Meet the Staff

BA (Hons) Architecture

Upon finishing his A levels Ben went to work for Caterpillar Building Construction Products in Leicester on a year's placement where, as a Manufacturing Engineer, he was responsible for designing and prototyping tooling and jigs for use on the production lines. Ben then went on to study Architecture at the University of Plymouth, graduating in 2011, with particular interests in vernacular architecture, materiality and the use of emergent design systems.

Whilst studying, Ben also took part in several student workshops and led a design and build project in which a team of students created outdoor showering facilities from locally grown bamboo and reclaimed wood.

After graduating Ben spent several months working and travelling in Europe, first building yurts and a round-wood timber framed roundhouse for use as holiday accommodation in the Dordogne, and then on a large scale restoration project turning an old stone farmhouse into accommodation and teaching spaces for an arts retreat in Italy.

Ben's interests include cycling, photography and greenwood carpentry and he has recently completed a willow weaving course, learning to make hurdles and salmon traps.

Pete studied Furniture and Product Design at Nottingham Trent University before moving to Devon to study and work alongside some of the UK's best bespoke furniture makers. Whilst in Devon, Pete learnt the intricacies of furniture making, from the raw timber to the finished piece, all created by hand. 

After running a small bespoke furniture business for a while, hand-making pieces for clients, Pete went on to help out local art and design galleries with installations. Pete utilised CNC technology and married it with hand-finishing methods to produce elegant solutions for his clients' needs, some of which Pete took to Designjunction in 2015 to exhibit and sell. 

Now at deVOL, Pete's love for designing and making with real wood is coupled with his love for one-on-one client-based customer service. Pete enjoys getting to know the customer to fully understand what each individual project needs. 

Out of hours, Pete loves to play the drums and has been lucky enough to tour around the world playing shows with friends and some more well-known artists. This has provided him with amazing opportunities to live in New York and Los Angeles and see many other countries, which have inspired his creativity and passion for design. 

CHE Furniture Design

Josh joined deVOL in 2017 as a Production Assistant after graduating from Sheffield Hallam where he received a CHE in Furniture Design.

After completing his degree, Josh went on to work in the design and manufacture of student accommodation. In this role he was administering projects in the UK and Ireland, producing cost plans, manufacturing orders and designing bespoke pieces which required attending site for meetings and fitting progress reports. He also took part in a couple of short courses in Architectural Modelling and CAD at Nottingham Trent University.

During his spare time Josh enjoys restoring classic cars, is currently working on a few wood and metal projects, and enjoys going clay pigeon shooting.

BA (Hons) Furniture: Contemporary Design

Sam graduated from Bucks New University in 2014 where he had studied Furniture: Contemporary Design. Sam has always had passions for woodworking and technology so during his time at University he particularly enjoyed experimenting with CAD software and CNC machines as well as developing skills in fine cabinet making. He has since showcased ranges of furniture at both the New Designers exhibition and the May Design Series.

Based in our office at Cotes Mill Sam works as part of the production team creating both CNC programs and technical drawings for the workshop to make our designs into reality. During his time at deVOL Sam has used his extensive material knowledge to get involved in the manufacture of all kitchen ranges and furniture.

Outside of furniture & woodwork Sam enjoys getting into a project and getting his hands dirty especially if there is an engine involved. He has a passion for old vehicles and motorcycles and frequently attends events all over the country with like-minded individuals.

After spending three seasons working as a ski technician in Les Deux Alpes and running his own catering business in the Isle of Man, Tom joined deVOL in August 2005 to assist with the development of deVOL's new offices. Tom is such a warm and supportive character and after a few years of training and making furniture at deVOL he became the natural choice for new apprentices to turn to for help.

Tom was promoted to Assistant Workshop Manager in 2008 and then to Workshop Manager when deVOL opened it's second workshop.

Tom is a keen snowboarder, blues guitarist and vocalist. Since joining deVOL Tom has become a proud father of two lovely daughters.

Ryan has ten years of experience in the woodworking and manufacturing industry and is a very highly motivated member of our team who is always pushing himself and the workshop he manages. Ryan has an exceptionally broad range of skills that equip him to tackle any job and he is instrumental in the continuing development of deVOL’s Real Shaker range of furniture.

In his spare time, Ryan enjoys playing rugby and is a talented golfer with an impressive handicap.

Ryan has just completed the renovation of his house and is now undertaking the construction of an extension, of which he will carry out a large portion of the work. There seems to be nothing that Ryan will not take on and excel at.

