I grew up on Herm and Guernsey, leaving the Channel Islands when I was eighteen to study the art and craft of furniture at Buckinghamshire College in High Wycombe.
In 1992 I set up my own workshop, in Dorset at that time, designing & making modern & traditional pieces, selling directly to the public and to the trade.
Since relocating to Cornwall in 2004 I have concentrated on individual pieces and commissions for private clients. Before that date, due to client specification & other commercial pressures, I have used hardwoods & veneers from across the globe, and much of my portfolio documents this. These days I favour our native-grown varieties such as oak, ash, sycamore, beech, sweet chestnut, etc. but when necessary I will use timber which has been grown in Europe too. The ethics I am guided by concern the sustainability of the product source, mainly concerning issues of reforestation and transport miles.
A trained cabinetmaker, I use traditional techniques in a contemporary manner to produce furniture to my own minimal design, inspired by the function and structure of the piece.
My furniture is made by hand, my designs are not suitable for mass-production. No two pieces are the same even if they follow the same design. I believe that my furniture should celebrate these things by displaying their uniqueness wherever it is practical to do so, from the materials I select to make a piece, to the way I join each component part to the next. I like to exploit the complimentary relationships between different types of wood, and make features of structural elements by exposing intricate hand-cut joints. To see these kinds of details illustrated you can roll your mouse over the ‘close-up’ images accessed through my galleries page.
I try to promote an awareness of our dependence on the dwindling resources that we currently rely on for our energy and raw materials, and I address the problem on a personal level by tailoring my furniture to incorporate sustainable design and working practices. Wood is a wholly natural and generically versatile material, and if properly managed is an entirely renewable resource. However renewable, it is still a valuable resource and we should consciously be using it sparingly. I subscribe to ideas of sustainability by durability, and therefore invest my time in making furniture to last.
There was once a time when our economy was based upon trees, the materials they provided, the jobs they sustained, and the environment they created. The part I play is a small one in the bigger scheme of things, but it pleases me to belong to that old tradition of woodworkers and to keep the skills alive.
My bespoke furniture takes a long time to make & it is expensive to buy. It is unique, made by hand from natural materials, & it will last a life-time!
Commissions welcomed.
