Cabinet maker, furniture designer and teacher, James has a passion for making and for sharing his skills.

James designs and builds functional furniture like dining tables and domestic objects as well as more sculptural, experimental work, (usually still functional), but often architectural in style. Many of his works incorporate sumptuous materials like figured veneers, brass and copper, solid timber, concrete and cast resins.

Over many years James designed and built Castle Workshop- a furniture making studio and teaching space housed in a cathedral like building of timber, stone, brick, glass and steel, located in the centre of Nicholls Rivulet, near Cygnet.

This light filled studio is an inspiring and calm space enjoyed by participants in the furniture making classes.

James enjoys sharing the workspace with other cabinet makers when the opportunity arises and has also helped many people with creative solutions to their projects such as fitting out camper-vans, making timber window frames and casting concrete benches.

Another aspect of James’ practice involves commercial fit-outs for restaurants, such as for Ogee in North Hobart, where his Blackwood timber dining bar is a centrepiece for the intimate space and the small tables ringed by curves of brass create the feel of a Paris brasserie.

The gallery/exhibition space at Castle Workshop doubles as a teaching space for private furniture making classes for adults. The two-day stool making workshop is most popular- there are also classes to make a breadboard and a veneered box.