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We at workbench were due to start a series of breakfast chats with the A&D community about specifying veneer, laminate and glass for furniture. Whilst we look forward to inviting you all along to these in the future we thought we would share a few sound bites over the next few days & weeks of what we try to keep in mind when specifying and selecting these materials.

We would like to let you know what we are doing regarding Covid-19 Our showroom remains open with a skeleton team present, for showroom visits by appointment only. In line with government advice from today most of our team are working from home to protect themselves and minimise the risk of any infection. The systems we have in place enable our team to work at near full capacity wherever they are over the next few weeks to ensure we provide you with the best service possible. Our UK workshops remain fully operational and we have put measures in place to ensure if one closes we can call upon our partners to deliver existing projects and take on new orders. These are uncertain and challenging times and we will be looking closely at the situation over the coming days to see if we need to take further action. We are all in this together and we will offer our support to our clients and suppliers alike over the coming weeks. Thank you for your continued support and business.

We launched our standard furniture range last year consisting of over ten designs, all of our standard ranges have their roots in the bespoke projects we have worked on over the last 10 years. The whole Workbench team have influenced the final design detail looking at the best way to source materials, fabricate, finish and deliver. Whilst we love a standard product we also love the creative design process of getting to one. Estee Lauder with MCM Architecture is a perfect example and has resulted with our Astar table and Whitchurch trestle table about to join our standard range of furniture. If you would like our specification guide then let us know! www.workbenchltd.co.uk

Bold colours will to continue to rise in popularity during 2020. The new Fenix laminate colour way is focused on primary colours, they have been accurate when predicting the direction of colour trends in the past so look out for bold and primary colours. The Pantone colour for 2020 is a primary colour this year and RAL go a little further with RAL Colour Feeling 2020+ have a look at the article https://www.ral-shop.com/product/ral-colour-feeling-2020 for a glimpse at what to expect. Geometric patterns An ongoing the theme from 2019. We are seeing this influence even in the layout of designers mood boards. Geometric patterns can provide a feature for an interior at low cost and often without the requirement for huge structural input, making it easy to change in the future. Influencers like Kvadrat with their Soft Cells http://soft-cells.com/ and Buzzi Space with Buzzie Blox https://www.buzzi.space/products/buzziblox have led the way. Co working influence. Co working is not a new concept but its influence is transforming permanent office spaces as well. We have seen hot desking and collaborative spaces appearing in even the ‘most traditional’  offices. We look forward to the new concepts and designs that the interior industry continues to develop for these spaces. 9 of the best Co working spaces according to Hubble. https://hubblehq.com/blog/the-coolest-co-working-spaces-in-london Biophilia this trend grew steadily through 2019 and is set to continue through 2020. There are now a wide variety of companies offering solutions and it does not have to be high maintanance, Innerspace Cheshire, amongst others, have creative products delivering the biophilia design with little or no further upkeep day 2. https://www.innerspacecheshire.co.uk/materials/mosswall/ Environmental responsibility. To describe this as a trend is to trivialise the enormous issues we are faced with over the coming decades. Climate change will be the single biggest topic addressed in 2020 and onwards. It requires us all to not just 'box tick’  the tender questionnaire but to go further and look at at our supply chains with closer scrutinty and work collectively to improve not only just how we manufacture but how we recycle the product our new designs replace. Certifications such as FSC and  ISO 14001 go a long way to addressing the problem however the UK manufacturing  landscape is made up of a large number of very small workshops and production facilities who tend not to pursue costly certification but actually operate a more sustainable production line than larger companies. It will be important for us to make sure these companies are not excluded from supply chains because they cant “tick the box “  as they provide a large proportion of the UK manufacturing capacity. There are a number of helpful websites as well as government backed help such as Envirowise to help advise. https://www.bpf.co.uk/bsn/tech_and_ops/Envirowise.aspx Natural materials, it sits hand in hand with the environmental issues we face so this trend will ‘naturally’ excuse the pun, be a strong influence in office spaces. Ratan, wicker, cane furniture are all on trend and will grow in popularity. Traditionally used for seating and screening these materials are being used to create unique features in interiors. https://www.trouva.com/products/market-set-natural-screen-caning-wall-lamp Legs! According to Elle decoration German and Italian influences are going to be very popular for furniture design in 2020. We have noticed this in the furniture we are detailing and in particular legs, there is a move away from the larger slab style credenza and storage solutions in meeting and boardrooms, it is being replaced with a much lighter design of storage.  This is partly due to smaller AV equipment, video conferencing services available from the likes of  Google and Skype means less need for large AV racks to be housed leaving room for lighter storage details. Check out one of our new designs Grooves https://www.instagram.com/p/B5AoTyqB68k/

