Philip Cuttance is no ordinary trainee furniture
maker. The 26-year-old Aucklander has a strong
passion for design and a four-year industrial design
degree from Massey University. Keen to hone his
practical skills, he’s now considering embarking on
a FITO-backed furniture making qualification in
upholstery.
“I
realized early on that if I was going to design
furniture, I needed to know how to make it as well,” he
says.
Philip began his design career in the industry three
years ago at a high-end furniture retailer Apartmento,
and tutored design student part-time at Massey’s Albany
campus.
He later moved to Mobilier Furniture in Avondale,
where he gained experience working with soft and
upholstered furnishings.
Keen to explore his creative talents, he got a job at
Furniture Werks in Otahuhu, where he’s more actively
involved in design.
Philip says most company owners in the industry
dictate the style of their products and there are few
jobs for furniture designers in the country.
“I’m lucky enough to have actually found a job that
allows me to be creative with a wide variety of
customised furniture, I think that’s because I have some
practical skills as well,” he says.
“You’ve got to know how something is manufactured
before you can design it.”
“I think it’s a distinct advantage to have practical
skills as well as design skills, especially a knowledge
of materials and processes.”
Philip has dabbled with creating his own furniture at
home and would ultimately like to run his own business,
with a view to selling it overseas.
