Uncategorised Archives - Chippendale School of Furniture

Olive ash and Oli

The very best furniture carries within its design a little bit of the maker’s DNA.

It’s the kind of design touch we encourage on our professional course at the Chippendale school because it’s those small flourishes that really put the bespoke into fine furniture.

That’s the case with Oli Juliusson’s beautifully-crafted olive ash table.

Oli, from Hafnarfjardur in Iceland, was a trawlerman for ten years, before deciding on a new career on dry land.

However, as he admits, fishing will always be in his blood, and his table echoes that seafaring background.

For a start, he’s named his table the Dolphin, after the fishing vessel he sailed on, and the design of the table’s legs reflect the architecture of the ship’s gallows – the arched structure at the rear of the ship (pictured above).

Oli plans to return to Iceland after graduation, making furniture that honours the lives of Icelandic fishermen – but, such is the lure of the sea, may also spend time at his old job.

The veneering master

This week we’re concentrating on giving our professional course students a very real grounding in veneering, because we’ve had the internationally-recognised Scott Grove with us.

Scott, from the USA, is a larger-than-life figure in the world of veneering and this week has been an exciting and fun time for the students.

Scott has been coming to us for years and is also an artist, sculptor and furniture maker, creating work that is tactile to every sense, and you can see examples of his work here.

A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, now living and practicing in eastern New York State, Scott teaches and lectures internationally, and has published several books on aspects of furniture making and veneering.

His work is in the permanent collections of several museums, including the Hunter Museum of American Art in Tennessee, and the Memorial Art Gallery in Rochester, and in several private collections.

“Every year I come to the Chippendale school and show them examples from previous years, and each year the students want to outdo what’s been done before,” said Scott.

“Every year therefore the standard of work seems to improve, and that’s a fantastic thing to be involved with,” he said.

You can follow Scott on his YouTube channel and visit his website.

We’ll bring you examples of work by our students next week.

Picture: Scott Grove (left) with student Jacob Corradi and his marquetry chessboard.

“Furniture school is no Cinderella,” says principal

Scotland’s only dedicated furniture design school is calling on careers guidance professionals not to forget fine woodworking as a career option for young people.

The Chippendale International School of Furniture in East Lothian takes in some 25 students from around the world each year.

But the school remains concerned that careers guidance only seems to highlight trades such as joinery and plumbing for youngsters who want to work with their hands after leaving school.

The school’s call comes a day after Scottish exam results were published, with some 150,000 passes at Higher level.

“A year-long course at the Chippendale school can, and does, pave the way for a fulfilling career in fine furniture design and making,” said Anselm Fraser, principal of the school, which opened over 30 years ago.

“But we seem destined always to be the Cinderella of career options for young people, with almost no school leavers from Scotland applying for one of our courses,” he said.

This year, students came from the USA, UK, Poland, Germany, Austria, Singapore, India, South Korea and Australia – but with no school leaver graduates coming from Scotland.

Student of the Year 2016/17 was a recently-retired tax inspector from Australia, and last year’s top prize went to a Russian student who was looking to change careers, and who has now set up her own business in St Petersburg.

“The majority of applicants to the Chippendale school are from people who have embarked on a career, but who have found it to be unfulfilling, and enrolling at the school is all about following their passion,” said Anselm Fraser.

“However, it is disappointing that we rarely receive applications from young people leaving school, particularly from Scotland, and who are being pointed in other directions. Many young people simply don’t know that furniture design courses are available, because careers guidance teachers also don’t know they exist,” he said.

A toast from the Orient

Jack Jensen, from Milton Keynes, came to the Chippendale school from a three-year furniture making course at Moulton College in Northamptonshire.

He long interest in working with wood has blossomed into a very real talent for furniture design, creating beautifully-made pieces that incorporate absolute originality.

One of his signature pieces was an Oriental-style drinks cabinet in American black walnut and Scottish olive ash.

His cabinet echoes the style of traditional Japanese archways and bridges, with rice paper sliding doors that perfectly resemble a traditional Oriental interior.

Jack is hoping to further his considerable skills with a furniture making apprenticeship, and to then open his own business.

Making retro music a thing of beauty

A talented young woodworker from West Lothian has taken his love of vinyl records to a new level – by turning a humble record player into a work of art.

