Dominic Chinea Wife, Parents’ Nationality and Cornish Workshop

Introduction

Dominic Chinea, known to most viewers simply as Dom, is the restoration and metalwork specialist who has been part of BBC One’s The Repair Shop since the programme began in 2017. Often described as a furniture and object restorer, his real speciality is metal: he welds, shapes and rebuilds everything from rusted pedal cars and garden tools to signs and vintage machinery, bringing treasured family items back to life in the show’s famous barn.

His television profile has grown steadily. He hosted the BBC One crafts business series Make It at Market, has written books on the history of tools and machines, runs a YouTube channel devoted to traditional workshop skills, and in 2025 made a life-changing move from rural Kent to far west Cornwall with his wife, Maria. That move became the subject of his own series, Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop.

This profile covers what is publicly known about Dominic Chinea: his background, his career, his wife and wedding, where he lives now, his age and parents, and his latest projects. Several details that fans search for, including his age and his parents’ nationality, have never been confirmed by him or by any reliable source, and we make that clear where it applies.

Contents

Dominic Chinea Quick Bio

Who Is Dominic Chinea?

Dominic Chinea is a craftsman whose skills cover metalwork, car restoration, sign painting, prop making and set design. Goodwood, which has featured him at its Revival festival, describes him as someone who can renovate “anything with wheels”, and as a passionate advocate of heritage craftsmanship and sustainable repair.

On screen he is known for his calm, unhurried manner and his obvious delight when an object is returned to working order. Off screen he is a self-confessed “car nut” who enjoys classic vehicles and spends his spare time in the workshop.

Early Life and Education

Very little about Dom’s childhood has been made public. He has said in interviews that he “wasn’t very good at school” and that he would have loved to have gone on an apprenticeship, which helps explain why he is so keen to encourage young people into practical trades today.

He went on to study graphic design at college in the south-east of England. HELLO! has named the college in different reports, so we have kept the description general. That design training led him first into graphic work and then into set and production design.

Dominic Chinea Age

Dominic Chinea’s age is not publicly confirmed. He has not given his date of birth in any interview we could find, and broadcasters such as the BBC and UKTV do not list it. Some biography websites publish exact birthdays, but none of them cite a source, so we have not repeated them. Based on his career history, which includes around a decade working in London before he joined The Repair Shop in 2017, he is an adult professional in mid-career, but any precise figure would be a guess.

Dominic Chinea Parents and Nationality

Searches for “Dominic Chinea parents nationality” are common, partly because his surname is unusual in Britain. The name Chinea is found in Spain, Italy and Latin America, which has led to plenty of speculation online. However, Dom has not publicly discussed his heritage or his parents’ nationality, and no reliable source confirms it. We therefore list his parents’ nationality as not publicly confirmed.

What he has shared is a glimpse of his family’s love of classic cars. Goodwood reported that among his long-running projects is the restoration of his mother’s 1955 Volkswagen Oval, alongside a Porsche 356A. His parents’ names and backgrounds have not been made public.

Career Before The Repair Shop

Before television, Dom built a career as a production designer. HELLO! reports that he worked at Rankin Studios, the creative company of photographer Rankin, building props and backdrops for editorial shoots and large events. Goodwood lists Rankin and Hunger Magazine among his past clients. He has spoken of running set design work from a London workshop, where he lived for around ten years.

Alongside design work he developed his skills in car restoration and metalwork, and he became an experienced salvage hunter, sourcing old materials and objects for reuse.

The Repair Shop

Dom has been part of The Repair Shop since its first series in 2017. Speaking at the NEC Restoration Show, he explained that he was originally brought in to design a sign for the programme, was then asked to help with metalwork, and ended up on camera despite not initially wanting to appear.

He has since become one of the show’s core experts. His work usually involves metal items, from tin toys and bicycles to tools, lamps and machinery. He has said his all-time favourite piece was a pedal car he restored for a family, and that the barn is “a unique place” because so many skilled people work side by side. The programme is filmed at the Weald and Downland Living Museum near Chichester in West Sussex, and he has continued to appear on The Repair Shop and its spin-off The Repair Shop on the Road since moving to Cornwall.

Make It at Market and Other TV

In 2023 Dom fronted Make It at Market on BBC One, a series that helps makers turn a craft hobby into a business by preparing them to sell at a market. The second series, produced by Flabbergast, was filmed at Waterperry Gardens in Oxfordshire with 30 makers taking part, and Dom returned as host leading a team of business and craft experts.

He has also appeared at events including Goodwood Revival, where he has run craft demonstrations such as pyrography, pottery and gold leafing, and he has given talks at the NEC Restoration Show.

Dominic Chinea Cornish Workshop

The biggest change in Dom’s recent career is Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop, a five-part, hour-long series made by Beagle Media for UKTV. It aired on U&Yesterday and the free streaming service U in March and April 2026.

The series follows Dom, his wife Maria and their dog Wendy as they leave Kent for far west Cornwall, where they buy a rundown stone farmhouse, a two-acre field and a large agricultural barn. Dom converts the barn into his workshop and takes on automotive, engineering and building jobs for neighbours and the local community. Projects include restoring an old four-wheel drive, helping a local church with its bells and building an ice cream vehicle for a neighbour, with engineer Sam Lovegrove assisting. In the final episode Dom and Sam travel to St Agnes to buy Cornish tin for a workshop sign.

