Jan Hendzel is a self-taught furniture maker whose early career began at 15, initially as a pattern maker's apprentice. He progressed to spend several years making complex metal cast moulds for the automotive and aircraft industries, where he learned the precision required to create organic forms.

In 2008, Jan graduated from Central Saint Martins with a bachelor’s degree in Product Design. He began his design practice as Hendzel + Hunt in 2007, using Peckham, SE15 as a resource for upcycling reclaimed materials and making fine furniture, namely ‘Made in Peckham’ furniture collections and establishing the much-covered ’24-hour design challenge’.