To succeed, good furniture needs to be functional and aesthetically appealing.

Sometimes, on top of those qualities, it needs to be extremely hard-wearing.

That’s the quality most evident in Jacob Corradi’s ebonised kitchen island in solid oak.

It’s a wonderful statement piece that is entirely functional, and even has a slate on the top for hot plates.

It has two large drawers, one cutlery drawer and double doors that reveal a large interior storage space.

It’s a thing of beauty, but it’s also a piece to be used morning, noon and night.

Jacob, from Oxfordshire, previously worked with his father building birch canoes.

That experience of working with wood was evident in his first major project.

That was the design and creation of a desk, with an olive ash frame and fumed oak top with a live edge.

Like his kitchen island, Jacob has brought colour contrasts into play to add drama and excitement to his pieces.

Jacob is now going to work with David Hall, another of our professional course graduating students, initially in incubation space here at the school.