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Developing a new career in furniture making & restoration

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An interview with former Chippendale Furniture student Ian Darroch who now runs his own bespoke furniture making, woodworking and restoration business.

After 20 years of service within the banking sector, Ian took a leap of faith and decided to pursue a career in furniture making and woodwork. Realising that he needed to develop his skill base to professional level he started to look for suitable training courses and facilities. Ian chose the Chippendale School of Furniture due primarily to its reputation….

Chippendale School of Furniture gilder teaches students to show off

Chippendale News, Uncategorised

An interview with Gareth Evans, a gilder and restorer, who spends two weeks each year teaching gilding to Chippendale School of Furniture students.

Gareth Evans studied painting at St Martin’s College of Art in London which he loved. Afterwards, he worked with a friend at a gilding workshop on Fulham Road. He went on to gild alongside Paul Ferguson, President of the Master Gilders’ Association. Next, with a little help from the Prince’s Trust, Gareth set up his own gilding workshop in West Wales.

Greek train encounter leads to Chippendale Furniture School

Chippendale News, Uncategorised

An interview with Chippendale Furniture alumni, Tara McIntosh, who now runs her business, Twiggd, from the Chippendale Incubator Centre.

What sort of work were you doing before becoming a student at the Chippendale International School of Furniture?

“I have an HND in Fashion Design and a Degree in Textile Design (weave and tapestry) from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art so I’m very much from a creative background. I had always wanted to learn cabinet making skills and had heard of the Chippendale School of Furniture years before but there was no way I could afford it.

“The summer before I started the course I was on a 27 hour train journey from Greece to Hungary where I randomly met a guy from Edinburgh. He was just about to start at ECA studying Furniture Design and he brought up Chippendale Furniture and I got really excited!

How falling out of a tree led to a love of wood

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An interview with Seonaid Denholm who set up a furniture making business in a Chippendale Incubator unit after graduating from the Chippendale Furniture School.

“I fell out of a tree aged 9. Here I am, 14 years later, a few less broken bones but still playing around with wood!”

What sort of work were you doing before becoming a student at the Chippendale School of Furniture? Why did you choose furniture making?

“Prior to September 2010 I was a studying economic and social history at the University of Manchester, and working part time as a chef. Had I graduated a few years earlier the career path would have been very different; I would have a PGDE and be teaching primary school (well I would have hoped to have been). The pessimistic state of the economy dictated otherwise.”

Chippendale Furniture Making School teaches the ancient skills of wood carving

Chippendale News, Uncategorised

An interview with Charles Oldham, fine wood carver and member of the Master Carvers’ Association.

Charles Oldham, a master wood carver, believes passionately in preserving the ancient skills he learned from an older generation of carvers; teaching woodworking students at the Chippendale International School of Furniture provides an opportunity to pass on these skills.

Charles Oldham specialises in restoration, architectural wood carving, letter cutting, carved and gilded ornaments, and gesso cutting. Charles has worked on a number of high profile restoration projects amongst them Windsor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Spenser House and Tredegar House.

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