Leaving school with excellence in Art and Woodwork, it was suggested by a family friend that Cabinetmaking would be a good start. Was incredibly lucky to get an apprenticeship with the renowned Peirs Kettlewell CabinretMakers. Trained by the finest of craftsmen.

Opened the first workshop, designing and manufacturing bespoke furniture and interiors. It was during one restaurant project, Chadis Bar/ Restaurant on Bath Street where I used the existing stone for the first time. Other notable projects included Bar Luxemburg.

A partnership with Heritage House Antiques, designing and fitting/ restoring out Lee Castle Lanark, Boswell Hotel, fitting out of the CEO office and VIP reception of Medicare in Tampa Florida using the Walnut panelling from the Barr and Stroud building proved our understanding of antique interiors and furniture allowing us to repurpose these otherwise lost wonders.

Took a sabbatical and travelled. Lived with a respected Balinese carving family, sat and carved with them, I saw and understood how they carved out the visions that they saw in the natural grain, allowing nature to guide their creations. There was one afternoon, we visited an uncle, I stared at a particular project and it all hit me, all the inspirations from my childhood, in the mountains, fascination with roots of trees, contours of stone and sea, my delight and fascination with Art nouveau. Travelling along coastal regions I saw how simple and beautiful it was to place a rough slab of wood on supports and open a bar.

Alan Edwards Hair Salon commissioned me to design and fitout his new salon in the Briggait. With the new inspirations and access to Scottish home grown timbers we complete what was to be the first of many successful interiors with this new style. Some iconic and timeless interiors were to follow: Café Antipasti, Bouzy Rouge, Bar Bola and many more, these interiors required the design of furniture to match our interiors, this was the birth of our current furniture designs. Completed our first design kitchen, it would prove to be the first of many to feature as a selling point of homes.

Projects got bolder and bigger including the Oriental Pagoda in Pitlochry Plant Explorers gardens, nightclubs, bars and restaurants, our unique style featuring wood, stone and metal was visible throughout Glasgow. It was during this period that I learnt the value of and how to deliver a client’s brand message through their interiors. This was to be particularly successful for our clients W.Grant& Son, completing design and fit out projects for their Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Family Reserve brands.

Moved to our workshop in the Southside of Glasgow, our interior projects were to include some of the most luxurious staircases, kitchens and larger projects. We invested in machinery, new technology and proved the commercial viability of the tradition craft with solid and quality materials. We established the three styles within our furniture design range; Cuil, Rannoch and Epinel, opening a showroom to showcase and allow clients to appreciate the ergonomics, quality and beauty of our furniture.

My designs won us the commission for the design and production of the medal winner’s Quaich, medal trays and podiums for the Glasgow commonwealth games.
Projects included Bowmore Hotel, the entire hotel; interior and exterior, restoration and interiors to entire homes, one special one being a retirement home on the island of Seil, an old slate miner’s cottage facing the Atlantic Ocean.

Projects continue; from sculpture to brand placing, reclaimed materials to Scottish hardwoods, existing architectural features brought to life. We never really know what’s next!