Hi, I’m Jakub Szimpel. I’m a furniture maker Edinburgh locals trust, where I’ve been working out of St Margaret’s House, a creative hub for makers and artists, since 2017. I started in a small workshop with hand tools, learning through YouTube, books, and plenty of trial and error. These days, I’m in a larger, fully equipped studio in the same building, designing and making custom furniture and cutting boards. I’m also a member of the Scottish Furniture Makers’ Association, part of a community of fellow craftspeople across Scotland.
Meet Your Furniture Maker Edinburgh
Before moving to Edinburgh, I spent years in Poland as a professional furniture finisher in a workshop specializing in custom cabinetry. That experience taught me that great furniture depends on solid construction and meticulous prep work, and it gave me the drive to design and make my own pieces.
My furniture designs draw heavily on Mid-Century Modern and Scandinavian aesthetics, though I’m always happy to work with clients to achieve their vision. Since starting out, I’ve invested in professional machinery, including a Festool Domino joiner, a panel saw, and a thicknesser, which allow me to deliver high-quality custom work at fair prices. Recently I’ve added CNC and laser engraving capabilities, which means I can create personalized or branded items, from cutting boards to custom products for businesses.
Whether you’re interested in commissioning furniture, exploring a branded product for your business, or need a personalized cutting board for a wedding gift, please get in touch, I’m happy to help.
My Background as a Furniture Maker Edinburgh
I grew up in Poland surrounded by woodworking. My grandfather was a carpenter, and I spent summers in his workshop learning how different woods move, how joints hold, and how a piece of furniture becomes something a family passes down rather than throws out. That early understanding of craft has shaped everything I do as a furniture maker Edinburgh.
Before moving to Edinburgh in 2017, I trained as a professional furniture finisher at St Margaret’s House — a creative hub that brought together makers from disciplines including furniture, ceramics, textiles, and print. Finishing furniture at that level means understanding how surfaces behave under oil, wax, and lacquer over decades of real use. It’s a knowledge most modern furniture never benefits from.
What I Make and Why
My work as a furniture maker Edinburgh focuses on the mid-century modern aesthetic — clean lines, honest materials, tapered legs, and joinery you can see and appreciate. This style emerged from the post-war belief that well-designed objects should be accessible, durable, and beautiful rather than disposable. That philosophy feels even more relevant today than it did in the 1950s.
I work predominantly with Black American Walnut and European Oak — two timbers that are well-suited to the Edinburgh climate, dimensionally stable, and beautiful in the way only solid hardwood can be. Each commission begins with a conversation: what do you need, where will it live, who will use it? The piece I build is always the answer to those questions, not a showroom model you’re fitted around.
As an SFMA member furniture maker Edinburgh, I work to the professional standards of the Scottish Furniture Makers Association — the trade body for skilled craftspeople across Scotland. That membership reflects a commitment to quality, fair pricing, and honest practice. You can commission with confidence knowing the piece is designed for your space, built to last, and supported by a maker who stands behind their work.
If you’d like to see more of my work or start a conversation about a commission, head to the contact page or browse the portfolio. Every piece I build starts with a conversation, and I’m always happy to talk through an idea, even if it’s still at the sketch-on-a-napkin stage. Edinburgh furniture makers don’t come much more hands-on than this.