This year saw a public vote at an exhibition of students’ work in Edinburgh, with Timothy Low from Singapore winning the inaugural Punters’ Prize.

His signature piece was a funfair console-style cabinet, made from layers of bendy ply and sycamore, with a hand-carved little girl on its front who has lost her balloons.  The multi-coloured balloons, set in resin, are floating away across the cabinet’s top.

The sides of the cabinet have marquetry panels depicting a colourful funfair carousel, with details picked out in 24 carat gold, and Timothy’s signature on the piece is that it has no permanent fixings, making it easy to disassemble and transport back to his home in Singapore.

His other standout piece was a coffee table that incorporates a two-piece elm top, with an oak drawer with a sycamore and rosewood inlayed lid – again fitted together using only tongue-and-groove fixings or hand-crafted dovetails.

His console table is a beautiful piece of furniture that is not only perfectly functional, with a structure that makes transportation simple, but a cabinet that conjures up memories of childhood and the small and poignant story of a little girl who has (maybe) lost her balloons.

It’s certainly a story that resonated with visitors to our exhibition in Edinburgh, and we wish Tim every success as he returns to Singapore and a career in fine woodworking.

Read more about Timothy’s story here