Anselm's Angle

Some thoughts for my students

“Of all the woodworking courses I looked at before coming here, this one definitely seemed to be the best fit for me. And I haven’t been disappointed. It’s been a real rollercoaster! We’ve covered everything, from guilding and marquetry to furniture restoration and cabinet making. But my favourite part has to have been the furniture design. Now I’m absolutely knackered but I’m really looking forward to practising my new skills over the next few months.”

Another student reflects fondly on the course as the final days tick away. Unlike other furniture courses this sustained whirlwind of a course is as taxing as it is exhilarating and it’s a strange time to be in the workshop. Students are putting the finishing touches to their projects; some are a little frantic while the better organised take a more relaxed approach. There’s an air of anticipation in the air, whether it’s looking forward to getting back to family life or excited by the possibilities of ‘the next step’.
 

Cabinet making, restoration and bespoke furniture - all parts of a Chippendale summer

But as the woodwork course winds down so Anselm’s sister business in antique furniture restoration that runs alongside the school hots up. Spring cleaning around the Lothians is yielding battered old furniture that needs bringing back to life by Anselm and his posse. It’s a familiar routine for Team Chippendale, a break from tutoring and it’s all hands to the set squares for a while. Of course, in time the cabinet making, restoration and bespoke furniture making that characterises the summer months will itself give way to the new intake of students in October as the woodworking school springs back to life.

But for now the familiar annual cycle experiences a temporary blip. Terms come and terms go, yes. But with every student body there are individual life-stories, new ideas, different worldviews that make each ending unique. Friendships, relationships, soap-opera-style dramas all have their place but it’s the suspense that makes this time of year strange. What’s around the corner? Someone wants to specialise in furniture restoration and is trying to line up an internship at a museum. Another has an offer from a specialist cabinet making school to be an assistant tutor. One student even has an ambition to one day emulate Anselm by operating their own antique furniture school in South Korea!

 

It’s all still furniture though. Sanding and polishing pieces of wood, working towards the exhibition. Squirreling away. Designing their futures.