UKTV described the move as “a life-changing move from Kent to Cornwall”. Dom said he was “so excited by the projects we’ve got going on”, while admitting the pressure to make the workshop weatherproof before the autumn storms arrived.

Dominic Chinea Cornwall: Where Does He Live?

So where does Dominic Chinea live now? He lives in far west Cornwall, in an old stone farmhouse with a converted former dairy barn as his workshop. He first confirmed the move on Instagram in April 2025, posting a photograph of a chicken inside the derelict barn. The exact location of his home has not been made public, and we have not attempted to identify it.

Before Cornwall, Dom and Maria lived in a former post office in rural Kent, a red-brick house with a large garden and greenhouse that featured in HELLO!’s home features. Dom told The Telegraph that Kent was “amazing in many ways”, and he has said he fell in love with Cornwall on holidays there.

The first winter was not easy. Dom described the year of moving his home, tools, machinery and project cars as “brutal”. Storms named Goretti and Chandra tore chunks off the workshop roof in January, leaving machinery and cars, including his Porsche 356 and a VW Caddy, exposed until he made emergency repairs. He has also said the farmhouse Aga, its only source of hot water, kept breaking. Asked whether he regretted the move, he replied “Not yet!”, adding that people say you will be fine if you survive your first winter.

Dominic Chinea Wife

Dominic Chinea’s wife is Maria Domican, who works as a television producer. She generally stays out of the spotlight and is described by HELLO! as “rarely seen”, although she appears alongside Dom in Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop. Beyond her profession, few details about her have been made public.

Dominic Chinea Wedding

Dom and Maria married in 2017, the same year The Repair Shop first aired. The couple have not shared details of their wedding venue or ceremony publicly, and no official photographs have been published by major outlets. Dom keeps his personal life largely private, sharing only occasional glimpses on Instagram.

Children and Family

No children have been publicly confirmed for Dom and Maria. The family member fans see most often is Wendy, their Spanish Water Dog, who regularly appears on Dom’s Instagram and in the Cornish series.

Books and YouTube

Dom is the author of three books published by DK: Tools: A Visual History, Machines: A Visual History and Tools: A History. The books explore the hardware that built, measured and repaired the world, and they reflect his fascination with how objects are made.

He also runs a YouTube channel documenting restoration projects and workshop life, with the aim of encouraging viewers to take up traditional crafts. Among his long-term projects are a Series I Land Rover rescued from a front garden where it had sat for about 25 years, and replica English wheel metal-shaping machines based on historic Ranalah designs.

Dominic Chinea Wikipedia

Many fans search for a “Dominic Chinea Wikipedia” page. At the time of writing, he does not have a dedicated English Wikipedia article, which is one reason details such as his age and parents are so often misreported elsewhere. The most reliable public information comes from the BBC, UKTV, his publisher and in-depth interviews with HELLO!, Goodwood and the NEC Restoration Show, which form the basis of this profile.

Dominic Chinea Net Worth

Dominic Chinea’s net worth is not publicly confirmed. His income is likely to come from television, books, events, his YouTube channel and his restoration business, but he has not discussed his earnings, and no reliable source has published a figure. Numbers circulating on biography websites are not supported by any evidence, so we have not repeated them.

Dominic Chinea New Show

Dom’s most recent new show is Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop, which completed its first five-episode run in spring. No second series has been officially announced at the time of writing. He continues to appear on The Repair Shop, and in early 2026 he asked viewers to apply with festive items needing repair, suggesting more Repair Shop episodes are in the pipeline. Fans can follow his Cornish projects on YouTube and Instagram, where he posts as @DominicChinea.

Conclusion

Dominic Chinea has become one of the most recognisable faces of The Repair Shop by doing what he loves most: patiently bringing metal objects and machines back to life. His route there, from graphic design and prop making at Rankin Studios to a place in the BBC’s most heart-warming barn, shows how practical skills and creative training can come together.

His personal life has shifted dramatically in recent years. With his wife, producer Maria Domican, whom he married in 2017, he has left Kent for a farmhouse in far west Cornwall, a journey viewers followed in Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop. Storms, a temperamental Aga and a huge barn conversion have not dented his enthusiasm.

Some questions about Dom, including his age, his parents and their nationality, remain unanswered because he has chosen not to share them. What is clear is that his workshop in Cornwall, his books and his work on The Repair Shop will keep him busy for a long time to come.

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FAQs

1. Who is Dominic Chinea’s wife?

Dominic Chinea is married to Maria Domican, a television producer. The couple married in 2017 and keep their private life largely out of the public eye, although Maria appears with Dom in Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop.

2. What is Dominic Chinea’s parents’ nationality?

His parents’ nationality is not publicly confirmed. His surname is found in Spain, Italy and Latin America, but Dom has not discussed his heritage publicly and no reliable source confirms it.

3. How old is Dominic Chinea?

Dominic Chinea’s age and date of birth are not publicly confirmed. He has not shared them in interviews, and figures on biography websites are unsourced.

4. Where does Dominic Chinea live?

He lives in far west Cornwall, in an old stone farmhouse with a converted barn workshop. He moved there from rural Kent in 2025.

5. What is Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop?

It is a five-part UKTV series on U&Yesterday and U that follows Dom, Maria and their dog Wendy as they move to Cornwall, convert a barn into a workshop and take on projects for the local community.

6. Is Dominic Chinea still on The Repair Shop?

Yes. Dom has appeared on The Repair Shop since it began in 2017 and has continued to film the programme near Chichester after moving to Cornwall.