Furniture Designer & Maker
Since 2003 I have designed and made bespoke furniture and fitted cabinetry through a single, considered approach. I carry a project from first conversation to final installation. Every commission begins with careful design thinking and is then made using traditional joinery where it matters and contemporary techniques where they improve the outcome. Installation is the final stage of one process, ensuring the work sits exactly as intended.
Design · Craft · Install
One Process
Some designers draw but do not make.
Some makers build but do not design.
One Process
Some designers draw but do not make.
Some makers build but do not design.
Furniture making hasn’t been a phase or a second career for me; it has been a way of life.
I grew up in a creative household. My father kept a workshop at home, and as a child I spent hours exploring it, drawn to the sounds, the scent of timber, the tools and the feel of materials. My mother restored period furniture, carefully dismantling pieces, understanding how they were made and bringing them back to life in our home. I am not a restorer, but that early respect for materials and craftsmanship has stayed with me.
I continued that focus into formal training, progressing onto an Art Foundation at Camberwell College of Arts and then a BA (Hons) in Three Dimensional Design, specialising in Furniture Design, at Leeds Beckett University. I also trained in bench joinery, receiving an achievement award at Shoreditch College and later assisting in teaching on the Furniture Making course at Leeds College of Art & Design. I have exhibited work in both solo and group shows and am nationally recognised by the Institute of Carpenters.
In 2000 I trained alongside master boat builder Suzanne Leahy in her traditional boatbuilding workshop on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Shipwright level craft demanded precision and patience, qualities that continue to shape how I work.
In 2000 I trained alongside master boat builder Suzanne Leahy in her traditional boatbuilding workshop on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Shipwright level craft demanded precision and patience, qualities that continue to shape how I work.
With Suzanne Leahy, Cape Cod, 2000
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A shop built Baybird sloop
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After returning to the UK, a period of working in print and graphic design refined my understanding of layout, proportion and detailing and developed the digital fluency that supports my use of CAD.
In 2003 I set up my first studio workshop in Hoxton, London, before returning to Leeds in 2005, where I have remained since.
In 2003 I set up my first studio workshop in Hoxton, London, before returning to Leeds in 2005, where I have remained since.
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Dressing table in ripple Sycamore and scorched Oak
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I have worked with private homeowners, artists, interior designers and architects, as well as organisations including The Guardian, Opera North Leeds and York St John University. The approach remains the same: thoughtful design, careful making and honest delivery.