From emerging talent to industry: how the New Furniture Makers Exhibition helps launch careers

For an emerging designer or maker, creating outstanding work is only part of the challenge. The next step is getting it in front of the people who can help turn talent into a career.

That is where the New Furniture Makers Exhibition, sponsored by Staples & Co in 2026, plays an important role.

Organised by The Furniture Makers’ Company, the exhibition brings together some of the most exciting emerging furniture and furnishing talent with manufacturers, retailers, designers, specifiers and other professionals from across the industry.

For exhibitors, it is much more than an opportunity to display their work. It is a chance to make connections, gain recognition, build confidence and take an important step into the professional furniture industry.

Connecting talent with industry

Making the transition from education into employment or professional practice can be difficult. Graduates may leave university or college with strong creative and technical skills but relatively few industry connections.

The New Furniture Makers Exhibition helps bridge that gap by putting emerging talent directly in front of the trade.

And sometimes, one conversation really can change the direction of a career.

When Michiel Vrenegoor exhibited at the New Furniture Makers Exhibition in 2024, representatives from Heal’s spotted his Fisher Desk and approached him about the possibility of putting it into production.

“I didn’t think too much of it at the time. I assumed it probably wouldn’t lead to anything,” Michiel recalls.

But it did. Following further discussions, Michiel signed an agreement with Heal’s and the Fisher Desk went into production, with Michiel receiving a royalty on each desk sold.

“It has been a fantastic experience and, for me, it directly led to an opportunity that I could never have expected when I first exhibited.”

Today, Michiel combines running his own bespoke furniture company, Fidra Furniture, with tutoring at the Chippendale International School of Furniture.

Building confidence as well as connections

The impact of exhibiting is not always about securing an immediate commercial opportunity.

For Stanley Mackintosh, who exhibited his Wrapped Grain Walnut Tambour Record Cabinet in 2024 while completing his apprenticeship, the New Furniture Makers Exhibition provided the chance to explore a more creative side of furniture making.

“Having only worked in a manufacturing capacity since the beginning of my apprenticeship, exhibiting was an amazing opportunity to explore the design side of the industry and create a piece that showcased the skills I had developed.”

Stanley says presenting his work and speaking with others from across the industry also helped build his confidence to continue challenging himself as a maker.

Since exhibiting, he has completed his apprenticeship with a distinction, won the SkillBuild National Finals for cabinet making and represented WorldSkills Team UK in international competition. He is now preparing for WorldSkills 2026 in China.

Recognition that opens doors

The New Furniture Makers Exhibition also gives outstanding work the opportunity to be recognised through the New Furniture Makers Awards.

Receiving industry recognition at an early stage can provide an important endorsement of a designer or maker’s abilities and something valuable to take into job applications, interviews and future commissions.

But winning an award is only part of the opportunity. Simply being selected to exhibit gives emerging makers a professional platform on which to present their work, receive feedback and establish relationships with people already working within the sector.

Investing in the industry’s future

The benefits extend beyond individual exhibitors.

The furniture and furnishing sector needs a continuing pipeline of talented, skilled and ambitious people. Connecting businesses with emerging designers and makers is therefore an investment in the industry’s future.

For manufacturers, retailers and design businesses, the New Furniture Makers Exhibition is an opportunity to meet potential employees and collaborators while discovering fresh thinking around materials, sustainability, manufacturing and the way furniture is designed and used.

Michiel and Stanley’s experiences demonstrate that there is no single route from the New Furniture Makers Exhibition into industry. One conversation can lead to a commercial partnership; the experience of exhibiting can give someone the confidence to push their skills further.

Creating those opportunities is at the heart of the New Furniture Makers Exhibition.

For the makers exhibiting, it is a chance to show the industry what they can do. For the furniture trade, it is an opportunity to meet the people who could help shape what comes next.

The New Furniture Makers Exhibition, sponsored by Staples & Co, takes place on Wednesday 4 November 2026 at Furniture Makers’ Hall and the Dutch Church in the City of London.