Warren Hayes

MEET THE MAKER

FROM: Kildare

PROFESSION: Furniture Maker

Coolree Design is owned and operated by Warren Hayes, an internationally trained furniture maker, with a passion for contemporary design. After completing his studies in the renowned Letterfrack Furniture College, Warren took up residence with James Verner Furniture and began his time learn- ing and honing his furniture making skills. Three years on, Warren got the opportunity to work for one of the most prominent cabinet makers in Australia, Designcraft Furniture. He then became head maker for the highly respected Australian furniture designer, Jon Goulder. Managing his team of makers, Warren also worked directly with Jon in the design of both his bespoke and production fur- niture. Having developed his craft creating bespoke pieces for clients in Ireland, England, Australia and New Zealand, Warren decided to return to his home county to embark on a new chapter in his career. He set up Coolree Design in 2018, which produces both bespoke items and batch produced furniture. The focus of each piece being on simplicity and beauty. The aesthetic of Coolree Design is a combination of the modern and the traditional. Warren’s experience of working with some of the top furniture designers globally means that he has developed a strong sense of design and a critical approach to his work – developing a brief, tweaking the design, reviewing and refining the products until satisfied with the end result.

I have always had an interest in using technology to advance the craft. I believe that modern technologies can be used effectively in the small craft workshop, not to replace traditional hand skills, but to give the maker the freedom to develop new designs, which would not be commercially viable without this technology. I believe there is a great opportunity to combine traditional hand skills with modern techniques, to produce unique, innovative designs, which not would not be possible other- wise.

CRAFT SKILLS

Extensive experience in making bespoke and batch produced furniture.

Experience using and programming my CNC router

Some experience in 3D CAD software