In this podcast episode Sean talks to Iranian craftsman Abdollah Nafisi. Abdollah specialises in making one-off commissions, that fuse both modern and heritage craftsmanship, from his studio in Sussex.

With spontaneity, playfulness and improvisation at the core of his work.  Letting go and having no fear as a maker is one of the things that excites Abdollah - pushing boundaries while also exploring and maintaining the tradition of the craft.


More about Abdollah Nafisi

The son of an architect and inventor, creating has always been in Abdollah’s blood.

He spent years living and travelling with the nomad tribes of his native Iran. Inspired by the spontaneity of the tribes’ handmade rugs and kilims, Abdollah decided to pursue a career in woodwork, designing and creating bespoke furniture to sit upon the beautiful handwoven rugs.

He arrived in the UK and set about building a portfolio. He eventually set up a studio in Horsham, West Sussex, with his wife Kate, where they specialise in luxury, bespoke art furniture and sculpture.

How to listen

Get the latest episodes from Out of the Woodwork straight to your phone. Out of the Woodwork can be found on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts , Amazon Music. Simply search ‘Out of the Woodwork’ and hit follow or subscribe. For more places to listen and subscribe, go to our podcast website for more listening platforms.

You can read about our guests each week on our dedicated podcast page right here on The Knowledge and watch our podcast interviews on YouTube, simply subscribe to our YouTube channel to find the latest episodes and keep up to date on new video releases.


Get in touch

We would love to hear from you. If you love our new podcast, join the conversation online on our social media page. Search @Axminstertools on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and say hello!