An exhibition of drawings and furniture by Aled Lewis is on dispay at MOMA Machynlleth until 4 September.

It gives insight into the process of designing and developing ideas into pieces of fine furniture.

Aled reveals ideas and drawings alongside the finished work to give a glimpse into the creative process.

He has been designing and making furniture for over 40 years.

Aled grew up on his family’s farm in Machynlleth and studied furniture making at Rycotewood College in Oxford.

After graduating, he started his career restoring antique furniture.

Later, he worked for furniture makers and designers, including Archie Shine and Robert Heritage. He worked in the United States and South Africa, then returned to the UK. For the next 18 years he ran a busy workshop employing a small team of craftsmen, designing and making high quality furniture for private, corporate and academic institutions.

In 2001, Aled established a business in Oxford focusing on his own designs and exploring new ideas. This attracted clients willing to trust his skills and expertise to build quality pieces of furniture, whether one-of-a-kind or limited-batch productions.

Four years later, Aled was approached by the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine, USA to join the faculty as a visiting instructor for the Nine-month Comprehensive Program. In 2009, Aled became the program’s lead instructor.

Over the following decade, Aled and a team of skilled co-instructors directed a world-class program for aspiring furniture makers. The high standard of student work has become the benchmark by which others are judged.

Aled is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, exhibits in London and New York, and his furniture is in private collections in both the UK and USA.