cabinet making course Archives - Chippendale School of Furniture

Brexit divides cabinet

Stephen Barr, one of our recent professional course graduates, first came to the school on a one-week introductory course.

It’s a good way for potential professional woodworkers to see if they really do have sawdust in their veins.

And if they do, and enrol onto our professional course, the introductory course fees are deducted.

It’s a route into woodworking that several professional course students have taken, having proved to themselves that woodworking is the career for them.

For Stephen, originally from Northern Ireland but now living in Edinburgh, it was a bold change of professional direction.

His previous career was in IT consultancy, with his own company, which he sold.

Stephen’s stand-out piece, for which he won this year’s Richard Demarco Prize, was a humorous statement on the vexed question of Brexit.

His “Strong and Stable Brexit Cabinet” was just as divided as the country on the issue.

EU stars

His two-door cabinet in Walnut and Japanese Ash depicted the Union Jack on one door, and the EU’s stars on the other.

Also, one of the EU’s stars was missing…a visual quip about the UK’s intention to (maybe) leave the EU.

In our experience, furniture sells when it’s well-made and carries a design that turns it into a talking point.

Not only was Stephen’s cabinet extremely well made but his fun design gave it topical appeal.

In the run-up to the school’s graduation exhibition, several newspapers – including The Times – carried stories about his cabinet.

At the exhibition itself he was awarded The Richard Demarco Prize 2019.

Demarco

This annual prize is awarded by Professor Richard Demarco CBE, one of the UK’s leading arts commentators.

Professor Demarco’s prize is awarded to the student whose work not only displays design and woodworking skill but exceptional artistic talent.

Stephen is now setting up Starship Unicorn Furniture from incubation space at the school.

These spaces, Myreside Studios, are another good reason to study at the Chippendale school.

They allow graduates to immediately set up in business and make full use of the school’s equipment and machinery.

They also still have tutor support in case of difficulty in those important early months.

It’s all part of the school’s holistic approach to teaching woodworking and helping our students post-graduation.

Note: Two places still remain unfilled on our professional course 2019/20, which starts next month. More information here or contact us here.

Woodwork calling

Paul Hartman was this year’s recipient of the Public’s Choice Award.

It’s an award that is voted on by visitors to the school’s professional course graduation exhibition in Edinburgh.

It’s a real accolade because those visitors are representative of the buying public.

Paul, from Alberta, Canada already had construction and carpentry experience when he came to us last year.

His love of woodworking stems from his time at High School and working in the school’s workshop.

Paul’s decision to come to the school was based on a desire to challenge himself, and learn the craft of designing and making fine furniture.

Divinity

But he could have chosen a different path, having originally studied Divinity at a Canadian seminary.

However, he decided that his faith could best be practiced from outside the church.

We’re glad that he made that decision because he turned out to be a hugely gifted furniture designer and maker.

In particular, he made one of the finest rocking chairs that we’ve seen for some years.

Inspired by the late Sam Maloof whose rockers are in national collections, Paul’s chair had a ‘woven’ back seat.

But it was also an honest piece, reflecting both the complexity and simplicity of good design.

Public

That quality is something that was evident in Paul’s other pieces and the reason, perhaps, why the Edinburgh public liked them so much.

For example, his Elm coffee table decorated with a compass rose, and his Yew hall table, with a frame of rippled Sycamore.

Some furniture designers go a bit overboard and create funky, loud pieces that may only appeal to a very few buyers.

Others stick to the traditional, making quiet furniture that may be well-made but doesn’t have a WOW factor.

Paul steered a middle course between those design approaches, creating softly-spoken pieces that had absolutely no need to shout their quality.

Paul has now returned to his native Alberta and set up his own furniture design business, Dry Tree Construction.

Note: Two places still remain for our professional course that starts next month. More information here or contact us here.

Introductory professional

There are some people who just know that a professional woodworking course is absolutely what they want to do.

Others, however, are not so sure.

It may be that they’ve had no prior woodworking experience or lack design skills.

But not to worry, because the Chippendale school doesn’t require experience or skill. All we look for is a desire to learn those skills, which everyone does.

For those still undecided, one option is to enrol on one of our one-week introductory courses.

These are designed to give students a taste of woodworking. Therefore, to give the undecided a chance to make that decision.

It’s why, if an introductory course student does then enrol on our professional course, the introductory course fees are deducted in full.

That’s the route that Ross Cunnison from Edinburgh took.

