B003, Lighthouse Studios, 89A Shacklewell Lane, London, E8 2EB

Five day intensive courses & masterclasses

Outside normal term times we offer intensive five day courses, running Monday to Friday, on a range of furniture related subjects. Some of these sessions are project based, and generally involve bringing a piece of furniture and upholstering it or restoring it, but we also put on masterclasses where we invite a specialist practitioner to come and teach for a week. All the courses are suitable for beginners, but practicing upholsterers, restorers and makers might benefit from learning a new skill. Most, but not all, of the five day intensive courses happen over the summer.

Project Upholstery Five Day Intensive

Bring a chair and spend five days learning how to reupholster it. You will learn either traditional or modern upholstery techniques depending on the age and design of your chair.  Our tutors will share their skill and knowledge of modern and historical craft techniques in this five day session.

Modern Upholstery - Five Day Intensive

Learn modern upholstery techniques with the expert! Sharon Hennessy has run her own upholstery business for many years and is also a talented and experienced teacher. Bring a post-1950 chair to this five day class, and you will learn whatever skills you need to turn it into something glorious.

Furniture Restoration - Five Day Intensive

Five day project based session in which you will restore a piece of furniture. Bring a piece of old, damaged, or worn furniture and we will teach you the skills to make it beautiful again.

Veneer, Inlay, Marquetry - Five Day Intensive

Veneer is a thin layer of wood that forms a surface decoration on fine furniture. Marquetry and inlay are techniques which use veneer to further enhance the appearance of a surface, making patterns and pictures from thin slices of different timbers. Think of it as painting with wood. This five day course will introduce you to veneer and show you how to decorate wooden objects with it.

Introduction to Lacquer & Japanning - Three Day Intensive

In this course, taught over three consecutive days, Simon Hawkins, lacquer and gilding specialist, will introduce you to lacquer, and the traditional and modern techniques used to replicate traditional Japanese urushi.  You will be taught how to use resins and pigments to create lustrous surfaces, and Simon will teach you a range of techniques to decorate your work, using gold leaf and other materials.

Cabinet Making - Five Day Intensive

Spend five days with us learning basic woodworking skills from a professional. We will teach you all about timber, how to cut and shape it and how to maintain your tools. The project is an A frame stool in ash.

Introduction to Gilding - Five Day Intensive

All that glitters here will be gold, real gold! Learn how to apply gold leaf to objects in this five day intensive masterclass with Simon Hawkins. Simon is a specialist in lacquerwork and gilding.

Picture Framing - Five Day Intensive

We will teach you picture framing in this five day course. You will learn all the stages of framing so that you can do it yourself at home.

Traditional and Modern Furniture Finish Five Day Intensive

In this five day intensive course you will learn the art of french polishing from Ollie Piepereit, a professional polisher. You will learn how to strip furniture cleanly and safely, how to stain and prepare for polishing, how to build up a shellac finish and how to to use waxes. Ollie will also teach you about modern finishes and paints.

B003, Lighthouse Studios, 89A Shacklewell Lane, London, E8 2EB
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