we were delighted to announce the introduction of a brand new product and our first product outside of our core signature hanging gifts: the Dawn and Dusk No. 1 scented candles. Two home candles, made by hand in London, Dawn is a celebration of the fresh and fragrant nature of a British morning while Dusk encompasses the sensuality and mystery of a setting sun over a dusk ridden landscape with a spiced scent, laced with the freshness of pomegranate, pepper.
NOVEMBER 2018
In November 2018, we sprinkled the famous Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market with purple and white.
OCTOBER 2019
We team up with one of the nation’s favourite Christmas stories, The Snowman™, in a three-year, worldwide license agreement to bring to life a truly special hand painted bauble.
NOVEMBER 2019
We announce that we’ve been chosen to be the producer of the bauble for the famous Claridge’s Hotel.
DECEMBER 2019
For Christmas 2019, we returned back to the famous Winchester Cathedral Christmas Market to open out Winter Lodge pop-up
OUR 10TH BIRTHDAY
2020 saw the outbreak of the global COVID pandemic. This meant we couldn’t celebrate our 10th anniversary with those who have made the last decade so special. However, we did continue to celebrate with the release of our new logo. A logo to tell the story of our beginning, reflect our past and cement our future .
During the Summer of 2020, we were busy designing and painting a collection of three decorations to be sold at the annual Annabel’s Christmas Fair (due to COVID-19, this year to be hosted virtually). 10% of all sales went towards supporting The Caring Family Foundation’s Food from the Heart campaign. The baubles were placed in a bespoke green and gold-foil presentation box.
One of the most elegant and sophisticated private members' clubs in London, Harry’s Bar is famed worldwide for both the beauty of its décor and the quality of its food. We were approached to design and paint their Christmas bauble as part of a gifting opportunity to its members and private diners.
We were appointed by Harvey Nichols to create a truly unique bespoke gift as part oft their Christmas partnership with The Belmond Cadogan Hotel.
To be gifted to their premier clients, we designed and made a bespoke box and signature bauble featuring the entrance of The Cadogan Hotel with their doorman waiting to welcome you in on one side, with the entrance to the Knightsbridge Harvey Nichols shop on the other with Father Christmas walking out laden with branded Harvey Nichols bags.
SEPTEMBER 2020
In September we launched a new collection of inside-painted baubles, titled The Landmark Collection. Featuring iconic architectural beacons from around the globe, these decoration celebrates the memories of travel through the placement of a purple hot air balloon in each work of art.
To start the collection, we’ve designed six landmarks and we’re inviting you to send us your ideas of where you would like us to paint next.
A NEW BAUBLE COLLECTION
We introduced a new collection to our bauble range: The Continent Collection. Working closely with illustrator Elizabeth Halladay, we explore each of earth’s continents and the playful animals which live in their iconic habitats.
BESPOKE
Using artwork drawn by Becky Donnelly for the 2021 annual calendar, we painted The Carlyle’s first inside-painted bauble.
The artwork depicted a magical, snow-laden New York scene with the hotel towering in the background.
© Becky Donnelly, 2021
Working with Italian artist and illustrator Clorophilla, we created a series of luxury, inside-painted baubles with custom made gift boxes for eight Belmond properties across Italy and Spain. Presented as chic corporate gifts by the hotels and the Belmond Italia’s Head Office to their VIP clients, the collection raised significant interest, both across social media and with each of the hotels, as the recipients were delighted with their lasting memento, reminding them of magical moments away from home.
Barbados’ Sandy Lane Hotel approached us to create a signature gift for their resident guests over Christmas and New Year, as well as a limited edition product for their onsite boutique. Using the colourful scenery of the hotel’s surroundings and the iconic pink parasols which line their private beach, the bauble will forever act as a treasured reminder of a Caribbean Christmas.
This year, we welcomed back Claridge’s and The Cadogan Hotel to our bespoke service.
Our bespoke bauble for Claridge’s, Mayfair has been a best-selling product in both the hotel shop and the online store since the start of our relationship in 2019, selling out within weeks, year-on-year. 2021 saw the introduction of a new bauble design. Our design studio produced a series of 1920’s inspired works from which the chosen bauble depicted their iconic striped rocking horse that proudly sites in their lobby.
Welcome to Bespoke by TOM MARTIN
JANUARY 2022
Design and artwork has always been the starting point of our work. In January 2022, we formed The Studio, a separate entity to our retail endeavours, The Studio will sit at the heart of what we do. Working on internal projects and those of our clients, the Studio harnesses our creative magic to deliver authentic stories, innovative products and meaningful in-person and digital experiences.
MARCH 2022
In 2022, we introduced a hand-blown egg shape to our product options, painted using the same signature inside-painting technique we’re known for. Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons created a signature Easter version of their much-loved Christmas ornament, depicting the hotel in springtime. The egg was gifted to both visiting guests as well as adorning the Easter floristry within the hotel.
JUNE 2022
2022 marked the very poignant Platinum Jubilee of the late HM Queen Elizabeth II and we were very proud to have designed and painted a commemorative decoration to mark the historic event. A limited edition, individual work of art, made to be treasured for the next 70 years and beyond.
JUNE 2022
Mid summer our shop saw the introduction of our Dawn & Dusk candles. A reimagined version of our first edition duo, this set uses 300 grams of soy wax infused with essential oils to create two customs scents. Poured into custom stone-textured tumblers, each candle has an mantra positioned on the inside edge - a homage to our founding art form of inside painting.
JULY 2022
We teamed up with world-renowned retailer Harrods to create a collection of signature baubles for their festive season. The three baubles were made as part of their Signature festive range and depicted the London skyline overlooking the dome of the Brompton Road flagship, the Knightsbridge store adorned in their famous illuminations painted with gold paint and their annual 2022 Christmas bear, Louie.
SEPTEMBER 2022
BROWNS HOTEL X TM
FORTNUM & MASON X TM
COLEFAX AND FOWLER X TM
NOVEMBER 2022
Leveraging the bauble artwork for Lunn’s 2022 decoration, we turned their festive narrative into a 45-second Christmas advert - the story of a family of robins flying to each Lunn’s boutique across Ireland before arriving at their flagship store to decorate the building in a red bow, an adornment which appeared on the building for Christmas. The advert was shown across OOH screens and static versions across city-centre billboards.
New friends to Bespoke by TOM MARTIN
AUGUST 2023
We designed a limited number of baubles for the launch of South Korean clothing brand B-RÓDIAN. The decorations adorned an art installation at the launch event, a lasting memory of the special event.
SEPTEMBER 2022
AUGUST 2023
For the 2023 festive season, we had the delight of welcoming British Airways to Bespoke with a special, commemorative glass bauble, each painted using our signature inside-painted technique.
The special gift was given to the airline’s most premium customers travelling on December 24 and 25 to ensure their festive journeys are always treasured.
The artwork, created by our Studio, was also utilised more widely across the brand's festive campaign, with a ‘snow graffiti’ mural adorning the wall welcoming passengers into the British Airways lounge at London's Heathrow Airport.