Gavin joined deVOL in 2015 following a long career in retail. As a trained Guitar Luthier, Gavin has considerable knowledge of woodworking and this, combined with his exemplary work ethic, saw him promoted to head of the Fascias Department in 2017. Gavin’s role now involves overseeing the ordering of timber and all processes leading up to our beautiful kitchen furniture heading off to be painted. Outside of deVOL, Gavin is a keen cinephile, collecting original movie posters and memorabilia. On the weekends you can find him visiting film conventions or travelling to locations from his favourite scenes, to document 'then & now' comparisons for his Instagram page.

Gemma completed a National Diploma in Healthcare at Stephensons College in Leicestershire, before pursuing her passion for food and working as a chef for four years. Gemma loves everything to do with food, from cooking to baking to eating out, and always picks her holiday destinations based on the cuisine! 

After a slight career change, Gemma joined deVOL to help hand-paint all of our beautiful furniture and quickly proved herself to be an extremely skilled and hard-working member of the team, now working as deVOL’s Workshop Manager.

Gemma will always have a love for hand-painting and still gets to use her skills from time to time, going on site to customers’ homes to complete any painting remedial work, from a full repaint to the last little finishing touches.  

When she’s not in the spray shop, Gemma has also been polishing and ageing all of deVOL’s gorgeous mottled copper worktops. Her wide skill set and amazing work ethic make Gemma a highly valued member of the deVOL team. 

In her spare time, Gemma loves to read, particularly Shakespeare and books based on true historical events, such as the Second World War. She also loves spending time with her husband and dog after a long day at work! 

Justin has always had a keen interest in DIY after spending lots of time learning from and working with his father, who shares his love for carpentry. After leaving college he spent 9 years working and gaining experience within the family business, making UPVC windows, doors and conservatories.

In 2014 Justin joined deVOL as a bench joiner and after showing great skill and utter determination to create furniture of the absolute best quality, he was given the position of Assistant Workshop Manager.

Justin continued to show his skill and great attention to detail and was promoted to Workshop Manager in early 2016. Now in charge of our Real Shaker Kitchen production, Justin ensures every single kitchen that leaves our Loughborough workshop is made on time and to deVOL’s impossibly high standards.

A year and a half ago Justin took on the challenge of buying his first home and renovating it single-handedly from top to bottom; a very testing and demanding project, but so worth it in the end. Justin loves getting stuck into these types of projects and is always thinking of what he can put his hand to next.

In his late teens Justin played semi professional football and although he’s no longer playing, he still enjoys keeping fit by running, regularly going to the gym and walking his dog. Travelling is another of Justin’s passions; he’s been on trips to Asia and America and also loves visiting the Lake District for a piece of the good old English countryside!

Kyle joined deVOL as a Finishing Shop Assistant in 2015. Before joining the team in our Loughborough workshop, he previously worked two jobs as a Decorative Glass Manufacturer and at Aldi as a Night Stock Assistant. The decorative glass company also owned a mechanical rodeo bull and surf simulator business, which Kyle assisted with during quieter periods and thoroughly enjoyed.

Whilst working for these companies, Kyle took real pride in his jobs which required lots of attention to detail. An interest for DIY and wood working projects lead Kyle to join deVOL. Remaining enthusiastic at work allows Kyle to do the best possible job and ensure every piece of furniture is finished to deVOL's very high standards. Kyle's dedication and passion for work made him a great addition to our team and lead him to become a Workshop Manager. 

In his spare time, Kyle enjoys playing the guitar and going for long country walks and is currently learning to snowboard too. Having recently become a father, Kyle is enjoying family life and he amazing experiences this brings. 

BA (Hons) Business Studies

After working as a hair stylist in London's West End for 15 years, Henry decided to retire his scissors and join the deVOL team as a joiner in 2020. Now the Assistant Manager of our Sebastian Cox department, Henry can be found crafting freestanding furniture and wall cupboards and using his keen eye for detail to make sure every single item is completed to deVOL’s exacting requirements.

Outside of work, Henry loves to ski and swim outdoors and in 2017 he raised £20k for charity, swimming for 14 hours attempting to cross the English Channel. Ever the joiner, Henry spends his free time repairing bats for his local cricket team, which he also plays for, and hopes to make one of his own soon!

