Nigel the Creative Carpenter

Nigel the Creative Carpenter Engineer-designer turned bespoke carpenter. One-off storage, libraries, media walls. Highlands-based This was the start of a new life as a specialist carpenter.

I’m a graduate engineer who became a successful international interior and graphic designer. I worked on shops, offices, restaurants, residential and branding projects for all sizes of customers in the UK, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and I employed a team of designers in India, the USA and New Zealand to help me. I wrote about design in international magazines, was a design awards jud

ge and even helped make a TV series for BBC1. I’ve designed thousands of items in many materials for specialist fabrication

Originally, carpentry was a hobby and I built a workshop in my beautiful cottage garden in Goudhurst, Kent, where I have lived most of my life

A few years ago, some friends asked me to make special furniture for them. I find I enjoy using my hands together with my engineering and interior design skills immensely

I am always delighted to hear from new and existing customers who are looking for intelligent answers to difficult storage and interior design problems

I like to work in the towns and villages around me but I’m always open to invitations to travel further for especially engaging projects

I’ve been experimenting with AI as a new way of presenting my designs. This is a concept for a media cabinet for a room ...
10/08/2026

I’ve been experimenting with AI as a new way of presenting my designs. This is a concept for a media cabinet for a room with a view on the Black Isle.

Rather alarmingly, it looks as though I’ve already built it.

I've been busy perfecting my own Highland Herb Garden.It now has automatic irrigation and a plant food dispenser on a ti...
25/07/2026

I've been busy perfecting my own Highland Herb Garden.

It now has automatic irrigation and a plant food dispenser on a timer, an automatic vent to stop it overheating inside and even smart lighting - that I can control from my phone or smart speaker.

The herbs love it and it lights my deck gently during the long Scottish evenings.

I’ve run out of work!I’ve just finished my current creative carpentry commissions, so for the first time in quite a whil...
25/07/2026

I’ve run out of work!

I’ve just finished my current creative carpentry commissions, so for the first time in quite a while I have space to take on another interesting project, maybe two. Otherwise, I’ll be spending the next few months working on my own house

So, if you’ve been thinking about having something made that no-one else knows how to get just right, now is a good time to get in touch.

Here are a few photographs below to show the sort of work I do.

Send me a message and we’ll see what’s possible

I had a few spare days for myself so I turned some recycled shower screens and a handful of transport pallets into a her...
04/07/2026

I had a few spare days for myself so I turned some recycled shower screens and a handful of transport pallets into a herb garden, especially designed for northern Scotland. What do you think?

A recently completed fitted study/utility room in an older Highland house.One of the principles I try to hold onto in be...
23/05/2026

A recently completed fitted study/utility room in an older Highland house.

One of the principles I try to hold onto in bespoke work is that the materials should be truthful to the building.

In a room like this, I didn’t want to use finishes or materials that looked overly slick or synthetic, because they would have fought against the character of the house. So the worktops and desk were made in real solid pine, and the joinery was hand-painted, which gives a softness and honesty that sits much more naturally in an older interior.

The result is a compact room that now works hard without feeling overdesigned: a fitted wardrobe, vanity area, desk and shaped shelving, all designed specifically for the space and incoprating subtle lighting.

For me, bespoke design is not about adding more for the sake of it. It is about getting the proportions right, using materials that make sense, and making something that feels as though it belongs.

Some men like jetset careers, fast cars, Swiss watches and Italian tailoring. (To tell the truth - I might’ve been one o...
09/05/2026

Some men like jetset careers, fast cars, Swiss watches and Italian tailoring. (To tell the truth - I might’ve been one of them once.)

Nowadays, nothing makes me happier than a beautifully engineered new tool arriving at the workshop.

This one is an industrial edge banding machine — designed to apply perfect edging to sheet materials quickly, accurately and consistently.

For someone who spends his life designing and making bespoke interiors, it’s a lovely thing.

A neighbour’s study shelving project, made in my workshop with my guidance and installed together at the weekend.Simple ...
17/04/2026

A neighbour’s study shelving project, made in my workshop with my guidance and installed together at the weekend.

Simple MDF, carefully set out, and now painted and filled with books. I think it has come up very well and it’s a good example of how much difference good proportions and a built-in approach can make.

Designing my new study.The layout is drawn in Vectorworks CAD, and I’ve been experimenting with AI to turn the model int...
11/04/2026

Designing my new study.

The layout is drawn in Vectorworks CAD, and I’ve been experimenting with AI to turn the model into quick photorealistic images so I can judge the atmosphere of the space before building it.

The cabinetry, shelving and desk will all be made in my workshop.

Next step — time to start making.

Designing a new studio today.This is the other side of my work aside from the workshop — the place where my designs get ...
06/04/2026

Designing a new studio today.

This is the other side of my work aside from the workshop — the place where my designs get worked out before anything is built.

The layout is drawn in my CAD software, and I’ve been experimenting with AI to turn those drawings into quick photorealistic images. It’s not perfect (in this one it’s even moved the window to the wrong wall) but it’s a surprisingly fast way to judge the atmosphere of a space.

The cabinetry, shelving and desk will all be made in my workshop.

And the best part — this one is for my own home.

Since a post I made a few weeks ago, I’ve had quite a bit of interest in under-stair storage.It’s easy to see why. In mo...
05/04/2026

Since a post I made a few weeks ago, I’ve had quite a bit of interest in under-stair storage.

It’s easy to see why. In most homes, the space under the stairs becomes a bit of a catch-all — coats, shoes, bags, hoovers, dog leads, all sorts. And in holiday lets, every bit of practical storage matters even more.

With a bit of thought, though, that awkward space can be transformed into something really useful and pleasing — not just more storage, but storage that feels as though it belongs properly in the house.

So here are a few examples of under-stair projects I’ve designed and made.

Address

Broomfjord Hus
Garve
IV232SD

Telephone

+447850882317

Website

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