Shota Yamaguchi
SYD Furniture
Shota came to Rowden at just 18, for a full year on our designer/maker course. After rigorous training, he took to Austin, Texas to work with makers including Michael Colca at Macek Furniture. Shota kept his head in the making and soon after, started SYD Furniture focusing on bespoke furniture commissions. More recently, he has joined the tuition team at the Austin School of Furniture.
"I felt like there were centuries of information passed down from craftsmen [at Rowden] that couldn't be taught in books or videos. I constantly think back on lessons learned...immersed amongst like-minded people striving for the same thing - elevating furniture making by attention to the question, how can we do this better? Often, I stumble upon a problem in my furniture making and know the answer by thinking back on what was being done or taught at Rowden, even though I didn't fully comprehend it at that time."
