I started Daniel Charles Studio in 2016 because I wanted to make things with my hands. After ten years in corporate IT consulting, I knew I needed work that actually meant something to me — and furniture was where I was heading. Design, building, function, craft — it all clicked.

I'm not going to pretend I don't get carried away with the details, because I do. Every piece that leaves the workshop has to meet my own standard first. What that means for you is clear communication, honest timelines, quality craftsmanship, and a simple rule I stick to — if I say I'm going to do something, I do it. I'd rather under-promise and over-deliver every time.

Everything I know has been self-taught — countless hours of learning, trial and error, watching, practising, and just making things until they're right. That process never really stops, and honestly I don't want it to.

The studio started in a rented double garage — then another one — until we bought our place in Seaford and I built a dedicated workshop from scratch. It's only 50 square metres, but it's mine and it's enough. My wife Stef keeps the books in order, and my two daughters are usually somewhere nearby, poking their heads in to see what's happening.

This is a small operation and that's exactly how I want it. Full attention, every job.