We wanted to share this generous ‘thank you’ note received from David Cheshire, a former Chippendale International School of Furniture student from the US.
All the things I learned in the last nine months have sparked my passion for woodwork and I will always remember my time at the Furniture School. For me to achieve this I must say thank you to the people that helped make this happen.
Garry Macfarlane describes how he made an Art Deco dressing table while a student at the Chippendale International School of Furniture in Scotland.
Arriving for my second term at the Chippendale International School of Furniture, we were informed that we were to make a piece of veneered furniture. Ideally, we should think our design almost impossible to make and take the opportunity to introduce challenging features like curves into the design. The idea was to enhance our learning experience as much as possible. It was a perfect opportunity to indulge my interest in Art Deco.
After careful consideration I decided to make a ladies dressing table as I thought I stood a good chance of selling this at the end of year student exhibition. I had seen a number of examples of Art Deco style dressing tables with their curved edges, oversized mirrors and beautiful veneers, allowing me to use many of the shapes that the style is renowned for.
A blog by Matthew Meyerhoff, a student at the Chippendale International School of Furniture
Born in Scotland, then brought up in Canada before moving to Dubai, Matthew Meyerhoff previously worked as a simulator pilot in Dubai for Serco. The work may sound exciting but it involved sitting down at a computer all day.
Matthew says that he chose to learn furniture making and woodworking because he doesn’t want to work in an office again:
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….
The Chippendale International School of Furniture, half an hour from Edinburgh, is situated in rolling East Lothian countryside close to fantastic mature forests of oak, elm, lime, ash, chestnut, sycamore and beech trees; an environment with all the raw materials needed to make flawless furniture.
“We teach students on our nine month course to plant a tree, choose a tree, fell it and plank it,” says Anselm Fraser, Chippendale Furniture School Principal.
“There is much more to selecting a good tree for furniture making than you might think. You need to understand the effects of shrinkage, defects in the wood and warp.”
A blog by David Lonsdale a former Chippendale International School of Furniture student who has set up a furniture business in the Chippendale Furniture Incubator.
What sort of work were you doing before becoming a student at the Chippendale International School of Furniture?
I previously worked in sheet metal fabrication for an aerospace company (Midland Aerospace). Working with metal I believe is a good flow through for then working with wood as you need the same attention to detail and very high tolerances especially with aerospace.
I then set up in business in 2004 as Lonsdale Home Improvements doing general DIY, decorating, basic joinery and carpentry. I’ve always enjoyed working with wood and creating something out of nothing!
