furniture design course Archives - Chippendale School of 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.

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.

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 says.

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.

Nelson’s spirit to live on as captain’s sea chest

A long plank of decking from an illustrious British battleship is being reborn as a sea chest for the new captain of HMS Queen Elizabeth, the UK’s new aircraft carrier.

The seven foot piece of teak from HMS Nelson was gifted to the Chippendale International School of Furniture in East Lothian. The school, with an international reputation, is the only one of its kind in Scotland.

HMS Nelson played an illustrious part in WW2 and was Flagship of the Home Command. She was broken up at Inverkeithing in 1949.

The Chippendale school held an internal competition to see how best to make a piece of furniture from this last remaining part of the flagship battleship’s decking.

The competition was won by Campbell Deeming (38) from Aberdeenshire, who is a qualified boat builder from the International Boat Building College in Lowestoft.

The piece of teak is now to be made into the Nelson Chest and, with the Royal Navy’s approval and encouragement, will be presented to the incoming captain of the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, which is due to start sea trials in September.

Because of rules and regulations, the chest is to be bought by a benefactor and then gifted to the Navy – with the proceeds going to charities associated with HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The Navy is delighted that a small piece of history is to be preserved and given a new life in a new ship.

“This piece of rare wood is from a battleship that was twice flagship of the Home Fleet during her lifetime, with service in almost every naval theatre in WWII except the Pacific,” said Campbell Deeming.

“The size, stability and patina of the relic convinced me that it would be perfect as a traditional sea chest and ditty box – two practical nautical items with a provenance of some great value,” he said.

“It then dawned on me that right on the doorstep where this flagship was scrapped, a new flagship was being born. Why not link the two together, with a sense of continuity and tradition?

Campbell Deeming is a student and teaching assistant at the Chippendale International School of Furniture. He is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh as well as the International Boatbuilding Training College.

He then returned to Scotland and worked as a boatbuilder for the Portsoy Cobble Project and the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival, before enrolling at the Chippendale school to study design and learn new techniques.

After graduation, Campbell will be establishing The Lost Journeyman Workshop, specialising in contemporary furniture, boat restorations and interiors.

“The Chippendale furniture school was kindly donated a piece of decking from HMS Nelson and we held a competition at the school to determine how best to preserve this piece of history in an appropriate way,” said Anselm Fraser, principal of the Chippendale school.

“The idea of turning it into a captain’s sea chest and donating it to the Royal Navy for the use of the new captain of Britain’s biggest warship, HMS Queen Elizabeth, won the competition.

“The Royal Navy has been an enthusiastic partner in turning Campbell’s idea into reality, a fantastic example of how an old timber plank can be transformed into something new, and provide a tangible link between the past and the future,” he said.

The hand-crafted cabinet your guitar deserves

When creativity and a passion for the guitar come together, the result can be both beautiful and practical.

Andrew Cockerill (24) from York has played guitar for over ten years, and been in several rock bands, playing in local pubs and clubs.

Apart from guitar, his other passion is woodworking, and Andrew is completing a furniture design course at the renowned Chippendale International School of Furniture.

As part of the course, Andrew has designed and crafted a guitar cabinet in oak and sycamore, with an innovative opening mechanism, which is both a functional storage space and a beautiful display cabinet.

“As someone who plays guitar, I’ve always wanted a cabinet that reflects my musical passion, but which would also be a good use of space,” says Andrew, whose favourite guitar is his Fender Telecaster.

With nothing to fill that gap in the market, Andrew has set up Northern Woodwright Furniture, based in East Lothian, to make bespoke hand-crafted cabinets for other like-minded guitar enthusiasts.

“I’d be delighted to hand-make guitar cabinets for anyone who wants to show off, as well as store, their guitar. There’s nothing like them on the market, and I can make each cabinet to particular specifications – making them both bespoke and unique,” says Andrew.

The Art of Windsor Chair Making

The third and final term of our students’ nine-month furniture design course was kick-started with a week of intensive woodworking, learning the art of Windsor chair making under the guidance of Britain’s leading Windsor chair makers, Tom Thackray and his son-in-law Steve.

The making of Windsor chairs involves a whole range of woodworking skills that, once learnt, will be invaluable to our students in their furniture-making careers. First, the seats are shaped using a ‘travisher’ and various degrees of sanding.

The rods at the back of a Windsor chair are known as ‘sticks’ – as opposed to spindles – and are shaped from thick to thin by forcing them through a specialist lathe.

Traditional woodturning skills are used to form and shape the legs.

A Windsor chair is a joy to behold and a pleasure to own. They are chairs that become loved over time and passed down from generation to generation. They make wonderful gifts and, because they can be handcrafted in any size, they can be made for men, women and children – and they can even be built as rocking chairs. Additionally, a whole wealth of design features can be added, including the carving of personal details into the ash wood, making each chair absolutely unique.