Alan Nisbet from Broxburn has just graduated with distinction from the Chippendale International School of Furniture, where his “Vorticular vinyl cabinet,” made from solid ash and oak, was singled out for particular praise.

The Chippendale school in East Lothian takes students from around the world for its immersive furniture design courses. This year, students came from the UK, USA, Germany, Austria, Poland, India, Singapore, South Korea and Australia.

Alan came to the school having worked for his family business, creating and installing residential furnishing packages for local councils and housing associations.

His decision to move from the relative security of the family business was based on a desire to explore his natural creativity to make fine furniture.

His retro-style cabinet features a rotating fan door and integrated turntable, turning a functional box of electronics into a beautiful piece of furniture.

“I love vinyl, and it’s fashionable and in demand at the moment, and I couldn’t resist designing something that balanced form and function – something that works perfectly but is also amazing to look at,” he said.

Another signature piece was his “Deskometry” writing bureau veneered with walnut and oak, with beautifully-designed twisted oak legs and drawers.

However, in another twist to convention, Alan also crafted the body of the bureau with flowing curved lines, giving the piece both a striking and contemporary appearance.

Alan is setting up Alan Nisbet Furniture from workshops on the outskirts of Edinburgh, to design and make fine furniture, kitchens, and furniture restoration.

“Alan has been an exemplary student with a very real talent and aptitude for woodworking. His pieces have taken the traditional and given them a new perspective,” said Anselm Fraser, principal of the Chippendale school. “His vinyl record player is quite simply a work of art.”

“His designs incorporate hugely well-made functionality, but are coupled with design flair and a real understanding of the properties of the wood, its limitations and all its beautiful potentials,” he said.

Alan said: “I have always had a passion for design in all forms. I love working with wood, the challenge of creating innovative and attractive solutions to design problems and the incredible satisfaction of turning an idea nto a three dimensional piece of furniture.”

Students’ choice student of the year launches his own business

A talented young furniture designer, who is also a member of the local mountain rescue team, is setting up a new furniture design business in Perthshire.

Colin Bate, originally from Birmingham moved north to work in outdoor education but, over the years, found himself less and less outside and more and more behind a desk.

He decided to change track and enrolled at the Chippendale International School of Furniture and, having graduated, is setting up Highwood Furniture in his adopted Alyth, to make and design furniture and bespoke kitchens.

So talented is Colin that he was voted Student’s Choice Student of the Year at the school’s recent graduation ceremony.

His signature pieces include a drinks cabinet that perfectly reflects his love of nature and the outdoors, with an oak frame, elm top and a free-form tree design in spalted beech running across the front.

Another stand-out piece is a steam-bent desk in olive ash and oak which he made “to test the limits of what can be achieved with steam bending,” said Colin.

“I love the precision of furniture making, and the disciplines involved in turning a design idea into a practical piece of furniture. But I also enjoy the creativity that goes into making a desk or cabinet into something absolutely unique,” he said.

A bespoke doggie footstool

They’re man’s best friend, but that doesn’t mean they like to have someone use them as a footstool.

But for dog lovers everywhere, an Edinburgh woodworker who has just graduated from the Chippendale school has come up with the answer.

Fergus Hart can design and make your very own doggie footstool from a carefully-shaped MDF core and covered over by specially-chosen English sheepskin.

But more than that, because Fergus can also hand-craft your very own personalised and bespoke footstool from pictures of your (real) dog.

“I grew up with dogs and currently have a Labradoodle and a Collie,” says Fergus.

“But I’ve always wanted a Miniature Newfoundland, so I decided to make one as part of my course work,” he says.

Fergus believes that he’s filling a gap in the dog-lovers’ market, because he can hand-build any breed of dog from good photography – and he already has four orders.

Fergus is setting up Fergus Hart Furniture from incubation space at the furniture school, where he’s hoping to breed a new generation of dog that doesn’t bark, need walkies or mind being treated like…well, a footstool.

Australian student wins top honour at school graduation

A retired tax inspector from Australia has won Student of the Year from Scotland’s only furniture design school, and is taking a little piece of Australia back home with him.

