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Exciting new talent at the Young Furniture Makers exhibition

Connor Holland, winner of the new Young Furniture Makers Bespoke Award and The Best in Show Prize for the Lilo Bench

The Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers hosted its annual Young Furniture Makers (YFM) exhibition, sponsored by Corporate Member, Axminster Tools & Machinery. 

This exciting show included exhibits from students at all levels, from the numerous colleges and universities the Company supports, as well as from schoolchildren who won the DFS Poster Competition and the Proskills/MakeIT Competition.

New this year are the Young Furniture Makers Bespoke Award, won by Connor Holland and sponsored by Festool, and the Young Furniture Makers Design Award, won by Christa Sylvana Tjong and sponsored by Gabbertas Studio and Crofts & Assinder.

Awards were also made for numerous industry partnerships, where companies such as Crofts & Assinder, Ercol, Hands, Gordon Russell and Willis & Gambier worked with university students on specific projects.

The excitement and buzz surrounding the event tells a compelling story of a thriving industry that wants to actively engage with young talent, helping to build a robust workforce for the future.

Jan Waterston, joint winner of The Best in Show Prize for the Velo Chair

The Best in Show Prize, sponsored by Corporate Member Blum, went to two young designers, Connor Holland and Jan Waterston, who each won an all expenses paid trip to Blum’s state of the art factory in Austria for having the best exhibits in the show – Connor for his YFM Bespoke award-winning Lilo Bench, and Jan for his Velo Chair, which gained second place in the YFM Bespoke Award.

The Master, David Dewing, said: “One of our key objectives is to nurture young talented people through our Young Furniture Makers group, providing them with useful, relevant support and encouragement so that they remain within the industry, and become the leaders of tomorrow.

“It is heartening to see so many talented individuals presenting their work with such enthusiasm and commitment. It is our unique network of members and supporting companies that enables us to provide these invaluable opportunities.”