Our new School Principal, Tom Fraser, welcomes The Chippendale International School of Furniture students and discusses his vision for the school.
I am very pleased to introduce myself as the new School Principal of The Chippendale International School of Furniture.
The Chippendale School has played an important role throughout my life. My father, Anselm Fraser, founded the school 35 years ago. I had the privilege of growing up here, running around the workshop’s sawdust-lined floors as a child surrounded by passionate artisans, designers and furniture makers.
The passion for woodwork instilled in me from a young age has remained with me throughout my adult life. In 2015, I studied on Chippendale School’s Professional course, our intensive 30-week course that provides our students with the solid foundations they need to establish a successful career in furniture making. I later became the school’s Head of Admissions, then its Deputy Principal, before taking on my current role as Principal.
Over the past three decades, my father Anselm has built an enduring legacy and established our school as one of the best places in the world to study furniture production and design. More than 500 students have graduated from our Professional course under his guidance, and countless more have studied on our specialised short courses. Although he has taken a step back from the day to day running of the school, he remains a crucial part of the school’s operations and will continue to host regular lectures, alongside running his own furniture company on site.
Championing creativity & innovation
In my new role, I intend to further my father’s legacy by upholding Chippendale School’s commitment to nurturing the creativity and embracing the latest innovations that has given our school its international reputation.
We will continue to champion innovation in design and production, providing unique opportunities for learning – both practical and theoretical. We will also remain true to time-tested traditional techniques and will support our students at every turn as they gain the skills required to build beautiful furniture.
Students will benefit from support from our growing team of talented tutors and international industry experts, who will offer them a word-class learning experience that is practical, enjoyable and career-focused. As well as learning furniture design, making and restoration skills, all graduates will leave the school equipped with the skills to run and market their own business.
Since 1985, our school has been the springboard for many a prosperous career in furniture making and it is my ambition that we will continue to do so for another 35 years.
If you would like to study at The Chippendale International School of Furniture, learn more about the courses we offer here.