Colin Harris describes his work as simple. Understandable, when you consider that it adheres to fundamental design principles, is uncomplicated in form and is devoid of unnecessary ornamentation. But simple can also be defined as easily done and it’s here that the definition seems wide of the mark – his work is also considered, thoroughly resolved and carefully handcrafted. Growing up in a creative environment (his father was professor of computer engineering at Trinity College, while he was introduced to furniture making by his grandfather), he completed a degree in computer engineering at Trinity. However, a desire to work with wood remained with him and he went on to study at Parnham College in Dorset, which was established by John Makepeace in 1977 as the School for Craftsmen in Wood. ‘My godparents gave me a book about John Makepeace and I just fell in love with it,’ Harris says.