In part two of our Class of 2026 series, we introduce more graduates from our Professional Course. This time, we’re meeting students from Graham and James’s tutor groups.
Over the course of our 30-week furniture-making course, these students explored new techniques, refined their designs and created pieces that reflect their individual styles. Here’s a closer look at the people and stories behind their work.
Graham’s Tutor Group
Aditya Guruprasad
Originally from India, Aditya came to Chippendale with a background in robotics and automation. His early experience taught him to solve problems, work with precision and turn ideas into practical solutions. These skills would later prove valuable in furniture making.
Although his background was technical, Aditya always enjoyed creative, hands-on work. This interest led him to furniture making, where he found her could bring together design, material understanding, and problem-solving. Studying at Chippendale allowed him to bring together his engineering experience and traditional craftsmanship. As a result, he developed a new approach to creating furniture that is both practical and visually appealing.
Today, Aditya’s work reflects careful planning, solid construction and respect for materials. He believes good furniture should be well-made and useful, with equal attention to form and function.
Ece Turgut
After graduating with degrees in business and psychology, Ece began her career in marketing as a product manager. However, she became increasingly unhappy with corporate life and decided to pursue woodworking full-time. It had long been an important creative outlet for her.
In 2023, Ece adopted her first rescue dog, followed by a second dog and three cats. This sparked her growing interest in animal welfare and rescue.
Living with several animals in a small city apartment also highlighted a gap in the market. She wanted pet furniture that offered comfort for animals while fitting naturally into the home.
These experiences inspired Ece to study at Chippendale, with the goal of starting her own brand, Las Pets. Through the business, she plans to create pet-friendly furniture that considers animal behaviour, durability and everyday living. Importantly, she wants to achieve this without compromising on craftsmanship or style.
Ece also hopes to use a portion of her future earnings to develop a global platform supporting stray animals in Turkey. Alongside Las Pets, she plans to continue sharing her wider creative work through her personal page, Studio Picori.
Elliot Cochrane
Originally from Haddington, Elliot graduated with a degree in sound design from Edinburgh Napier University before working as a bike mechanic. Although different, both fields gave him an appreciation for precision, problem-solving and hands-on work.
These interests eventually led Elliot to woodworking. Here, he found a craft that combines technical thinking with the satisfaction of making something by hand.
During his time at Chippendale, Elliot developed an interest in mid-century modern design, Brutalism and the Arts and Crafts movement. His work explores how these influences can come together to create thoughtful, robust furniture that reflects the making process.
Following graduation, Elliot hopes to continue developing his skills in a professional furniture-making workshop.
Max Panich
Born to a hand plane and a bucket of shellac flakes, Max Panich came into this world with one simple purpose: to keep traditional cabinetmaking and woodworking alive.
Before answering his true calling, young Mr Panich had ambitions of becoming a jeweller or watchmaker. However, by spring 2025, he had accepted that jewellery, while interesting, wasn’t quite the career for him. Instead, he enrolled at Chippendale, where he flourished into the cabinetmaker he was meant to be.
His time at the Glasgow School of Art also helped shape his creative approach. Combined with his keen eye for detail, this experience shines through in the furniture he created during the course.
Looking ahead, Max hopes to open his own cabinetmaking workshop. He plans to specialise in furniture inspired by 17th-, 18th- and 19th-century designs, while also exploring other styles. He is also keen to develop his interest in toolmaking, something he discovered a taste for at Chippendale.
Simply put, Max is happy doing what he loves.
Shaun Scales
Shaun studied industrial and three-dimensional design at university before beginning his career designing bars, nightclubs and retail spaces.
Following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, he travelled to Sri Lanka to volunteer. There, he managed relief and construction programmes for people who had lost their homes.
What began as a short-term commitment became a much longer chapter of his life. During this time, he met his future wife, Carolina, and joined the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) as an Emergency Coordinator.
Shaun went on to use his design and project management skills in emergency relief operations around the world. He worked with the NRC and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in areas affected by disasters and conflict.
