For the last 20 odd years I have specialized in design for manufacture in wood, metals and plastics. A good percentage of this work has been furniture based products for the retail or shop fittings sector on behalf of high street retailers, their suppliers and brands.

I have however been creating or inventing THINGS for most of my life. The notion of training in design only occurred to me when the THINGS I wanted to make began to become more complex than I was able to work out in my head.

That early journey included an agricultural engineering apprenticeship and provided a broad range of practical work experience from demolition to ornamental blacksmithing, mechanical engineering to architectural metalwork and construction. A year at night school allowed me to take a full time degree course in 3 dimensional design and a job with a retail equipment manufacturer followed shortly thereafter.

I would like to believe that I get an intuitive grasp of what my clients are trying to achieve and that the basis of a solution usually begins to germinate during my initial discussions with them. This allows me to confirm a brief back in a manner that clearly defines the boundaries of the problem and the direction of the solution.

The most difficult brief occurs when the problem cannot be sufficiently defined by the client to form the basis of a brief. Time must therefor be spent identifying the key issues involved, in order to establish a set of achievable objectives, that then leads to a proposal.

My default setting is to try to keep things as simple as possible which usually involves refining an initial idea to eliminate the spurious before finishing the design.

I will turn my hand to anything from designing retail fixtures, furniture and interiors to domestic interiors or designing private gardens that need form and structure. I just get a buzz from creating something new.

There would seem little point in doing any of this if my designs didn't work.

I designed and hand made this pleated leather and steel suspended seat many years ago as a college project. I have dragged it around with me ever since because it is still the most comfortable perch in the house.