Every year, the Professional Course brings together a group of makers with different backgrounds, ideas and ambitions, all united by a shared love of working with wood.
In part one of our Class of 2026 series, we meet Chippendale School graduates from Andrew and Len’s tutor groups, each of whom spent 30 intensive weeks developing their skills, confidence and creative voice on our furniture making course.
Andrew’s Tutor Group
Alex Bogan
After studying engineering and working for three years within the aviation industry, Alexander traded an office for a workshop. A practical unit at university had affirmed his love for hands-on work, particularly the pursuit of high-level precision; a transition to fine furniture making seemed a natural fit.
With some final encouragement from a grandparent, he enrolled at Chippendale. Alexander’s taste leans towards Scandinavian design principles, where form follows function and nothing feels added unnecessarily. His pieces demonstrate a growing understanding of what makes an object both useful and quietly beautiful.
Anthony Tomlinson
Anthony is a recovering Program Manager who recently left the AI industry to pursue his passion for ‘making real things and messing about in workshops’.
He enjoys bringing together his love of the natural world and his technical skills to craft fine things from one of nature’s most sophisticated and beautiful structural materials – wood.
A Botany degree at Edinburgh University gave him a deep appreciation for the complexity and wonder of plants, especially trees. The titles of his pieces nod to those roots. His designs are driven by purpose, drawing inspiration from mid-century furniture and the earlier Arts and Crafts movement, but always looking to make something that has a job to do.
Going forward, Anthony will rent a bench at Myreside Studios as he finds his feet as a professional maker.
Carolyn Kingfisher
Originally from Washington, DC, Carolyn joined the Professional Course after a fifteen-year career with the United States Department of Justice. Her transition into woodworking stemmed from a desire to spend her days engaged in a more tactile, creative practice.
Carolyn’s work is influenced by the Arts & Crafts movement of the early twentieth century. She feels a strong connection to the movement’s emphasis on thoughtful craftsmanship, functional design, and the beauty of natural and locally sourced materials.
Remaining in the local area after graduation, Carolyn is eager to join an established furniture business to further refine her practice and contribute to a collaborative team. While she explores these long-term opportunities, she will be accepting bespoke commissions from a bench at Myreside Studios.
Dylan Thomas
Dylan grew up in Alaska surrounded by builders and makers. His love of the outdoors has greatly influenced his aesthetic and his desire to create meaningful, handcrafted objects.
After finishing school, he realised he wanted to pursue his passion for woodworking and enrolled at Chippendale. His first project is a rectilinear chest of drawers in local Sycamore that has a brutalist/Art Deco look. He then went on to explore more bent furniture techniques in his stool and chair made from local Ash and Elm.
After completing the course, Dylan plans to move to Sweden to work as a furniture maker.
Nahuel Klapp
Born in Spain, Nahuel Klapp enjoyed an early childhood in the warm and quiet rural surroundings. At the age of 10, things changed, and he found himself on the other side of the world in California. Surrounded by beaches and immersed in the carefree Californian way of life, Nahuel wanted to pursue a career in professional surfing. The time spent outside ignited his love of nature.
After graduating from high school and having lost interest in professional surfing, Nahuel found himself without a clear career path. He started working at his family’s business and, consequently, began working with the material that would become his world, wood.
Although his exposure to woodworking was just beginning, it was enough to awaken a strong passion. Not wanting to waste time, Nahuel suddenly enrolled in the Chippendale School’s Professional course. Looking ahead, he is eager to integrate what he has learned from both his own business and his family’s.
Len’s Tutor Group
Aileen Crowley
Aileen Crowley has worked as a retail assistant for her family business, studied Architecture at University College Dublin, and competed as an Olympian for Team Ireland. After years of balancing creative and athletic pursuits, joining the Chippendale School felt like the natural next step.
Her experience in the family shop taught her how to work with and understand customers. University deepened her passion for making, the arts, and design. Professional sport, then, instilled a strong work ethic.
After the exhibition, Aileen plans to continue learning from others and eventually establish her own business in Ireland. As a fine furniture maker, she hopes to draw on each chapter of her life to collaborate with clients and help bring their ideas to life.
Hugo Noel
Hugo Noel joined Chippendale after completing secondary school. Originally from France, he spent much of his childhood in Southeast Asia, which continues to shape his creative style, especially through influences from Eastern architecture and furniture.
His African Sapele desk offers a contemporary interpretation of traditional Chinese design. His second piece is a media unit crafted from oak and sycamore, featuring brass accents.
After graduation, Hugo will return to France to open a workshop specialising in fusion-style furniture, expanding on the approach developed during this course.
Jeremiah Johnson
Growing up in the rural mining town of Labrador City, Jeremiah Johnson was a deeply creative child whose early passion for making and design was gradually set aside in favour of sport, particularly ice hockey, to find connection and belonging within that community.
That path led him into leadership, marketing, and sports management, earning a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Leadership Studies and a Master of Business Administration, and building a career in the Canadian sports industry.
Over time, increasing frustration with the lack of inclusivity in sports, combined with personal loss, prompted a significant shift. Drawn back to creativity and craftsmanship, Jeremiah relocated to Scotland to pursue a more meaningful, hands-on practice in furniture making.
Now, as he establishes his bespoke furniture studio, FLONITURE, Jeremiah creates commissioned and original pieces that balance functionality with sculptural presence. Inspired by his muse and companion, Florence, he aims to bring warmth, character, and individuality to everyday spaces. His furniture is designed not only for use, but to be lived with and remembered
Josh Timms
From a young age, Joshua loved spending time in his grandfather’s shed. The old tools, ongoing projects, and the smell of sawdust captivated him from the very beginning. As he grew older, his creativity only deepened, along with an annoying habit of hoarding anything that might one day prove “potentially useful.”
As Joshua moved into his teenage years, his love for woodworking resurfaced, drawing him back into his grandfather’s shed at every opportunity. Though pursuing woodworking as a career seemed natural, limited opportunities in the trade led him instead into fabrication. Although valuable, the work never quite satisfied the same passion that woodworking had sparked years earlier.
Now returning to Perth, Western Australia, Joshua is setting up shop to build handcrafted furniture, designed to last for generations, in response to the growing culture of disposable goods.
Interested in attending the 2026 Graduate Exhibition and Fine Furniture Sale? Book your free ticket here.