Custom Designs 1.39

From very early ages Darren has appreciated the natural beauty of timber, and the endless ways in which it can be worked. In 1999 Darren moved from Perth to Dwellingup, Western Australia to independently pursue his dream to equip himeself with the skills required to become a successful craftsman. Dwellingup's School of Wood is W.A.'s only specialist fine wood training facility. Based upon the world-leading course run at Parnham College in Dorset, U.K., it has an annual intake of only 12 students and concentrates on craftsmanship, design and business skills.

Darren has more than 15 years of experience in fine furniture design and construction.

After graduating from the School of Wood with a Diploma of Arts (furniture design) Darren had excellent knowledge of:

Working with clients and other industry personnel
Working within the arts community
Operating a business
Marketing products
Operating a wide variety of furniture production equipment as a designer-maker
Working safely as a designer in a manufacturing environment
Production of drawing for concept development and production purposes
Manufacture of prototype and final product as a designer-maker
A wide variety of timbers and their properties
Design of unique commissioned furniture items
Design of production furniture items

Further information about the course content can be obtained by clicking here.

Having disliked the academic focus of school Darren has immersed himself in becoming a fine wood craftsman. Darren has won a large number of awards and is exceptionally talented in working with wood, design, workshop procedures, and understanding timber properties.

Darren was a finalist in the "Quest for Excellence" awards in 1997, run by the Education Department of W.A.