Tom graduated from the University of Toronto in Architecture in 1982 with honours and the RAIC medal. After working briefly in the profession, he chose to pursue furniture and product design as a more clear and direct expression of his ideas. In 1984 he founded AREA Design Inc. to design, manufacture, and market seating and tables for the contract industry. In 1990 he established an independent design studio and began designing products for leading manufacturers in Canada and the United States. His work has been published and exhibited widely and has received numerous design awards. Deacon's first project as a freelance designer was the Deacon chair for Keilhauer. Since that auspicious beginning, Deacon and Keilhauer have developed a close and fruitful relationship resulting in a number of successful products.

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