Page 66 - Homes & Interiors Scotland

MEET THE MAKER

last ten to 15 years, it’s taken off again, with more and
more bespoke cabinetmakers around. I knew from the
age of about 14 that I wanted to be a cabinetmaker.
My father and my grandfather had always worked in
antiques, since the 1940s, so I’d always been around
really beautiful pieces of furniture, and I’d marvel at how
they were made. It was the level of craftsmanship that
appealed to me. We do a lot of work for famous clients
but we’re not allowed to say who they are or what we’ve
made for them! We can spend years making pieces for a
client and then we’re not allowed to take any photographs
because of client confidentiality! A lot of furniture has
been made since 1984 when I started. Working for the
Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, for the Open
– that was a very prestigious job. I was also asked to make
a ceremonial stool for the Queen. There’s a huge amount
of research that goes into a project. I’ve got a massive
library that I refer to. We’re working on a country-house
project just now and I’ve got a strong background in
history so it’s really helpful when it comes to referencing
the right period and linking pieces to the architecture of a
building, for example. I personally love the late-Georgian
period of furniture design. That’s when it really reached
its peak – in house design, too. They had a certain formula
to do with proportions and scale that is still used today,
and not just by furniture-makers – artists, architects and
anyone involved in design uses it. The principles are the
same. If I had to mention just one designer I admire, I’d
have to say Robert Adam. He did everything – houses,
furniture, carpets, even things like cutlery. His work is still
used and copied today because the basic principles still
stand; they just work.