About the programme
CREATE is a 16-week, full-time design and making programme based at the Snowdon School of Furniture at Highgrove. Working exclusively with British-grown timber, students develop an experimental approach to furniture practice alongside strong technical skill and material understanding.
Designed for emerging designers and makers, the programme explores the journey from woodland to workshop — combining material investigation, traditional skills and increasingly independent design work.
The course is fully funded through The King’s Foundation Scholarships, covering tuition and materials through the generosity of its donors. A small cohort of six students is taught by the Lead Furniture Tutor and School Manager, and supported by a Workshop Technician, allowing for intensive mentoring within a dedicated workshop environment on the Highgrove Estate. The course has strong links with Woodland Heritage and their teaching facilities in Herefordshire and will involve guided visits and field trips to experience first-hand the process of managing woodland and harvesting wood.
Course Structure
Create: Rethinking Wood for Furniture is a 16-week, full-time design and making programme based at the Snowdon School of Furniture at Highgrove. Working exclusively with British-grown timber, students develop an experimental approach to furniture practice alongside strong technical skill and material understanding.
Designed for emerging designers and makers, the programme explores the journey from woodland to workshop — combining material investigation, traditional skills and increasingly independent design work.
Phase 1: Machine Induction and Skill Setting (1 Week)
The course begins with a focused machine induction and workshop orientation. Students establish safe working practices, revisit core techniques and complete structured exercises that set a shared technical baseline for the cohort.
Phase 2: Material Experimentation (4 Weeks)
Working exclusively with British-grown timber, students undertake an intensive period of material exploration. Through structured briefs, they test joinery, surface, structure and form — learning to treat wood not only as material, but as narrative.
This phase includes a deeper investigation into trees, woodland management and the timber supply chain, including a forester-led woodland walk and visits to British sawmills. Experimentation is rigorous, supported by regular critique, and forms the conceptual foundation of the programme.
Phase 3: Traditional Skills (3 Weeks)
Students then focus on traditional furniture-making techniques, strengthening precision in joinery, hand skills and construction. These practices are not taught as fixed outcomes, but as a language to be understood and reinterpreted.
Much of this phase is spent testing how established methods can be adapted, refined or challenged — continuing experimentation, but through the lens of tradition.
Phase 4: Commercial Briefs (3 Weeks)
Students respond to externally focused design briefs that introduce constraint, context and audience. Working within defined parameters, they develop proposals and produce resolved outcomes within set timeframes.
This phase builds clarity of thinking, decision-making and professional discipline, preparing students for industry-facing practice.
Phase 5: Final Design and Make (5/6 Weeks)
The final phase is a self-directed major project. Students develop and realise multiple outcomes that reflect their evolving design voice and technical capability.
Supported through regular tutorials and critique, this phase synthesises experimentation, traditional skill and conceptual clarity. The programme culminates in the presentation of final works.
Elements of the course will include:
- Intensive material experimentation with British-grown timber, supported by regular peer and tutor critique.
- A programme of structured design briefs that encourage students to question and reinterpret the use of wood in furniture.
- Full access to professional workshop machinery and facilities throughout the course.
- Experience of batch production and the use of jigs and repeatable processes within a team setting.
- Visits to a commercial sawmill and hands-on cutting exercises using a portable mill.
- An introduction to woodland management, timber harvesting and the journey from standing tree to finished object.
- A programme of visiting tutors — all established practitioners in their fields.
“This course has been invaluable – I feel much more confident about job hunting now, and even feel like quite a unique candidate with these skills added to my skill set developed during uni. Many design courses lack that hands-on element, so the skills I’ve learned on this course have massively complemented and advanced my design skills. I also found it helpful in determining what kind of creative career I’d like to begin with, but also feel I have more options now.”
Alumni student
Course dates
The Create programme runs from Wednesday 26th August 2026 to Friday 22nd January 2027, with a break week in October and three weeks break over Christmas.
How to apply
Applications will open again in spring 2026. Check back to this page for application information.
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
-
Will all the tools I need be provided?
We will provide all the tools and machinery required to complete this course. You are welcome to bring your own kit of favourite hand tools but please mark them clearly. Please do not bring electrical tools to the studios for Health and Safety reasons.
-
What materials will I need?
All materials will be provided. If you would like to bring a specific type of material with you, please email the office for advice
-
Who else will be on the course with me?
Applicants will usually will have completed a degree in a related subject or have proven demonstrable experience. This is an opportunity for those wishing to develop skills to enter the furniture making profession.
-
Is there an age limit?
No, we encourage applications from anyone over the age of 18, as long as you have a relevant qualification, portfolio or demonstrable experience. Usually, applicants will have completed a degree in a related subject.
-
How accessible are the workshops and facilities?
Our buildings are accessible for those with limited mobility or in wheelchairs, including the accommodation. Please clearly state any access needs on the application form so that we can make any reasonable adjustments to allow all our learners to have an excellent experience with us.
-
Can I work part time whilst doing the course?
The course is full time, 5 days a week, 9am – 5pm. Tetbury is a thriving town and there may be opportunities for weekend or evening employment.
-
Can I invite a friend or partner to stay at the weekend in the accommodation block?
No. All our accommodation is for single use only. There are plenty of B&Bs and hotels in the area.
-
Is there catering on site?
No. You will have use of a shared kitchen and dining room and will need to bring your own provisions for the duration of your course.
-
What can I go on to do after I have finished the course?
Most students will go on to work with manufacturers, private clients and retailers. We hope their training will stay with them and inform all their future career choices.
-
What qualifications and experience are suitable for entry?
Applicants are expected to have already completed a degree in furniture design and making. We hope to see portfolios with relevant projects that explore sustainable issues, timber experience and evidence of good design process.
-
What will I learn?
Students will learn making skills, sustainable approaches to timber use, design skills, communication and presentation skills, and gain confidence in their ability to develop furniture from concept to prototype, to finished product.
-
Will there be access to Highgrove Gardens?
The Create programme will be inspired by the gardens and the organic and sustainable ethos that underpins it. At certain times, students will be able to explore with a guide the many inspirational built architectural elements and the garden.
-
Will my work be exhibited at the end?
Student work will be exhibited locally either at Highgrove or in Tetbury as well as at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea – The King’s Foundation’s London exhibition space. Students and their projects may be presented directly to relevant UK manufacturers or other stakeholders.
-
Is this course accredited?
No, this course is not accredited but is valued by furniture manufacturers and studios in the UK and beyond.
-
Can I apply if I am not a British passport holder?
If you do not hold a British passport, please email us and we will discuss your options to study with us on an individual basis.