We are sometimes considered a small company for the punch we pack, so when we were asked to host a work experience student for a week we thought quite carefully about it. How much of our time would this take up?  Who would mentor them? What exactly would we give them to do? How do we make sure they gain something meaningful from it? All these questions before we even looked at the safeguarding responsibility. The negatives seemed to outweigh the positives, however we decided to try it once and 'do our bit.' That was five years ago and we have hosted a work-experience student every year since. For us as a team it was like employing a management consultant to assess the business. Explaining the business function and everyones job roles to a complete outsider, one with little or no knowledge of the corporate world, highlighted so many observations and questions it was enlightening for us and has changed some of the business practice. One simple example, we asked the student to answer the phones for an afternoon, a skill we take for granted but if you have never done it before it can be intimidating.  After managing to cut a few people off and transfer several to the wrong place, they got the hang of it! At the end of the day one team member said, "it’s been great not to have to answer the phone, I have been really productive this afternoon." We all looked a bit quizzically at him,  “ I always answer the phone, no one else does.” he said. We reflected on this, he was right, no other team member answered the phone, we had slipped into this routine where the role fell to him alone and as a result he was being constantly disturbed. It prompted a swift change in our business practice which was identified because we had a work-experience student. If you are considering hosting a work-experience student we would whole heartily recommend it. It does take up some time and effort but in our experience you gain more than you give.

Often the function of the furniture we design and manufacture is so specific to the client it is unlikely that we will use on other projects. What we can reuse is all the learning. We worked along side our client to develop 27 rise/ fall lecterns with plug and play facility. Housing two screens, computer terminals, power, data, Crestron units, mics and the all important retractable cup holder, they were over 80kg each and easily moved to be used in over 40 locations throughout the building. Whilst it is unlikely we will be asked to recreate anything similar, our expanded knowledge of actuators, finishing, heat build up, plug & play, screen reflection, cable retraction, ventilation and metal deflection are all deposited in the knowledge bank for next time! Designed by us tailored by you.

Over the last few weeks we have been working with a client to develop a table range for a meeting suite that embraces the current influences of industrial style furnitur, whilst making the work surface unique and practical. As with most design briefs we try to begin with the most basic ideas around the key words used by the client, in this case 'industrial.' Cranes immediately sprung to mind and so we started there. And here is where we have ended up. BOOM!. Simple, cost effective and unique details for each client. Designed by us, tailored by you.

The designing of a product does not stop at the signed off drawing. If you want to be truly innovative it is about designing all the way through production. The importance of clients seeing product through the manufacturing process cannot be underestimated. It gives us as designers and clients as users the opportunity to consider and improve the design detail so what ends up on site is as considered as possible. Flexible manufacturing and an open minded workshop provide the keys! @JCLWorkbench @tpbennet

We are seeing a rising trend for eating spaces in the office footprint even if your office doesn't provide the actual food. Unsurprisingly eating spaces create relaxed environments for team members to socialise without any pressure. The benefits to well being far out weigh any argument about the square ft lost. Employees to get to know each other better, improving general communication, which in turn benefits the companies that provide them. We’ve come a long way from hanging out at the water cooler for a quick chat!

Back in February we discussed honest materials being a trend for 2018. The use of timber in its solid form seems to have exploded onto the interiors market once more and is changing the materiality choice when it comes to specifying furniture. Timber, with knots and all, is on mood boards and tender documents, which makes for a unique interior, without pointing out the obvious, every tree is different and the more of the natural material exposed the more individual the interior. Solid timber is not biased to the type of business it embraces and enhances any workspace what ever the scheme.

A couple of months ago we mentioned a trend for honest materials and this week we have finalised the design of a new range of furniture that embraces this. This range has been developed in answer to three different client briefs which highlighted to us that the corporate market has been aching for this design detail. So here it is, our Geo range, embracing the honest material trend and delivering both form and function. Full specifications will be on the website in the next few weeks but if you would like more details in the meantime please get in touch.

Our Loop Flex was designed with simplicity in mind with focus of the users and movers. Telescopic rails and hidden castors in the base allow the table to roll in and out to accommodate various sizes. Using our Loop table base meant no awkward distances between the legs in either position In less than three minutes Loop Flex can be changed from a 26 seat to 18 seat, (9800mm down to 7000mm.) by just two people. It can also be detailed to separate into two functional tables. A few general points to consider when specifying flexible tables listed below. 1. Make sure the reality reflects the promise. See one demonstrated if possible. 2. Keep table leaf sizes or table tops (if a flip table) to a manageable size . Using 30-40 mm thick tops can make leaves very heavy, try to stick to 25mm. The leaves being moved in the clip are 1400x1600mmx25mm and we think this is a reasonable size to consider. 3. Consider the top material, laminate / veneer /lino are all good options. Glass, Corian and stone are all possible but not a good idea due to weight and chipping issues. 4. Consider your cable management. The table in clip accommodates cable trays and they move with the tables but planning was required for floor boxes. 5. Consider the flooring. The Loop Flex table is shown on a deep pile carpet and this did make it harder to roll in and out. Standard carpet tile and solid flooring are ideal for tables with castors. 6. If a trolley is required make sure there is storage space. 7. Where are tables being stored, how easy are they to maneuver and how far do they have to travel? 8. Specify good linking, ideally with no tools required. It is a real bug bear for facilities teams if they have to hunt around for tools to be able to move tables. 9. H&S guidelines suggest that 25KG is the max weight one person should lift.