Nigel Goodwin, from Murrumbateman near Canberra, who recently-retired from a career in the Australian tax office, has spent the last year at the renowned Chippendale International School of Furniture.

He was presented with his prize by Iain Gray MSP, who is also sponsoring an exhibition of student works at the Scottish parliament later this month.

As part of his course, he created a parquetry side table and clothes valet, both incorporating red gum that came from flooring from an old squash court near the school, and which had been stored there for some seven years.

Examining it more closely, the red gum pieces were clearly marked “Made in Australia” – and which gave Nigel the idea to make something from his home country and then bring it home with him.

“I’ve always had an interest in the practicalities of woodworking but have never had a chance to pursue that interest,” said Nigel, who is now planning to open a B&B and workshop to teach others what he has learned in Scotland.

“I am thrilled to have won this honour, particularly since it is so unexpected. I have thoroughly enjoyed my year at the school,” he said.

Anselm Fraser, principal of the furniture school, said that “Nigel was shown enormous talent and attention to detail. He has created furniture that is beautiful to look at, utterly practical but which also shows enormous design skills.”

Caption: Iain Gray MSP, with Nigel Goodwin and Anselm Fraser.

Talented students and fantastic furniture

Our Edinburgh graduate exhibition is being held ithis year in Greyfriars Kirk (1 Greyfriars, EH1 2QQ) on Monday 12^th ( 1pm – 8pm) and Tuesday 13^th of June (10am – 8pm).

This is followed by an Open Evening (6-8pm) at the Chippendale school (Myreside Grange, East Lothian EH41 4JA) on Friday 16^th June and Open Day (10am – 6pm) on Saturday 17^th June.

Here are just some of the talented furniture makers whose works will be on show, and we’ll feature other students’ work in later newsletters and posts.

Jin Sung Choi

Always interested in both design and the practical skills in making furniture, he hopes to go onto further training in Japan, to develop his technique in carving and gilding.

He then hopes to set up his own business in South Korea where he thinks the market is beginning to embrace outside influences.

“South Korean furniture is traditionally made from solid wood, often inlaid with mother of pearl and with brass fastenings and handles,” says Jin.

“I am more interested in bringing a delicate Western approach, and creating furniture that is both Oriental and classical.”

One of his signature pieces is a stunning desk in solid fumed oak, with turned legs, brass fixings – incorporating a hidden compartment with a hidden key.

“I believe that affluent young people in South Korea are moving away from factory-made furniture towards hand-made and bespoke. My business will aim to meet that growing aspirational market,” he says.

Rob Vowles

Until this year, Rob Vowles was more at home climbing trees than using them to make fine furniture.

The former tree surgeon from London has worked in several countries and continents, including Canada, Sweden and in parts of Africa.

His fiendishly-clever drinks cabinet, made from a variety of woods including elm, red gum, oak and ash, is his signature piece from the furniture course.

Opening the cabinet is the clever part, because to do so involves solving a series of puzzles that are designed to baffle even the most sober.

Based on ideas from Japanese puzzle boxes, the drinks cabinet has a sliding door mechanism that, when several elements are aligned correctly, reveals a secret puzzle door – and an even more secret lock and separate key to open it.

Inside, the drinks cabinet is just as stunning, with elaborate marquetry panels and a mirrored back.

On graduation, Rob intends to set up his business in London.

Colin Bate

Colin Bate, originally from Birmingham but now living in Perthshire, is an outdoors sort of person who is also a member of his local mountain rescue team.

He moved north from Birmingham to work in outdoor education but, over the years, found himself less and less outside and more and more behind a desk.

Hence his decision to change track and enrol at the Chippendale school and, after graduation, to set up Highwood Furniture in his adopted Alyth, to make and design furniture and bespoke kitchens.

Another stand-out piece is a steam-bent desk in olive ash and oak which he made “to test the limits of what can be achieved with steam bending,” said Colin.

Roland Pettet

Roland, for the time being at least, has swapped a life on the open sea for a furniture design course on dry land.

A graduate in navigation and maritime science from Plymouth University, Roland has been working as a navigation officer on luxury motor yachts, mostly in the Mediterranean and Caribbean.

