Tomoko Azumi was born in Hiroshima, Japan in 1966.  In 1989, Azumi received a B.A. in environmental design at Kyoto City University of Arts. She worked for an architectural practice in Tokyo before moving to London in 1992.  In 1995, Azumi earned an M.A. in furniture design from the Royal College of Art. In that same year, she co-founded a design studio in London, called AZUMI, with her former husband, Shin Azumi. 

Azumi opened t.n.a. Design Studio in East London in 2005, after dissolving her former partnership. Design work includes furniture, household and electrical products, lighting, shop and office interiors, and exhibition displays. The studio also conducts workshops and research projects. Clients include Abode, Design Nation, Guzzini, Habitat, Iittala, Keen, Phillips de Pury & Co, Röthlisberger, and Sfera.

Azumi was Research Fellow at London Metropolitan University from 2006 to 2007. She has also served as a juror for several design competitions, including Good Design Awards, JIDP, Japan (2008), 100% Design London (2009), imm Köln Furniture Fair Design Awards, Germany (2010), and D&AD Design Awards, UK (2012).