A FURNITURE designer who swapped the hustle and bustle of London for rural Lancashire is looking to take his business to the next level.

For eight years Paul Case, 34, was a city accountant, but found himself increasingly stressed and dissatisfied with his job.

Night classes in furniture making led him to make the change of career permanent and he allied it with a move back to his native Lancashire where he set up Paul Case Furniture.

Originally from Preston, he now lives in Pickup Bank with his wife, and runs his business out of a converted barn in the Ribble Valley village of Downham.

The former accountant takes commissions for hand-crafted wooden furniture and believes he made the right choice coming back to the north.

He said: "The career change came about because I was seeking a change in direction and it was a very big decision and a hard one to make.

"I started the business last May and I was fortunate that people in Downham had some space and liked what I was doing.

"I had to do some work on the barn, but with the help of a £3,000 grant from the North West Development Agency I managed to get it done and buy the machinery I needed to make the furniture.

"I'm selling to a lot of private investors and I'm aiming at the quality end of the market.

"A lot of the people I sell to have an appreciation of fine objects. I'm still finding my feet but it's going well and I'm now looking to keep this going."

The next step for Paul is to get his furniture out to a wider audience, not an easy task for someone running a business on their own.

He has his first stand booked at the Design Weekend at Tatton Park, Cheshire, next May, and is hoping that can boost the number of pieces he is selling.

"One piece can take from two weeks to three months to make and I'm selling about 12 of these a year.

"I've never had a gap in the order book but hopefully I can start doing more smaller items as well," he added.