Nick Wright

I was honoured to be asked at the start of this year to make a retirement gift for someone leaving The Duchy of Cornwall. There was a huge amount of design work with subtle references to a career of service that had been carefully woven into every detail, things that are personal to the owner and won’t be shared here.  Teasing that story out, and deciding how those elements should feature quietly in an object is my happy place. It's the story that connects us, and hopefully means objects are used and loved for generations, locking up all that stored carbon in the process. It was made from British Oak and Ash from a Duchy of Cornwall estate in the south of England.  The life of a maker is one of continual striving for improvement in the practice of hand skills, technical problem solving, and reading one’s material. If a maker is lucky, they get to work on pieces that challenge those traits to the point of breaking, where the finished piece is a reflection of the pinnacle of the maker's character today and represents the culmination of all that has been learned before. This has been such a piece. I was fortunate to meet the table’s new owner last month and hand it over in person which was a real treat.

I recently started my journey with The Furniture Makers company, joining as a Freeman at Furniture Makers Hall in the City of London. It will come as no surprise to those who know me, that I will be using this as an opportunity to extend my network for the benefit of the school and my students. I’m always on the lookout for exceptional people to help my students.  Thank you to Richard Thompson for supporting my application. @furnituremakerscompany

Recently the school was asked to make a Christmas gift for His Majesty The King. This was a lovely joint design exercise involving all the students, Jo Weaden (@studioarvor ) our lead design tutor, and I. After some consultation it was decided that students would make a tree decoration each, with each using a different British timber and implementing material experiments from their earlier work on the Create programme. Jo and I were tasked with making a display box to hold the students' decorations in beautiful Olive Ash. The base of the box was made from Cedar of Lebanon from the tree which once stood at Highgrove. This was laser engraved with each of the student's names, along with their chosen tree species.  Within the Ash box, each decoration has its own wood lined compartment, made to match each of the six timbers. Thank you to @kingsfdn for this opportunity and @mattbakerofficial and the @bbccountryfile team for recording the process. Please follow and support my wonderful students... @lilyhitchcockdesign - Alder @maxhaywardstudio - Ash @mileshobdenstudio - Birch @umunul - Cedar of Lebanon @george.almond_design - Sycamore @robert_radcliffe_design - Oak

Discover the future of heritage skills at The King’s Foundation! 🌳🏛️ We are incredibly excited to highlight this upcoming event as part of the #OpenWoodsAndWorkshops initiative. This is a unique opportunity to visit the workshops of The King’s Foundation - Snowdon School of Furniture, curated by its Vice President Lord Snowdon and see how they are championing traditional crafts, sustainable design, and the vital use of homegrown timber. Located at the stunning Barley Court on the Highgrove Estate, you’ll get a first-hand look at how students and master craftspeople are working together to keep heritage skills alive while focusing on a sustainable, wood-focused future. This visit is sure to inspire! 📅 Date: Sat 13th June 2026 📍 Location: The King's Foundation - Snowdon School of Furniture, GL8 8TQ 🎟 Book your place via the link in our bio. This event is part of #OpenWoodsAndWorkshops, a network of over 30 woodlands and workshops hosting open days across the UK throughout June 2026. Forestry estates and woodlands, scientists and sawmills, artists and architect’s studios, furniture factories, makers and beyond! Some spaces are open to visitors all day. Other places will host small group tours. Join in with over 1,000 others to meet the people growing trees, experience the places using wood, and see first hand the role trees and timber can have in our future. What unites everyone you will meet, is the desire to champion homegrown timber and sustainable productive woodlands for present and future generations. #OpenWoodsAndWorkshops is part of the Woodland Heritage Skills project and is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to conserve and promote sustainable productive woodland management skills in the UK. #WoodlandHeritage #Forestry #woodlands #trees #timber #homegrowntimber #homegrown #SustainableDesign #Woodworking #FurnitureMaking #MakersMovement #NationalLotteryHeritageFund #sustainability #TheKingsFoundation

This was a very special moment recently at the Garrison Chapel, presenting student work and introducing His Majesty King Charles III to Carmel Allen and Jonathan Rose — two people without whom the school would not be here today.