Geophysics

He had previously worked offshore for ten years in the oil and gas sector. He also studied geophysics at the University of Edinburgh.

His decision to enrol on our professional course was made having enjoyed one of our introductory courses last year.

Ross’ decision turned out to be a good one because he proved to be a skilled woodworker and won our Best Design Award.

It’s an annual award that we give to the student who, in our opinion, shows real design talent.

What we liked about Ross’ furniture was its simple honesty, yet with well-crafted flourishes that made the ordinary sublime.

That was particularly true of his Olive Ash side cabinet or credenza, with two beautifully-dovetailed drawers and two cupboards.

Imagination

Its creativity lay in a waterfall edge, with the grain of the wood perfectly falling from the cabinet’s top and down its sides.

That honest approach to furniture design is something that all good woodworkers have to master.

Because good design is about making utterly functional furniture, but with a little imagination thrown in.

Good design is therefore about subtlety, and instinctively understanding the interplay between form and function.

It’s an instinct that Ross demonstrated, and we’re delighted that he’s now setting up his own furniture making business, Ross Cunnison Bespoke Furniture.

Professional, intermediate

Eion Gibbs, who graduated from our professional course in June, was also our first intermediate course student.

He first came to us on our month-long course while recovering from malaria.

He’d been working as a film cameraman on two charitable projects, the Kilimanjaro Project and Trees 4 Kilimanjaro.

Both charities are highlighting the environmental damage that is being done to Africa’s largest mountain, and the surrounding farmers who are affected.

Eion enjoyed the intermediate course so much that it inspired a change of career direction, and a new life as a professional woodworker.

His stand-out piece during his year with us was a monumental piece of furniture standing five feet tall.

“The Shape Shifter Cabinet” contained twenty-two compartments, with most of them being a different size.

Magnet

It comprised three horizontal sections, which were interchangeable, with each compartment being opened by a magnet.

It was therefore a functional and quirky piece of furniture, crafted from Oak, Sycamore, Ash, spalted Beech and Elm.

Its front was decorated in a harlequin triangle pattern fashioned from Ash and Oak. Adding to its charm, it also had secret compartments and a gilded chess set that folded into a drawer.

After graduation, most of our students take a well-earned holiday.

Not so Eion, who had already won his first commission – for an even more monumental piece.

His commission for a shepherd’s hut was for a customer in Southampton. It was to be a surprise 50th birthday present for his client’s wife.

The humble shepherd’s hut, which stands on iron wheels, was once a common sight across much of the country.

Lambing

It allowed shepherds to keep a close eye on their flocks, particularly during lambing season.

But it’s making something of a revival, because it can be put to a whole number of uses – and doesn’t usually need planning permission.

Nowadays, shepherd’s huts are used as garden rooms, spare bedrooms, reading nooks, outdoor gyms, or home offices.

Only recently, former prime minister David Cameron commissioned one to be his writing room.

Eion’s hut was completed with a bed and wood-burning stove. Other shepherd’s hut designs can have a toilet or shower.

The school has a shepherd’s hut on our campus and, underlining their flexibility, it was used last summer as a bedroom for one of our students.

This year it was used as a physiotherapy treatment room, by the girlfriend of one of our professional course students.

Eion’s Douglas Fir hut had tongue-and-groove Pine interior walls, Douglas Fir floor, six windows and double doors.

Eion has set up Belladrum Woodworking and is staying on at the school in incubation space.

These spaces, Myreside Studios, allow graduates to more easily make the transition into professional woodworking.

They have full access to the school’s equipment and, if they have a problem, they can seek help from our tutors.

It’s all part of the school’s holistic approach, giving our students the best tuition and a valuable aftercare package.

We’re delighted that Eion is staying on with us, and we wish him every success.

Note: We still have two vacancies for our professional nine-month course that starts next month.

Fumed and golden mirror

Many students come to the Chippendale school having had previous careers in something else entirely.

Campbell Paterson from Grantown on Spey in the Scottish Highlands was no exception.

His early career was working offshore in the oil and gas sector. Then he spent another three years in landscape gardening and tree surgery.

He therefore had a basic understanding of the raw material that goes into fine furniture.

Although learning professional woodworking had been in his mind for several years, he had little woodworking experience.

The only training he’d received was in spoon carving, and that only gives limited skills.

Advanced skills

But lack of woodworking skills or experience is no impediment to coming on one of our professional courses.

Because, over a nine-period, we first teach our students the basics of design and making. Then we give them all the advanced skills they will ever need to practice as professional furniture designers.

