Blog

Forest & Maker: Bespoke solutions for a post-pandemic world

4th June 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic may mean reimagining commercial spaces, but with our craft and expertise the possibilities are endless.

The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown up unprecedented challenges for businesses across the globe, as it fundamentally reshapes the way we work and play.

Restaurants, workplaces and hotels – to name but a few – are being abruptly forced to figure out how to adapt their spaces, so they can continue to welcome users in our post-pandemic world. And this means creating environments that are compliant with regulations, while enabling people to feel comfortable too. It’s certainly a tricky balance, and one which presents some unique conundrums.

But here at Forest & Maker, we are readily embracing these challenges. After all, made-to-measure timber products are our specialism, and at our Wiltshire workshop we know no limitations. For years, our bespoke furnishings have readily answered the most unique and complex design briefs, from feature tables to one-of-a-kind lighting installations. We simply don’t deal in standardised items and, for us, there is no ‘normal’.

Take for example one of our current projects, creating bespoke hand sanitiser stands for the new coworking space at The Hoxton, in Southwark. Spanning five floors, Working From_ is a striking, art-deco space that caters for some 700 workers, and we at Forest & Maker were proud to handcraft the bespoke desks.

Now, as workers slowly start to trickle back to those desks, their safety is of course the utmost priority for the business. And we’ve helped prove that hygiene and wellbeing don’t have to come at the cost of beauty.

Made from sustainably sourced, British grown ash and blackened steel, our sanitiser stands conform perfectly to the interior’s art-deco aesthetic. They’re discreet and, most importantly, fit seamlessly into the carefully-curated workspace, where they help clients feel at ease. Like all our products, they can be disinfected in line with government guidelines too.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg. As designers increasingly adapt their visions to accommodate our ‘new normal’, we at Forest & Maker are ready to step boldly into an uncertain future. In fact, we positively relish solving conundrums, through the art of making things bespoke. For us, that’s business as usual.