Nick Wright, Furniture School Manager, talks about alumni contributing to Their Majesties’ Coronation 🪑 The King’s Foundation’s Snowdon School of Furniture equips emerging designers and makers with traditional skills, sustainable practice, and a well-rounded education - from the woodland to the workshop - completely free of charge. This week, we visit the school, located at The King’s Foundation’ education workshops at Highgrove Gardens, to explore how the ‘CREATE - Rethinking Wood for Furniture’ course transforms its students’ lives. Thank you to Nick, Aaron, Eleanor and Lily for making this video possible! Full episode now live on Artfully Crafted, see link in my bio. CREATE is now open for applications – visit the @kingsfoundation ’s website to learn more or apply. #Furniture #Craft #TheKingsFoundation #Design #Course #ArtfullyCrafted

I recently spent the day back at my old secondary school, @sirjohnlawes I’d visited late last year to give a talk, and offered to return to spend time in the workshop with the students. This time I worked alongside the Year 13 cohort as they tackled their final projects — a mix of ambitious designs and some genuinely challenging making on the bench. I also spent time with the teaching staff, sharing practical skills and talking through approaches to developing hand skills and confidence in young makers. There’s often a conversation in industry that we’re “not reaching young people early enough”. Days like this feel like a small way to help change that. If we want thoughtful, capable designers and craftspeople in ten years’ time, we need to show up for them now. I have to say — they are incredibly fortunate. The facilities are excellent, and the staff are committed, generous and ambitious for their students. If you work in craft, design or manufacturing and have the opportunity to give a day to a local school — I’d really encourage it. It doesn’t need to be formal. Just being present in the workshop and sharing experience can make a difference. It was a privilege to go back. Thank you Nick Wilkinson and the team for having me. #volunteering #designtechnology #crafteducation #making #skillsdevelopment

Last week I spent a day at the Sylva Wood School, run by Joe and Phil — who were my tutors when I was a student. I went with no agenda beyond spending time there, sharing lunch, and talking to the current cohort at their benches about what they’re making and what they might want to do next. It was a quiet reminder of how much of craft education happens in conversation rather than curriculum — and how important it is to keep those loops open between learning, making, and teaching. Thanks to Joe and the students for the welcome.

Sixteen weeks goes by so quickly. Last week we said goodbye to the latest Create cohort at The Snowdon School of Furniture. So so proud of this lot. As always, I'm emotionally broken by the end, but you are absolutely worth it. If you think you might have a role for one of my superstars, please do get in touch, I'm sure they won't hang around long! As always special thanks to my amazing team @studioarvor & @willowbloomfield Photography by @carmelkingphoto

The @bespokeguildmark are delighted to recognise the Duchy of Cornwall Table by @nickwrightstudio with a Certificate of Merit, celebrating its thoughtful design, exceptional craftsmanship and deep connection to place. Created with care, skill and meaningful storytelling, this piece perfectly reflects the values we champion - where materials, craft and purpose come together in harmony. Congratulations to Nick Wright on your achievement; we are proud to highlight work that continues to inspire and elevate bespoke furniture making in the UK. #bespokeguildmark #bespokefurniture #bespoke #furnituremaker

So great to welcome SJL alumni @nickwrightstudio yesterday! Nick was speaking to our A Level D&T students about his career since leaving SJL, sharing some of his expertise on furniture design and discussing his work with the Kings Foundation and Snowdon School of Furniture. Absolutely fascinating and inspiring for our students!

Applications for this year's Snowdon Summer School are now open. We're looking for 8 students to join us at Highgrove for this intensive and exciting programme for makers interested in working at the highest level. If you're studying a furniture course, particularly if you are about to graduate or go into your final year, we'd love to hear from you. Runs from Sunday 13th - Friday 18th July Applications close at midday on Friday 6th June. Full information can be found on the @kingsfdn website.