Paxton was one of four children of a Royal Air Force officer and spent his childhood travelling around the world, Malaysia in particular.
[1] He supplemented their income with part-time teaching at Kingston and the Bartlett School in London.
The practice worked on a number of house projects in London, including a revamp of the home of author Douglas Adams.
[1] Richard Paxton died in London on 20 March 2006, aged 49, on the verge of completing a low-energy house project in Hampstead, where he planned to celebrate his 50th birthday.
[1] Paxton designed homes featured on BBC Four's Living with the Future (aired on 15 January 2007 in the UK) and Channel 4's Grand Designs (aired on 2 April 2008 in the UK).