Jonathan Tibbs is a carpenter with an eye for beautiful, classic form – an element of his work which saw him selected by SaloneSatellite to exhibit his work this year on the Hidden Art stand. His two products on display, Truss and Acorn Chair, brought an element of subtle woodcraft to the show, and were well regarded by the audience.

“They were recieved very well,” says Jon, “actually better than I thought they were at the time. People have obviously taken my details, and I heard from a lot of people who had seen my work that I didn’t meet on the stand. “

These connections have paid dividends for the young designer. “I’m going to be working with Gareth Neal from July. I’ll be working in his workshop as a direct result from Milan, after exhibiting together. I met Benchmark recently and Liberty are looking to take Truss into their store, after seeing  the stand in Milan.”

“I joined Hidden Art about six months before Milan came up. A few of my friends who are heavily involved with Hidden Art Cornwall suggested for me to Join.“ In that short time Jon feels he has gained a lot from his membership, “I’ve attended a few Networking Sessions and they are really useful”, he says.

“No matter what the topic is I always learn something new. Being involved on the stand in Milan this year was especially benficial for me. I’d never been to the Milan Furnitiure Fair before at all. Beyond the financial assistance given in such a traditionally expensive environment, the planning advice Hidden Art provides is really valuable. “

“SaloneSatellite  is an amazing place, but getting there doesn’t guarantee anything. You want to work quite hard to get people out to see you there. At the same time, there is a lot of prestige attached to being there. “

As big experiences go within the design world, Milan Furniture Fair fell at an opportune time for Jon, who is currently finishing a City and Guilds diploma in Fine Woodwork at the Building Crafts College in Stratford. In light of Jon’s work acting as great sign of the potential of the college, he has been offered residency at the college’s new workshops for a year from the completion of his degree. The college is a government sponsered centre of vocational excellence. More details on the Building Crafts College can be found here.