How to set up a bespoke furniture design business

Garry Macfarlane, originally from south-west Scotland, founded Freckle Furniture when he graduated from the Chippendale International School of Furniture in East Lothian outside Edinburgh. His fledgling bespoke furniture design business moved to new expanded premises nearby at Fenton Barns after spending two years in the Chippendale Incubator workshops adjoining the furniture design school.

Since 1985, the Chippendale International School of Furniture has been running one of the UK’s leading intensive furniture design and furniture restoration courses. Many of the furniture school’s graduates take advantage of the low costs and support provided by the Chippendale Incubator Workshops for a year or more.

Turkey Shed to Workshop

A cabinet making entrepreneur, Garry Macfarlane, describes his new furniture design workshop: “It was originally a turkey shed for the Fenton Barns turkey farm. It then became a blacksmith’s workshop. When we moved in it was just a big space but we could see the potential. It was a bit of a leap of faith but it has been worth all the effort.”

Former turkey shed transformed into a furniture making workshop with separate machine rooms

Working with a fellow Chippendale graduate to create the workshop and share the costs, Garry has created extensive professional facilities including a fully fitted machine room, sanding room and kitchen, as well as a large workshop.

Getting the Furniture Business Started

Garry continues with his story: “Starting out was very tough and the first two years were a struggle. But all the hard work is starting to pay off and I am now incredibly busy which meant that I had to move to bigger premises. I’ve now completed two kitchens in London, a smaller job in Chelsea and a full kitchen near Clapham.

“The latter commission, which came through a Scottish connection, was for a Victorian terraced house with a large, open plan kitchen extension out the back. Working with the architect and the customer we came up with a great design solution. The kitchen was made from solid Scottish oak and the doors and framework painted with Farrow and Ball colours. The finished result looked stunning and the customer was very pleased.”

Varied Commissions – Bookcases, Desks… and a Human Foot!

“In Edinburgh I’ve made lots of bookcases and desks, mostly in oak which is popular. People like commissioning TV Cabinets too. I’ve also been asked to do some more unusual things such as display stands for mobile phones in an app developer’s office.

“I made a model of a foot for the BBC programme ‘Dissected, the Incredible Human Foot’ on BBC4. The programme was pretty gory though – I had to turn it off!”

“At the moment I’m working on a pedestal style desk in American black walnut with burr walnut and rosewood detailing. It is for another Scottish connection in London. Then I’ll be starting on a kitchen table for someone in the Borders using Sycamore.”

Early Challenges – Learning Clients’ Needs

Setting up a new business brings many challenges, not least learning the needs and demands of customers: “Some clients know exactly what they want; others need taken through the commissioning process step by step,” say Garry.

“I’ve got more confident with pricing, costs and timings over the last 3 or 4 years. With repetition and experience, I’m doing the work a lot quicker. I’ve also invested in good quality machines which allow me to produce things quickly and accurately. Everything in here is handmade though, nothing is computer controlled.”

Marketing as Well as Woodwork

Marketing is of course a very important area for any new business: “I work hard on my marketing. I get new commissions from a range of sources including the internet and repeat business, but more and more is by word-of-mouth. Generating the work was difficult initially but now I’ve got so much that I’m thinking of taking someone on to help me – I’ve got several months of work in the pipeline. Hopefully I can get in to a position of having 2 or 3 people in the workshop with me.”

All this is a far cry from Garry’s previous job before he went to the Chippendale Furniture School: “Previously I worked for Ryden, the Chartered Surveyors, and was sitting behind a desk all day in Glasgow. I was in commercial property investment but that was hit hard by the recession and I moved into property management when the market dried up. It just wasn’t really for me and I wanted to do something different.

“Making bespoke furniture is much more rewarding, more creative and there’s less paper pushing. I don’t clock watch anymore because I’m enjoying my work. I’m my own boss and I can manage my own time. I’ve no regrets about the move even though it hasn’t always been easy.

“My advice to other furniture making start-ups is:

1.   Be prepared not to earn any money for a while.
2.   Work hard on the marketing side. It takes a while to pull in the work and service it.
3.   You can make money in the first couple of years but living off it is tough. You’re too slow and you’re still learning so much.

Never Stop Learning

“The Chippendale School of Furniture course was a really good introduction to all aspects of furniture design and making, but the journey continued after I left. There’s a cliché that you never stop learning but in woodwork it is certainly true.”

Freckle Furniture designs and makes hand crafted, bespoke furniture and kitchens to commission with exceptional design, enduring craftsmanship and superior quality. Garry’s ambition is to make commissioning exciting and engaging, and he encourages customers to visit the workshop to see their bespoke furniture being made.

Freckle Furniture’s work has recently been acknowledged by renowned Danish design company Bo Concept as one of their ‘Ones to Watch’ awards for 2014.

More information is available from the Freckle Furniture website.