Furniture and Lighting Designer Marc Wood’s first memory of making was perhaps one of the first memories he has.

“At the age of four, I would go into my Grandad’s workshop at the end of the garden and we would carve miniature boats and other toys out of blocks of wood. I used to watch him make small items if furniture for his house. He was very passionate about furniture restoration.”

Those early experiences sparked off a lifetime love of building things: treehouses, skateboard ramps, rudimentary bits of furniture and anything I else could think of and ultimately in him wanting to pursue a career in it.

While completing his studies in Furniture and Product Design at Nottingham Trent University, Marc really began to hone his craft, creating two pieces for his final degree show that he is the most proud of to date. His aim was to create two very different products, a simple lighting collection designed for mid-market, volume production and a console table to be a statement art piece for the top end of the market.

“Visually the console table is the most interesting. I designed it using state of the art computer software which uses algorithms to create interesting forms, and made it using steam bent wood, an ancient production process. The combination created a piece which juxtaposes traditional and modern to create something pretty unique.”

Since then Marc has focused more on lighting design and has gone on to make some beautiful pieces like the copper leaf sculpture above which was commissioned by an interior designer and now sits in the foyer of a 5 star hotel in Wales. This piece was inspired by nature and jewellery, in particular copper annealing, which is a hand metal-forging process that has been used by jewellers for centuries.  Marc takes inspiration from jewellery in his lighting designs, saying he believes that “lighting features are pieces of furniture for jewellery for the home”.

Because of the combination of the design process and the making process involved in lighting design, Marc spends half his time upstairs in his studio designing and half his time downstairs in the Workshop making, allowing him to facilitate his flexible working style.

“There are so many people here doing so many interesting things. It enables us all to be exposed to new ideas and different processes and creates a great energy. I love how well the space is managed. The technicians and office staff are always on hand and keep the place moving very smoothly. I seem to get no end of advice from the staff who are very knowledgeable and always happy to help.”

Looking ahead, Marc has several projects on the go, with the main one being his debut lighting collection which he will be launching in the summer.

“I have a few more lights which I need to develop and prototype to complete the collection, as well as several bespoke commissions. It’s going to be a busy year.”

To see more from Marc, check out his profile on our Members Directory.  We’ll also be running a steam bending course at the workshop in July. Dates to be announced shortly.