As the year draws to a close, we hope that 2018 will be one of inspiration for our students.

By now, they’ve learned the basics of woodworking but, with only six more months to go, it’s time for them to unleash their imaginations.

That means dreaming the impossible and, with our help and guidance, making unique, quirky and beautiful furniture.

Here’s some examples from the class that graduated in 2017.

Yu Hua Liew

Yu Hua Liew, from Singapore, is a political science graduate who then worked for the Singapore government.

One of her signature pieces was a mirror with a beautifully-carved limewood surround gilded in white gold.  Her design was inspired by the ocean and is reminiscent of Japanese art of the Edo period.

The breaking wave carving features a polar bear looking out to sea but, look closely, and her playful design also incorporates a seal hiding in a cave.

Jin Sung Choi

Jin, from Busan in South Korea, is a former trainee pilot and Marine soldier.

His signature desk in solid fumed oak was chosen to be exhibited alongside four other pieces at the Scottish parliament by Professor Christopher Breward, former principal of the Edinburgh College of Art.

Joanna Majewska

Joanna, from the Polish capital of Warsaw, is a former graphic designer.

Her signature piece was a quirky, round drinks cabinet made from veneered rosewood.  But, utilising her design skills, and inspired by the internal mechanism of a clock, it incorporated a clever array of oak gears to open, close and lock the cabinet.

Andreas Gurtner

Andreas, from Vienna, has a degree in international land and water management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Finding inspiration from Austrian artists such as Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Gustav Klimt, his half round table in sycamore and yew was also inspired by the wild grain of the yew. He combined the natural beauty of the wood with different materials like gold accents that were incorporated in the piece.