Furniture Maker in County Antrim

From Design Engineer to Furniture Maker

I am Noel McCullough, a furniture maker based near Broughshane in County Antrim.

From my rural workshop, I design and make bespoke furniture, handmade wooden boxes and smaller wooden pieces. My work combines traditional furniture-making skills with the accuracy and practical thinking gained through my earlier career in engineering.

Each piece is designed to be useful, well made and enjoyable to live with.

From Engineering to Furniture Making

Before becoming a furniture maker, I worked as a design engineer in Belfast.

Although engineering and furniture making may appear very different, both require careful planning, problem-solving and attention to detail. That experience continues to influence the way I design and construct my work today.

I later returned to a long-standing interest in making and trained in furniture design and manufacture in Lurgan. Since then, I have spent more than twenty years developing my skills and making furniture and wooden pieces for private clients.

Traditional Skills and Modern Accuracy

My work is rooted in traditional cabinetmaking and furniture-making methods.

I use carefully fitted joints, selected timbers and finishes that allow the natural character of the wood to remain visible. Where appropriate, I also use modern equipment, including CNC machinery and laser engraving, to achieve accuracy or create details that would otherwise be difficult to produce.

The tools may vary from one project to another, but the aim remains the same: to make each piece carefully and to a high standard.

Made in my County Antrim Workshop

All my work is designed and made in my workshop on the family farm near Broughshane.

Working from one workshop allows me to remain closely involved throughout the process. I can select the timber, develop the design, make the piece and apply the final finish myself.

Projects range from individual pieces of bespoke furniture to keepsake boxes, presentation boxes, clocks, mirrors and other smaller items.

Local Timber, Milled and Dried on the Farm

Where suitable timber is available, I enjoy using wood grown in Northern Ireland, including trees from the family farm.

These are often trees that have been blown down or have become unsafe and need to be removed. I mill the logs into boards using my own sawmill. The boards are then air-dried before being placed in a dehumidifier kiln near the workshop.

This process takes time, but it allows me to understand the timber from the original tree through to the finished piece.

Not every project can be made from local wood, so I also use carefully selected timbers such as walnut, oak, ash, elm and sycamore.

Inspired by Materials and Practical Design

Wood is the main material in my work, but I also enjoy combining it with materials such as brass, leather, linen and metal.

The choice of material is guided by the purpose of the piece. A timber may be selected for its strength, grain or colour, while another material may be used to protect the contents of a box or provide a contrasting detail.

I prefer designs that are simple, practical and balanced. The materials should add character without preventing the piece from doing its job well.

Beauty, The Workshop Dog

My regular workshop companion is Beauty, my black Labrador.

She divides her time between supervising work and sleeping beside the wood-burning stove. During colder weather, the stove in the workshop and the one in the kitchen are equally popular.

Commissioning a Piece

Many of the pieces I make begin with a conversation.

You may already have a clear design in mind, or simply know the type of furniture, box or gift you would like. I can help develop the idea, suggest suitable timbers and explain the options available.