Brian London, originally from North Carolina, takes inspiration from classic furniture design. His first piece was a Queen Anne-inspired gate-leg, drop-leaf table that will be a gift to his daughter. His second project, a gift to his wife. Is a Thomas Chippendale-inspired “low boy” made from sycamore with hand-carved ball-and-claw feet. Brian is a former …
The Chippendale school is all about teaching excellence in furniture design and making, but we also practice what we preach. The school was recently commissioned to design and make a stylish reception desk for a new 66-bed care home that is shortly to open in Haddington, the town nearest the school. It was designed and …
Ruaraidh Stewart, from Aberdeenshire, is a student who displays a great deal of enterprise. A former soldier with the Black Watch (3 Scots) who saw service in Afghanistan, Ruaraidh is nothing if not resourceful. He’s managing to combine his studies at the Chippendale school in parallel with making two monumental wardrobes for a customer in …
Students at the Chippendale school are required to make a number of pieces during the year, but our ethos is to allow students the freedom to create what they particularly want to make. It’s a freedom that gives students a chance to make practical pieces for their own homes, or as gifts to close family …
Most of the pieces that our students make are constructed from the more common timber species such as oak, olive ash or sycamore. So it’s always fascinating when a student uses an unusual species, trusting in their ability and imagination to fashion something both unique and very beautiful. That’s what John Grillo, a former business …
It’s always nice to hear from former students. Grant Palmer, a former policeman, who graduated in 2017, set up Dovetail & Rabbet to specialise in handcrafted furniture and bespoke kitchens. His signature piece, a beautifully-crafted drinks globe with an interior gilded in gold, is now earning him commission sales, partly on the back of coverage …
