Welcome to John P Johnston Furniture

I’m John and I’m a furniture designer maker based in East Lothian, Scotland.

After a 15-year career in arable farming, I decided to leave and take a different path. At that point I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do, but my passion for individuality, entrepreneurship, creativity and DIY, especially timber elements, opened my eyes to the world of furniture making.

I left my home town to study an NC in Furniture Construction in Glasgow, which allowed me to study further the intricacies of designing and creating furniture. I studied for three years at Buckinghamshire Chiltern University College, obtaining a BA Furniture Design and Craftsmanship (Hons).

In October 2002, I established John P Johnston Furniture, originally under a collective organisation in the Scottish Borders. I spent a short time in the Chilterns, offering my expertise and guidance in setting up a similar collective, before returning home to East Lothian in 2005, where I established my workshop in Dunbar.

Over the many years I’ve been in business, I have helped hundreds of clients, may they be individual clients with highly personal commissions, or collaborations with architectural firms, construction companies or interior designers. I have worked with a wide variety of woods and handcrafted many different types of furniture, from hardwood staircases to kitchens to stand-alone furniture!

I have received various awards for my work over the years, such as being awarded the winner of CraftEx in 1999. In 2006 I was honoured to be elected to the Membership of The Society of Designer-Craftmen, and I served as the Chairman of the Scottish Furniture Making Association from 2010-12, after years of involvement.

I take inspiration from many outlets, from the Arts and Crafts movement, the timber itself and the philosophies of artists and makers who specialise in timber.

What my clients say…

John is a master craftsman. You can tell he just loves working with wood, and can turn his hand to making anything …

Isobel Knox

My family and I have commissioned a few pieces of furniture from John in the last few years, and his passion and attention to detail really shines through in his work…

Alex Paterson

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Recent commissions


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Ways to get in touch

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Address: Hedderwickhill Farm Cottage,
                 Dunbar,
                 EH42 1XF
                 Scotland