Me
Originally from Bristol, I trained in Cumbria before moving here, to the beautiful Borders countryside where there's a rich culture of wood-craft and some fantastic woodlands.
I'm motivated by great design, quality craftsmanship and beautiful wood and it's important to me that I'm part of a process for protecting and promoting our local woodlands.
My furniture is refined and elegant and handmade to the highest standards. I love curves and angles and showing off the natural character of the wood. Like all handcraft, every piece of furniture I make has it's own special story and no two pieces are the same.
I balance my time between making my own designs for sale and exhibition and working on bespoke commissions for private clients. This helps keep me fresh and excited for each new project.
- Awarded first prize at the New Forest Trust Fine Crafted Furniture Competition 2012.
- Member of the Scottish Furniture Makers Association.
My Workshop
I'm based at Real Wood Studios just outside Jedburgh in the Scottish Borders. It's a creative hub of woodworkers and as well as the workshop we share a gallery, saw mill and timber yard. It's a great place to be where we share ideas, knowledge and a love of beautiful wood.
The on-site gallery stocks a range of our furniture and small products for sale and it gives you the chance to see the quality of my work first hand before deciding to commission your own project. About an hour's drive from both Edinburgh and Newcastle, I'm always pleased to welcome visitors and show them around and there's a lovely cafe just next door at the Woodside Walled Garden.
My Wood
Having our own sawmill and timber yard means I always have a fantastic stock of the very best local timber, all cut, dried and stored on-site so I know where each piece of wood has come from and that it has been properly processed for making furniture.
The woods I most often work with are Elm, Oak, Ash and Sycamore as well as others, such as, Walnut, Cherry, Beech and Birch. Each of these species has particular characteristics and qualities but there are lots of sub-categories like Pippy Oak or Olive Ash and every tree will be slightly different with it's own unique features. Selecting the right wood for each project is an important process both in terms of the aesthetics and the structural stability of the piece.
Wood is a renewable resource and as long as it is carefully managed, using local wood helps to ensure the future of our woodlands.