The Chippendale school has earned its reputation for the quality of its teaching and its broad international appeal.
This year is no different, with students coming from many different countries and from many different cultures.
What we always find is that it’s those differences that make all the difference, giving people of different ages and backgrounds a common new language of woodworking.
It also allows students to learn from one another, because what a student from India might want to make will be different to someone from Europe or the USA.
Understanding those different narratives gives our students a very real and unique perspective on furniture design through many different cultural eyes – and is one of the reasons why we’ve been so successful.
We’ll be introducing all our students over the next few weeks and here, then, is the first four:
Darren Christie (Falkland Islands)
Darren, pictured above, is the first student we’ve had from the Falkland Islands. A qualified zoologist, Darren most recently worked for the Falkland Islands government.
He also worked for a number of years as environmental officer for South Georgia in the South Sandwich Islands.
He hopes to return to the Falkland Islands after his course and set up his own woodworking business.
Archana Pai (India)
Archana is a chartered accountant by profession and is from Bangalore in India.
Over the years she has worked for various organisations and as an internal auditor for large companies.
She enrolled at the Chippendale school because she has always wanted to work creatively and make things with her own hands.
When she returns to India, she will also have her work cut out…a new house that needs all sort of work done in it, including a new kitchen!
Tom Dunne (UK)
Tom is one of our younger students this year, and from Herefordshire.
Like many young people, Tom was at a bit of a loss to know what to do after school, but visited the school earlier this year, and realised that woodworking could be just the thing for him.
Although it’s early days, he’d like to set up in business back in his native county and, perhaps, specialise in gilding – a skill that he’ll be learning later in the Chippendale course.
Vanessa Johnston (USA)
Before coming to the Chippendale school, Vanessa, from Seattle, was a marketing director and graphic designer.
She’s worked in the tech industries, mainly for software companies, including Amazon.
But she was also living on a houseboat, and renovating it herself – building cabinets, and even adding a 2nd storey to her boat.
Her journey to the Chippendale school started with a bolt out of the blue. It was while she was laboriously sanding a dining table that she realised she’d much prefer to ditch her day job and learn professional woodworking skills instead.