It’s a course that we’ve been running for over thirty years. So we know everything about how to build our students’ confidence alongside their design and making skills.

But our professional course is also about working with students of all ages and proficiencies. So it’s a course that suits everyone, whether or not they have ever picked up a chisel.

Campbell’s long-term goal is to return to the Highlands and set up his own woodworking business.

But, for the immediate future, he’s basing his new business in incubation space at the school.

Myreside Studios

Our incubation space, Myreside Studios, allows graduate students to easily set up in business. They have continued use of the school’s equipment and machinery.

It also gives them access to our tutors so that, if they have a design or making problem, help is on hand.

One of Campbell’s most beautiful pieces was his mirror, a decorative item that all our students have to make.

It’s a segment of the course that coincides with us bringing in a world-renowned gilding expert to teach them that important skill.

Many of our students therefore use their new gilding skills to decorate their mirrors, and Campbell was no exception.

His stunning mirror in white and yellow gold, framed in fumed Oak, was a thing of exceptional beauty.

Drinks cabinet

Gilded with 12 carat white gold and 24 carat yellow gold, it was artificially weathered to give it an antique look.

His other wonderful piece was a drinks cabinet for displaying one bottle only.

It was therefore a cabinet to showcase only your finest and oldest bottle of whisky.

Made from fumed Oak, with Sycamore veneer on the outside, it had flamed Mahogany veneer on the inside.

The cabinet opened vertically with a three-leaf hinged door, and inside was an oak stand with solid brass surround for that special bottle.

Campbell’s new business is Campbell Paterson Furniture.

Chippendale graduate honoured

A young Australian furniture designer who graduated from the Chippendale school professional course in June has been shortlisted for two awards in the prestigious Young Furniture Makers Awards.

Alex Stanton has been shortlisted, first, for his Shou Sugi Ban hall table in Ash (Design Award).

The second shortlisting was for his sideboard in Rosewood and Walnut veneers (Bespoke Award).

Organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company, Alex’s pieces will be exhibited at the Young Furniture Makers exhibition in October in the City of London.

Creative designers

The event showcases the very best furniture and furnishing design talent. It offers the industry the opportunity to connect with young, creative designers.

The Young Furniture Makers Awards are the student equivalent of the Company’s Guild Marks. They recognise excellence in the fields of bespoke, design and innovation.

24-year-old Alex, from Brisbane, is currently launching his business in the UK called Alexander Stanton Fine Furniture & Design.

He personifies the fact that you don’t have to have woodworking experience to come to the Chippendale school.

Many of our students come to us as novices, having never worked with wood before.

That’s not a problem because our 30-week professional course is designed to instil in everyone the confidence and skills to practice as a fine furniture maker.

It’s a course that has been fine-tuned over thirty years. It has also seen the Chippendale school become one of the most prestigious furniture schools in the world.

Alex did have the advantage of having had three years of experience fitting timber floors and staircases.

Visit Scotland

He’s also had a long interest in designing furniture and had made simple pieces such as tables.

Before making a final decision to come to the Chippendale school, Alex came to visit a few months before the first term began.

We always welcome visitors and are delighted to show people around our workshops.

That also includes the merely curious because the school is a 3* visitor attraction with Visit Scotland.

If you’d like to visit, you can arrange a visit here, or simply contact us here.

His first project was his shortlisted hallway table and, pictured above, is Alex’s design – which he then made as a scale model.

Design skill is the first thing that we teach our professional course students. Simply, if you can’t visualise your designs, you will struggle to make anything.

But learning that skill is made easy at the school. We have expert tutors and we bring in a renowned expert from France.

Console table

Alex’s finished Ash console table had beautiful decorative flourishes. For its legs, Alex moulded laminated supports that were a design echo of Gothic cathedral architecture.

He also incorporated African Ebony veneers into the leg supports, and carried that colour contrast through to the Douglas fir drawer fronts.

He used a burning technique, called Shou Sugi Ban, which originated in 18th century Japan.

It was initially used to preserve wood. Now, it’s more commonly used to bring different colours and textures into a piece of furniture.

Alex also made a small and delicate display cabinet in Oak and spalted Beech and a steam-bent coffee table in Olive Ash and spalted Beech.

His last piece, for which he has been shortlisted, was a fluted sideboard, pictured above, in rippled Rosewood with Walnut veneers.

Alex proved himself a gifted woodworker over his year with us. We’re delighted that he has been recognised so early in his career.