Reece joined deVOL in 2016 after completing his Level 1 Bench Joinery and Level 2 Site Carpentry Diploma at Leicester College.

Having worked across many areas of deVOL, starting as a fascia maker, Reece was instrumental in helping to create a highly productive door-making department. Since then, Reece has become one of our workshop managers, running both door manufacturing and the machine shop and helping to ensure every single part of every single cupboard is made to the incredibly high requirements that we demand at deVOL.

Outside of work, Reece is a father to two amazing little boys, Wilfred and Otto, and in his spare time he enjoys going to the pub with friends, gigs and gaming. Reece also loves to travel and some of his favourite destinations have included New York, Thailand, Vietnam and Bali but the bucket list is ever-growing!

BA (Hons) Sports Management

Duncan joined deVOL in 2019 as a bench joiner and quickly worked his way up to become the manager of our fascia department. Day-to-day, Duncan oversees the smooth running of the workshop making our Shaker and Classic English fascias. A real deVOL expert, Duncan is always on hand to assist our other workshop departments and ensure that every piece of cabinetry is made to our incredibly high standards.

Before joining deVOL, Duncan studied Sports Management at Bournemouth University, and even spent a year coaching soccer in Boston, USA. In his free time, you can find Duncan enjoying various sports, as well as walking his two dogs.

BA (Hons) Fine Art & MA Fine Art & Design Studio Practices

Lewis joined deVOL in 2012 after receiving his BA Hons in Fine Art and an MA in Fine Art & Design Studio Practices. Still a part-time artist, Lewis has used his artworks to raise money for children’s charities since graduating in 2010 and has even displayed his pieces at Mansion House in London for the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress.

Here at deVOL, Lewis manages the hard-working team responsible for making our Classic English kitchens. Lewis particularly enjoys focussing on ways to make the range more efficient without sacrificing the integral high quality of each piece of furniture.

In his free time, Lewis is a bit of a foodie and a big traveller. Catch him free diving in Thailand or climbing a volcano in Guatemala or just chilling on a beach.

BA (Hons) Photography and Video

Having achieved a BA Hons in Photography and Video at De Montfort University, James spent the next few years working and travelling across Finland, France and Cornwall. Spurred on by the enjoyment he got from renovating his first house, James decided to make a career change in 2017, and joined deVOL as a Bench Joiner.

James started out in our Shaker department, honing his skills building our freestanding furniture. Nowadays, James manages the incredibly talented team who construct deVOL's Haberdasher’s Kitchen, our most technical range of cabinetry.

In his spare time, James enjoys being in the outdoors, mountain biking, walking his two dogs, and spending time with his son.

Adrian came to the UK in 1999 after several years living and working across the US, Hong Kong and Macau, gaining experience in lots of different roles. Having already spent some time working in kitchen design, Adrian joined the deVOL team in 2018.

Starting as a Dispatch Assistant, Adrian became our Workshop Dispatch Manager in 2021. Adrian coordinates with many different deVOL departments to make sure that all our UK and international deliveries run smoothly so customers can get their beautiful new kitchens without any delays.

In his spare time, Adrian enjoys reading history and spending time with his family. He also finds time to play rugby at Loughborough RFC and enjoys watching his daughters play too.

Neil has been passionate about woodwork and has wanted to pursue this career since he was a teenager, completing an NVQ Level 3 in carpentry before joining the deVOL team in 2015.

Having worked in both our Despatch and Shaker Assembly departments over the past 8 years, Neil is a real expert in all aspects of deVOL furniture, and was promoted to Assistant Manager of our Shaker workshop in 2022. This role requires Neil to make sure that every single Shaker cupboard is made and finished to the incredibly high standard that we require of all our designs.

Outside of work, Neil enjoys spending his weekends walking his Red Fox Labrador, Ruben, or jetting off on holiday to ski or explore Caribbean islands.

Dale joined deVOL in 2018 as a Trainee Bench Joiner working on the Shaker range, with his main role being to assemble the final cabinets ready to be sent out to our lovely customers' homes.

Having mastered our Shaker furniture, Dale moved to our Classic English department, where he perfected hand finishing and assembling deVOL's bespoke kitchens. Before long, Dale was promoted to Assistant Workshop Manager, helping to ensure the smooth running of this busy department.

In his free time, Dale enjoys cooking, especially barbecuing, seeking out new recipes and even creating a few of his own! When he’s not cooking up a storm, Dale is busy with his family, heading out on his bike or going for walks.