furniture school - Chippendale School of Furniture

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.

Careers in sawdust

Woodworking is a passion that many people have, but don’t immediately pursue as a career.

Many of our students are people who have made the decision to leave their industry mid-career.

They’ve taken the conventional route and gone from school to university and then into a humdrum world of work.

Then, after years doing jobs that haven’t been fulfilling, they finally decide to follow their dreams.

But we’re always happy to take students on our professional course straight from school.

So, if you’re uncertain about moving onto higher education, why not consider a career in fine furniture and design?

Our 2019/20 course starts in October and we still have a couple of places remaining.

Our nine-month course is designed to turn novice woodworkers into craftsmen and women.

And we’re delighted that so many women are now enrolling on our one-week introductory course, one-month intermediate course and our flagship professional course.

Student of Year

Indeed, in the last four years, two female students have won our Student of the Year award.

Most of the school leavers that we take in are from the UK, but not this year.

Julius Schmalbach, from Hamburg in Germany, came to us with a little woodworking experience, but no formal training.

But he did have a small workshop at home, and taught himself to make simple pieces such as a table and bedside cabinet.

His first piece with us was a beautifully-designed ash chair with a woven cane back.

It had fine proportions and was exceptionally well crafted, with steam bent and laminated legs.

Underlining his professionalism, the chair was entirely his own design, which he fine-tuned from a mock-up that took four weeks to make.

It’s the first skill that students learn at the Chippendale school, because without being able to visualise your design in 3D, you can’t accurately construct your design.

However, we have the tutorial expertise to ensure that all our students easily master the dark arts of design and visualisation.

All angles

We then encourage students to make a scale model of their proposed piece.

That helps them understand what it will look like from all angles and how it will be joined together.

Most students wouldn’t have started with so ambitious a project, and Julius’ painstaking approach to his design gave him the necessary confidence.

Confidence is also something that we instil at the Chippendale school and, as the course progresses, everyone’s confidence increases.

That was certainly true of Julius because, having taken time and trouble over his chair, he then made a small bench made out of oak, which took him four days!

His signature piece was a lovely cherry veneered writing escritoire, with two drawers held together with hand-cut dovetails.

It was another ambitious project, particularly to veneer around corners, and to make its cherry octagonal tapered legs.

It’s a lovely and practical piece of furniture, with a high level of attention to detail. For example, the handles are also made from well-turned pieces of cherry.

Not content with that, he also completed a walnut medicine cabinet, with star-shaped mirror cut-outs.

The pieces of mirror are gilded in white gold to lend it a magical quality and, inside, it has two drawers and two shelves.

Julius shows that woodworking skill can be learned at any age.

So, if you think a career in furniture design and sawdust might be for you, don’t delay…contact us today!

Christmas at Chippendale

An immersive course at the Chippendale school involves a great deal of hard work…for most of the time.

But we also like to mix hard work with fun because what we learn with pleasure we never forget.

For example, being an international school, we celebrate the various festivals and national days that are commemorated in each of our students’ own countries.

We not only like to make everyone feel welcome, we use these occasions to learn more about each other’s cultures.

But one festival we can all celebrate is Christmas and every year staff and students come together in the school for a turkey-and-all-the-trimmings lunch.

It’s also fitting that, in training to be woodworkers, we are also remembering the son of a carpenter.

And, as trained or trainee carpenters, we can also remember Saint Joseph, Jesus’ father, the patron saint of cabinetmakers.

Changing attitudes the Joshua way

One of the great frustrations shared by all furniture design schools is that the option of fine furniture making is not a career option that schools tend to recommend to their pupils.

That’s because it’s a career they don’t know much about because – and maybe all furniture schools are at fault here – we haven’t shouted about it enough.

It’s a frustration that we’re determined to do something about, and are now actively seeking to better engage with government in Scotland and London – to try and change perceptions and the careers advice given to young people.

Which is why it’s particularly nice to welcome Joshua Godbert from Hertfordshire, a young student who has come to us straight from school.

He didn’t much fancy going onto college or university, but had always been creative and practical – studying CDT at both GCSE and A level.

However, it wasn’t until the school did some marketing to careers guidance teachers throughout the UK, that his school suggested fine furniture design and making as a career option.

That led Joshua to enrol in a short course at the Chippendale school, which confirmed that woodworking was something that he’d like to do.

His longer-term ambition is to return to Hertfordshire and to stay in woodworking.

Fine furniture school creates craftsmanship Guild

The Chippendale International School of Furniture is delighted to announce the creation of the Fine Furniture Guild.

The Guild is a not-for-profit business, and Professor Richard Demarco OBE has agreed to be its first honorary chairman.

The purpose of the Guild is to offer further support for graduating students who have successfully completed the Chippendale course.

The school has an international reputation and each year welcomes up to 25 students from around the world to its immersive 30-week courses.

This year, students came from the USA, UK, Germany, Poland, Austria, South Korea, India, Singapore and Australia.

The Guild creates an online platform for customers looking to buy fine furniture – putting them directly in contact with a designer near to them.

It also offers those customers the guarantee that the furniture designer and woodworker is a qualified craftsman or women, who has successfully completed the exacting Chippendale course.

“This is a unique venture in the woodworking schools sector, and represents a very real commitment by the school to former students here and internationally,” said Anselm Fraser, principal of the Chippendale school.

The Chippendale International School of Furniture is over 30 years old and has achieved an international reputation for the quality of its teaching, endorsed earlier this year by an Education Scotland report.

Professor Richard Demarco OBE

Professor Demarco is one of the UK’s leading arts commentators, who is himself an artist and one of the most influential advocates for contemporary art.

He is also a staunch supporter of the Chippendale International School of Furniture and each year awards a prize in his name to an outstanding student.

“The purpose of the not-for-profit Chippendale school is to teach all aspects of woodworking. However, we have long recognised that, in a competitive market, even the most gifted of alumni can find it hard to secure commission sales,” said Anselm Fraser.

In recent years, the School has introduced additional commercial modules into the curriculum – including business planning and marketing, website design and public relations.

The school has also created incubation space for alumni to set up in business in East Lothian, while still having access to the school’s specialist equipment and teaching staff. Currently, some ten alumni work from the school campus.

“We recognise that some students are better than others in marketing their businesses and connecting with a buying audience. The purpose of the Guild is to provide alumni with an additional resource to engage with customers local to them,” said Anselm Fraser.

A unique project

Nothing quite like the Guild has been created before, either specifically in furniture schools or, more generally, in other craftsmanship institutions – for example, jewellery making or ceramics.

This largely reflects the more focused ethos of other schools – teaching only furniture making skills, without transitional or longer-term business support. The Chippendale school’s ethos has always had a longer-term focus on student welfare and success, and this project reflects that.

The school wants its students to be successful, and to play a role in securing Scotland’s and the UK’s place as a centre of furniture design excellence. The Guild is intended to help underline both of those objectives.

“We believe the Guild has lessons for other niche educational institutions. It will showcase Scottish craftsmanship to international audiences and help support graduating furniture designers as they transition into employment or self-employment,” said Anselm Fraser.

“We are also immensely grateful to East Lothian Council for grant funding to help us develop the business plan and help take us to where we are now,” he said.

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.