John Makepeace OBE FCSD (born John Makepeace Smith; 6 July 1939) is a British furniture designer and maker. Makepeace was born in Solihull, Warwickshire. He bought Parnham House, Dorset in 1976 and founded the Parnham Trust and the School for Craftsmen in Wood (opened 19 September 1977, later to become Parnham College)[1][2][3] to provide integrated courses in design, making and management for aspiring furniture-makers, alongside but separately from his own furniture workshops.[4] Makepeace ceased running the Trust in 2000 when it moved to the new campus at Hooke Park under a new director who handed the premises over to the Architectural Association, the international school of architecture, for their practical modules. Makepeace sold Parnham House in 2001 to Michael and Emma Treichl, who carried out extensive renovations, before the fire in 2017 and Michael's suicide.[3] Makepeace works predominantly for private clients, but previously designed furniture for the retail market including Habitat, Heals and Liberty's.

Early life

Makepeace was born John Makepeace Smith in Solihull, Warrickshire on 6 July 1939. He is the child of Harold Alfred Smith and Gladys Marjorie Smith. Though his surname was Smith, on 27 November 1963, he would go on to change take up the surname "Makepeace", the same as his maternal grandmother's maiden name. Makepeace was first introduced to fine woodworking when he was eleven years old when he first visited a furniture maker. When he moved into his teenage years, he discovered his love for the craft when he met different cabinetmakers in Copenhagen.[5]

Career

Makepeace's woodworking career began when he started to work as a design consultant for the all India Handicraft Board. He began to also receive recognition when he became a member of the Crafts Council in the UK and a Trustee of the V&A, London. Seeing the value of education furniture designers/makers, he bought Parnham House, Dorset in 1976, to create the Parnham Trust and the School for Craftsmen in Wood. This was opened in 19 September 1977, though would later become Parnham College.[6][7] One of his early students here was Viscount Linley, nephew of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.[8] Makepeace would run the Trust until 2000, when it moved to Hooke Park under a new director.[1][2][3][5]

Awards

Year Award
1988 Officer of the Order of the British Empire
2004 Lifetime Achievement Award from American Furniture Society
2010 Lifetime Achievement Award from Furniture Makers Company
2016 Prince Philip Designers Prize
2022 Woodland Heritage's Peter Savill Award
Year Published Book Author(s)
1979 Furniture - A Concise History Edward Lucie-Smith
1980 The Art of Making Furniture John Makepeace
1982 British Design since 1880 Fiona MacCarthy
1989 Design Protection Dan Johnston
1989 Sotheby's Concise Encyclopedia of Furniture Christopher Payne
1989 Encyclopedia of Wood John Makepeace
1991 Modern Furniture Classics since 1945 Charlotte and Peter Fiell
1991 International Crafts Martina Margetts
1991 Green Design Dorothy Mackenzie
1991 The Victoria and Albert Museum Collections
1994 Conservation by Design John Makepeace
1995 Makepeace - A Spirit of Adventure in Craft & Design Jeremy Myerson
1996 Western Furniture - 1350 to the Present Day Christopher Wilk
1999 Design of the 20th Century Charlotte and Peter Fiell
1999 The Crafts in Britain in the 20th Century Tanya Harrod
2000 Twentieth Century Furniture Fiona and Keith Baker
2003 Materials and Inspirational Design: Wood Chris Lefteri
2005 British Furniture 1600-2000 - The Twentieth Century Christopher Claxton Stevens
2005 Furniture: World Styles from Classical to Contemporary Judith Miller
2007 Bespoke: Source Book of Furniture Designer Makers Betty Norbury
2008 500 Chairs Ray Hemachandra
2009 Star Pieces Linley, Chislett & Cater
2011 Furniture with Soul David Savage
2011 Confessions of a Design Geek'  Interviews Volume 1 Kate Treggiden
2012 Handmade in Britain Joanna Norman
2012 British Design from 1948: Innovation in the Modern Age C Breward & G Wood

References

  1. 1 2 The School for Craftsmen in Wood at Parham House
  2. 1 2 "DesignerMakers.Org.UK: John Makepeace". www.designermakers.org.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 "Police investigating after fire ravages Grade I-listed Dorset mansion". The Guardian. Press Association. 15 April 2017. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  4. ↑ Jeffrey Cook. "Explorations of Roundwood Technology in Buildings" (PDF). USDA Forest Service. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  5. 1 2 "The Biography of John Makepeace". CMS. Retrieved 2022-11-21.
  6. ↑ "A finishing school for furniture makers". Financial Times. 2017-09-08. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  7. ↑ "The father of British furniture on 40 years of Parnham College | Interiors | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  8. ↑ "Architecture: The school that got lost in the woods - Peter Dunn on". The Independent. 1994-01-12. Retrieved 2022-11-21.

Further reading

  • Myerson, Jeremy. Makepeace: A Spirit of Adventure in Craft & Design. London: Conran Octopus, 1995. ISBN 1-85029-712-6
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