To complete our Class of 2026 series, we’re celebrating Matty and Mishka’s groups of Chippendale School graduates and the work they created during their time on the Professional Course.
Across 30 weeks of hands-on learning, experimentation and making, these students pushed their ideas forward and built the practical skills needed to bring ambitious furniture designs to life.
Their final pieces are a brilliant reminder of what can be achieved on an immersive furniture-making course — with the right support, focus and time in the workshop.
Matty’s Tutor Group
Emiel Blockeel
Emiel’s grandmother was an interior designer, and his mother ran the furniture company, Vincent Sheppard. Growing up, he was surrounded by furniture, fabrics, and design. Although these influences were not immediately apparent, they shaped his interests over time. He initially studied History at university, but soon realised it was not the right fit.
He then worked at his mother’s furniture company for three years, gaining experience in supply chain, IT, and logistics. Although he learned a great deal, he realised he did not want a desk-bound career. The lack of direct involvement with the product in a large company motivated him to seek a more hands-on role where he could develop his own ideas.
After his girlfriend researched options, she recommended Chippendale, which felt like a logical next step. Emiel has always preferred unique items over standard products, often modifying them to suit his tastes. This approach extends to his design philosophy; he values originality and aims to create pieces that capture attention. He has also become critical of the wastefulness in industry, particularly the use of non-renewable, non-degradable materials when natural alternatives exist. These sustainable values will guide his future work.
Francesco Cesana
“My heart lies in the mountains, snow and trees are my credo, the latter is going to become my profession, what else do you need in life, maybe love…”
Gordon Stunzner
Gordon’s journey to becoming a maker followed a long, crooked path. His love for timber and making was sparked as a child in Samoa when a family friend, perhaps seeing something, gifted him a set of chisels, a block plane and a tenon saw.
His journey continued on his family’s cattle station in central Queensland, Australia, where he made things with heft and resilience to withstand the rigours of farming.
Finally, after many years in a professional career, Gordon mustered the courage to swap his suit and tie for an apron and sensible shoes. He attended Chippendale, where he learned techniques and skills to become a designer and maker of fine furniture.
After Chippendale, Gordon will continue to make beautiful things and develop his skills and ideas. He intends to never stop learning – after all, every day is a school day.
Naa Sey
Naa began her woodworking career back home in Ghana, as an apprentice for a local furniture-making business. Wishing to further expand her skills and explore her passion for woodworking, she decided to take the leap and enrol on the Professional Course.
Naa’s furniture draws inspiration from her African heritage and reflects her belief that good design should be both beautiful and functional. After completing the course, she plans to return home to seek employment.
Owen Burns
Owen discovered his passion for making in the family shed, creating and mending objects from his own home. He also began experimenting in other tangible design projects, including crochet and needlework.
He developed his love of woodwork during school and went on to study Creative Computing, graduating from The Glasgow School of Art in 2023. The degree involved creating digital 3D art and design renders. Owen specialised in producing considered historic visualisations, evocative storytelling environments and unique sculpted objects.
His natural dexterity with 3D and love for hands-on crafts led him to study Furniture Design and Making at Chippendale. Owen has found great potential in woodwork as a versatile, sustainable medium for showcasing his creativity and skill.
Looking ahead, Owen is excited to take on bespoke commissions and develop a portfolio of well-designed, high-quality pieces that combine traditional techniques with contemporary ideas.
Mishka’s Tutor Group
Björn Johansson
Before joining Chippendale, Björn studied photography and history whilst working as a tattoo artist in Salt Lake City.
Seeking a change, he discovered Chippendale and saw it as an ideal opportunity to pursue his creativity.
Dave Wraith
Dave enjoyed a 20-year career as a Countryside Ranger working in a diverse range of environments, including historic estates, national nature reserves and urban fringe open spaces. He specialised in woodland management – coppicing, thinning and planting trees.
Dave takes inspiration from the natural world and loves the idea of trees living on in the furniture he makes. Surrounded by trees every day, Dave began learning woodland craft and green woodworking, but when he inherited his Grandad’s Pattern Makers tool chest, he started to explore traditional joinery and fine furniture making.
A recent relocation to Gifford for his wife’s job gave Dave the chance to retrain at the Chippendale School. He is currently establishing his own business, Hurstval Furniture, specialising in bespoke furniture commissions using timber from sustainably managed woodlands.
Dermot Logan
Originally from Belfast, Dermot studied engineering and pursued a career in IT, first in London, then in Scotland. Occasional woodworking projects over this time planted the seed, which recently became the idea to sign up for the Professional course at Chippendale.
Many years focusing on detail have proven to be a transferable skill. He is excited about designing and making furniture that can exceed the original remit and expectations of the customer, remaining functional and beautiful through generations.
He sees graduation from the Chippendale School as the start, rather than the end, of his journey developing both traditional and contemporary woodworking skills and techniques. He lives with his wife Becca and daughter Rosie in Fife, and after graduating, plans to pursue his new profession closer to home.
Julien Rocheleau-Duplain
Julien’s passion for working with his hands began during a 2017 trip to Chile at age 19. He met a family living off-grid, who were part of a wider rural commune. The community’s collaborative lifestyle, where everyone contributed in different ways, inspired him. There, Julien discovered the satisfaction of engaging in meaningful work that directly impacted his daily life.
This experience sparked his decision to study carpentry upon returning home. Yet, after some time building houses, he realised something was missing: the creativity he craved. When Julien stumbled upon woodworking, he was thrilled to discover a craft that finally offered the creative fulfilment he had been searching for.
Since that moment, Julien knew woodworking was something he needed to pursue as a career.
Petria Jobson
Originally from the Sunshine Coast, Australia, Petria Jobson developed an appreciation for craftsmanship while growing up in a family home her father built entirely from locally sourced hardwood.
Petria worked various creative jobs, from spray painting designs on surfboards and powder coating bicycles to spending the last seven years as a picture framer specialising in conservation framing in Alice Springs, Northern Territory. Hands-on, meticulous work was always central to most of her jobs. Picture framing required extreme attention to detail and allowed creativity through specialised custom orders.
Encouraged by her passion for art and design, along with support from family and friends, Petria chose to pursue woodworking. Her work is inspired by Japandi and mid-century modern styles, focusing on organic lines, curves, and traditional joinery.
Upon graduating, Petria plans to return to Australia to work for a local cabinet-making business or maker. She eventually wants to set up her own workshop and business to make furniture and objects from locally sourced timber. As a craftswoman, she hopes to occupy space as a woodworker in a heavily male-dominated industry and inspire other women considering a career in furniture making.
Interested in attending the 2026 Graduate Exhibition and Fine Furniture Sale? Book your free ticket here.