WATERS & ACLAND

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WATERS & ACLAND Waters and Acland is an award winning fine furniture workshop and furniture school.

The Waters and Acland furniture school and workshop is a hub of creativity, passion, and dedication to the art of fine furniture design and craftsmanship. Since founding our workshop and fine furniture school in 2006, we have pursued a dual mission: to craft furniture of exceptional quality and to preserve the legacy of woodworking through our comprehensive courses. From 2-day workshops to our prestigious 1-year Designer Maker Course, we offer something for everyone. Additionally, we have embraced online learning, including our popular Makers Club, offering a complete online course, community access, and exclusive perks for woodworking enthusiasts around the world!

Check out this beautiful chair by former student Sam Whyman Furniture. 🤩A recently completed piece, reimagined from a de...
16/10/2026

Check out this beautiful chair by former student Sam Whyman Furniture. 🤩

A recently completed piece, reimagined from a design Sam originally developed back in 2022 during his time on our Designer Maker course. This latest version features cord weaving and leather upholstery.

Great to see Sam continuing to refine his craft and produce stunning furniture from his Bristol based workshop. Be sure to give Sam a follow on Instagram too - he’s got a great feed! 🙌🏻

If you’ve ever dreamed of a career in fine furniture making, whether that’s establishing your own independent business like Sam, or working as a professional maker within an established workshop, our Designer Maker course can help you get there.

Develop your skills, build your confidence and accelerate your potential with one of our long courses.

14/10/2026

Designer Maker student Stacey cutting her first tail board for the Dovetailed Bookends project! 🤩

It’s always great to see how quickly our new Designer Makers progress through these first few projects, developing the skills and accuracy that will set the standard for their future set project work and self-designed furniture pieces.

Stay tuned to see how the pin board went! 👀

If you’d like to work on perfecting your own dovetails, our dovetailing tutorials are available through both our Online Course and new Workshop Membership. Find out more via the link in our bio.

11/10/2026

The beautiful Lacuna Rocker in English Elm in the making, designed and made by former student Delia during her time on our Designer Maker course. 🤩

Delia continues to design and make bespoke furniture, alongside teaching woodworking classes from her workshop in Milwaukee, USA. 😊🙌🏻

Some WIP and finishing shots of Joseph’s stunning Oak Grove Display Cabinet - designed and made by Joseph during his tim...
09/10/2026

Some WIP and finishing shots of Joseph’s stunning Oak Grove Display Cabinet - designed and made by Joseph during his time on our 2-term Designer Maker course. 😎

Applications are now open for our next 2 and 3-term Designer Maker courses, starting September 2027. 🤙🏻

05/10/2026

A glimpse at the making behind these custom wenge and oak handles.

Part 2 of the full handle making article is now available to our Workshop Members over in the online school - with detailed photos and notes from the process.

Join the W&A Online School and explore Workshop Membership via the link in our bio.

Fer with her fabulous Guilloche Bedside Tables, made while training with us on the Designer Maker course. Awarded a Besp...
04/10/2026

Fer with her fabulous Guilloche Bedside Tables, made while training with us on the Designer Maker course. Awarded a Bespoke Guild Mark and winner of the Christopher Claxton Stevens Prize from The Furniture Makers’ Company The Furniture Makers' Company.🏆 A fantastic achievement!

Places on our Designer Maker course for a September 2027 start are filling up fast. Find out more via the Long Courses link in our bio, or contact Oliver Waters at [email protected] for an application.

29/09/2026

A busy year of making at the 25-26 Designer Maker benches!

A quick look back at just some of the work that went on in the workshop with last year’s Designer Makers, from the countless hours of making, learning and problem solving, through to some pretty special finished pieces.

It’s amazing how much happens over the course of the year, and just how quickly that time goes!

Now we’re into another year, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what our current group of Designer Makers produce with that same time. 🤩

A huge amount of work goes into guiding everyone through the year too, led by our amazing tutors Graham and Tim. Thanks to for this collection of footage too! 🙌🏻

Applications are now open for our September 2027 Designer Maker intake. Take a look at the link in our bio for details.

27/09/2026

Double gunstock joint with decorative through tenons - a making clip from former Designer Maker student Fabian .spoerl, during the build of his dining table on the course.

Taking inspiration from the work of the great Danish furniture maker Peder Moos, Fabian developed the design as part of his final piece.

For details on our Designer Maker course and other long course options, take a look at our website. We’re now taking applications for a September 2027 start on our 2 and 3-term DM course.

We’ve also got a great selection of short courses available, along with our new Online School Workshop Membership. This includes foundation level tool preparation and joinery tutorials, plus Workshop Members get 10% off all short courses and 25% off our Complete Online Course. 💥

Click the link in our bio for details.

22/09/2026

Wenge handles, reinforced with a laminated oak veneer backing. Delicate work, but they came out surprisingly strong. 💪🏻

Part one of the making process is now available as an article for members of our new Workshop Membership.

Workshop members get access to exclusive discounts, W&A project support, articles, resources and more, all for £49/year. 👉🏻 Link in bio

The Minecraft coffee table by former Designer Maker student Justus Justus Fischer - made during his time on the course.Y...
18/09/2026

The Minecraft coffee table by former Designer Maker student Justus Justus Fischer - made during his time on the course.

You’d be forgiven for thinking this was AI, but it’s very much real! 😄 This was a really unique and fun first self-design project by Justus back in 2018, featuring two concealed piston-fitted drawers.

Address

22-25 Staveley Mill Yard
Kendal
LA89LR

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm

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