Between overseas deployments, Shaun continued developing his practical skills by renovating properties. Most recently, he worked on a Victorian-era coastguard house on the Cornish coast.
“Arriving back in the UK after a prolonged deployment overseas was always something of a transition, and I loved to ground myself in a building, making or renovating a project when I returned home. I often imagined doing something workshop-based after my humanitarian career, and I started to explore options to further professionalise my skillset.”
Having completed the course, Shaun plans to open a furniture-making workshop in Athens, Greece, where he and his family are currently based.
James’ Tutor Group
Eric Moutal
Eric has always been drawn to working with his hands and solving problems. From an aircraft mechanic on float planes in Northern Canada to earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering, to a decade as a craft brewer, his varied career is built on technical aptitude, with each step seeking greater creative freedom.
This path led him to furniture making and the Chippendale School, where his technical problem-solving and attention to detail started the creation of pieces that embrace local, natural products and respond to the inherent variability of wood. Eric’s designs are understated with intention, inviting you to touch them and revealing subtle complexity the longer you look.
Upon graduation, he intends to return home to Vancouver, Canada and establish a business making custom furniture to bring joy and a touch of whimsy into people’s homes and lives.
Igal Nosovitski
While studying philosophy and human sciences at university, Igal became increasingly drawn to traditional craftsmanship, particularly woodworking. What began as curiosity grew into a deep interest in material, form, and making inspired objects that can live alongside people for decades.
He was especially drawn to the honesty and individuality of wood and the intersection of craftsmanship, everyday utility, and personal expression. For Igal, working with timber is not just about shaping an object but about understanding the material’s inherent qualities to create pieces that are thoughtful, durable, and reflective of the person who lives with them.
This path led him to Chippendale, where he has spent the past year refining an approach grounded in fine cabinetmaking, precise design, and a more considered way of working with organic materials.
Following graduation, Igal plans to establish his bespoke furniture practice in Israel under the name “ets”. The name, translating from Hebrew as both “wood” and “tree”, refers to the simplicity and fundamental nature of the medium, beneath whose outward restraint lie depth and character. Through ets, he aims to contribute to a culture where furniture is viewed not as a mass-produced commodity but as an enduring, personal object born from a genuine dialogue between material, maker, and user.
Michael Wendt
Born and raised just outside Salt Lake City, Michael developed a deep appreciation for Utah’s natural beauty through hiking, skiing, and time spent outdoors. That connection to the landscape continues to shape both the philosophy and craftsmanship behind his woodworking practice.
An early introduction to the craft came from watching his grandfather work from a backyard woodshop, sparking a lifelong fascination with woodworking and the value of making things by hand. Today, that influence is paired with a strong commitment to sustainability and thoughtful design. In response to the environmental impact of the fast-furniture industry, Michael creates environmentally conscious pieces built not only to endure, but to grow richer and more beautiful with age.
Inspired by the culture and artistry of growing, making, and ageing wine, Michael founded Grand Cru Furniture, a name that reflects an appreciation for patience, character, and craftsmanship over time. With plans to return to Utah to establish the business there, Grand Cru represents a blend of natural inspiration, traditional craft, and enduring design.
Rory Stewart
Rory grew up on a farm in rural Scotland and in a family that was fanatic about trees. He has been immersed in the outdoors and in working with his hands from a young age, which has sparked his love for the craft. The experiences on the farm, in the woods with a chainsaw, and in the school workshops ignited a love and passion for design and making.
Prior to arriving at the furniture school, Rory had worked in a professional workshop as a bench-hand assistant and a labourer for a joinery company. He took a huge amount from these jobs and will draw on these experiences in the future.
Rory’s work is influenced by the minimalism, clean lines, and fine craftsmanship of Japanese and Scandinavian design styles. He takes care selecting timber for clients and finds joy working with local hardwoods. Looking ahead, Rory plans to work for a London-based furniture maker and be part of a team creating inspiring and visionary projects.
Interested in attending the 2026 Graduate Exhibition and Fine Furniture Sale? Book your free ticket here.