However, he recently discovered a passion for woodworking and came to Chippendale to train as a furniture maker to explore his creative side. His goal is to eventually open his own furniture making business in Surrey, where he comes from.

“Working as a ship’s navigation officer is demanding and carries a lot of responsibility, but it doesn’t allow for much creativity,” says Roland.

His beautiful desk and chair, in wych elm and olive ash, was inspired by the shapes of Gothic church arches. The strength and grandeur of the Gothic design is softened by the piece’s gentle curves and chamfered edges.

Andreas Gurtner

Andreas Gurtner, from Vienna, already has a degree in international land and water management from Wageningen University in the Netherlands.

Through his studies he discovered a passion for beauty and the simplicity of nature and realised that he missed an outlet for his own creativity. This ambition led him to enrol at the Chippendale school.

His half round table in sycamore and yew was inspired by the wild grain of the yew. He combines the natural beauty of the wood with different materials like gold accents that are incorporated in the piece.

Andreas also finds inspiration from past Austrian artists such as Friedensreich Hundertwasser and Gustav Klimt, which is reflected in his designs – using the wood itself to inspire and shape the final design.

“Most designers use wood to make their designs come to life. However, I also like to see things the other way around – using the patinas and grains of the wood to dictate the final design,” he says.

Through his passion for travelling he has learned about many different cultures and, for example, the aesthetics of Asian simplicity. That is why, after graduation, Andreas hopes to work in Asia for a couple of years, and to learn more about different approaches to woodworking.

After that, he wants to return to Vienna and open his own furniture business, taking inspiration again from his native Austrian artists.

Shubham Goel

Shubham Goel is one of two Indian students at the school this year, and who should have no trouble marketing the business he intends to set up in either Mumbai or his home town of New Delhi.

He is a graduate in marketing and advertising from New Delhi University and, prior to studying at the Chippendale school, was an account executive working for one of the world’s leading advertising agencies.

However, he has always wanted to follow a more personally creative career, and to build a business that is his own – a course of thinking that has taken him from India to Scotland.

Shubham’s new business, West End Furnishings, will primarily design and make bespoke furniture, but fusing traditional designs and materials from Asia with influences from the West.

“India is a rapidly developing country with an international outlook. What I would like to do is take the best of contemporary Indian design and give it a slight twist – bringing that international dimension to a domestic market,” he says.

His beautiful writing desk in olive ash and spalted beech provides echoes of that approach, developing a style that bridges countries and continents.

Chippendale school praised by education authority

The Chippendale International School of Furniture has been praised by Education Scotland for delivering “high quality learning and teaching,”

The school is a Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) centre and offers two Higher National (HN) units as part of the school’s full-time award in Furniture Design, Making and Restoration programme.

In its report, Education Scotland also notes that “The strong vision for the school and the commitment of the senior management team and staff promote a high quality learning experience that equips learners well for future employment or self-employment.”

This year the school, which is near Edinburgh, has full-time students from the UK, USA, Germany, Austria, Poland, Singapore, India and South Korea, and Education Scotland notes that “the range of countries and cultures of learners supports well the diversity within the learning environment. This is used effectively by learners and teaching staff to support individuality in design and technique and enhance learners’ projects.”

The school runs an immersive 30-week course that equips successful graduates to become professional woodworkers, as well as a number of one-week experience courses to give enthusiasts or prospective woodworkers an introduction to furniture design.

The national education authority also noted that the school had a 100% student retention record, and that “all learners are highly satisfied with their experience.

“They are well supported by an end-of-year exhibition of their work, a graduation ceremony and pieces of work being chosen to be displayed in the Scottish Parliament.”

The report notes that “the learning environment exposes learners to real life experience by integrating project-based learning with commercial influences. Mutually respectful relationships between learners and teaching staff are evident and these contribute to a purposeful environment for learning.”

Anselm Fraser, principal of the school said: “The Chippendale International School of Furniture aims to deliver teaching excellence, and the review by Education Scotland found that we continue to deliver high quality learning.

“Education Scotland also noted that we offer incubation space at the school – a low-cost way for students to set up in business, with continued access to teaching staff and our equipment and machinery.

“In providing long-term support to our students, we will shortly be announcing other exciting initiatives that we hope will give students further career opportunities,” he said.