Taking a Seat

TAKING A SEAT

For many years, designers from all corners of the world have tried to design a new type of chair. Innovation is incredible as they strive to stand out in a market which to call saturated would be an understatement. Every month I receive at least 2 'industry magazines' which in theory relate to all aspects of our market.

To glance through you would be forgiven to think that our market exclusively involved sitting down as you see advert for chair after chair after seat after stool after chair... you get the picture. In fact I often play a game where I try to get through the entire magazine (often 150+ pages) trying to spot a chair free spread!

'FX Magazine - The Business of Design' 

is a perfect example of an industry specific publication which my uncle (also in the furniture business) would call a 'chair mag'. In fact it was him that brought this phenomenon to my attention. 

That having been said, it's great to see what designers can come up with when forced to innovate. I suppose you could liken it to the music industry where some believe that it has 'all been done before' but every now and again you still get unique anthemic tracks which endure. When you get a fresh bright eyed young designer not constrained by conformity they design a completely new sitting down experience which quirky corporations decide would be perfect for their receptions. 

The Future of Sitting Down

You could think that in a few years we won't even recognise what it is to sit down any more, but ever since Ingvar Kamprad screwed the legs of his coffee table and invented IKEA, modern design has flourished and chair after chair after stool after chair have been created like there were a world shortage of places to sit. There's no sign that that will stop any time soon, and I guess old styles will simply get recycled just like bad pop records.

Recently we caved and thought that a funky chair would add a little variation to our otherwise highly utilitarian range of chairs. Primarily we supply chairs and stools for drawing boards which really have to be the epitome of practical, but as we discovered we can have our cake and eat it.

Someone out there has designed a space age chair with ergonomic and environmental credentials to sink a battle ship of pandas whilst still letting you actually sit down. Watch this:

Apparently this video wasn't even staged, this is actually what happens which you sit on a HAG Capisco drafting chair, but possibly you have to be ginger or wearing a wig. 

Vestment Press | Church Storage Chests

Keep your vestments in perfect condition

Did you know that Orchard plan chests can be found in church vestries. Who would of believed it?

Deep solid drawers and a fully enclosed design provides a great environment for safely storing vestments, choir dresses and other church attire.

The large work top provides the perfect preparation and inspection area for garment.

Designed for your church.

As we manufacture these in the UK, we can make them to meet your specifications. Required drawer numbers, drawer depths, work top height or wood finish may be specified to best match existing church furnishings.

All our storage chests are made to last and built to withstand some of the most demanding educational environments. Metal handles and a fully welded steel plinth ensure longevity.

WOODEN PLAN CHESTS

METAL PLAN CHESTS

Orchard Light Tables

Light Tables & Light Boxes from Orchard

In your standard run-of-the-mill site office or drawing office, you have many things in common; Professionals doing their best to deal with reams of large A0, A1 and A2 paper. Storing it, filing it, archiving it, retrieving it and, above all, looking at it. 

At Orchard, we have worked closely with the front line professionals for over 25 years - people who deal with these paper management challenges daily. We have used this to continuously improve and develop our products to better meet the real demands placed on them in the workplace.

We Know What You Need

We know what you require from a light box or light table. From on site contractors to architects, designers and photographers. We provide the very best range of lighting equipment to let you get on with scrutinising, finishing, tracing and reviewing plans or images. 

Consistent light distribution and accurate colour reproduction comes as standard on all our light boxes, giving you a backlit table you can rely on, and as a manufacturer we can modify any of our light tables or light boxes to meet specific requirements.

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Orchard New Website

Every 18 months or so we like to give our website a good old facelift, but this year we decided to pull out the stops and completely revamp it from the ground up. 

We were focused on providing a better user experience - giving people the information they wanted right when they wanted it. With such a diverse product range of drawing equipment, paper storage systems and light boxes the challenge of producing all the extra content was immense. 

We hope that you like the results as the new Orchard website is by far the most comprehensive insight into what we do and a great ambassador for the Orchard brand (which from an in-house production you'd hope so!)

CHECK OUT TheBigOrchard.com

Make sure you'll following us on all the usual channels too for all the latest chat:

www.facebook.com/TheBigOrchard
www.youtube.com/TheBigOrchard
www.twitter.com/TheBigOrchard

Wakefield Up In Flames

Wakefield's time to shine

It was our turn to shine earlier today as the torch passed right through the heart of the city, to a mass of spectators and well-wishers. In true Yorkshire style they did not disappoint, as the torch was met with rapturous applause and cheer. 


It really is amazing how such a diverse community as Wakefield can all get together really share in the experience. Designed to be a homage to athleticism and community spirit the torch bearers are all chosen for being true ambassadors to their area. 

Gayna Goalby (left) is a teacher at Westborough high school and has done amazing work for disabled and underprivelaged children in the area. She was charged with carrying the flame over the stunning (triumph to architecture) Hepworth Gallery footbridge, where it was met by Karen Townsend. Karen is a plastic surgery nurse who helped many of the survivors of the Bradford City Staduim fire in 1985.

Although this is the third time that London has hosted the Olympics, the fact is that we would be very lucky to see it again in our lifetimes. With so many up and coming developing countries, we could see future games held in some very interesting places indeed. With any luck, The Big Orchard will have a hand in supplying the Legacy Companies for those too!


The whole experience seemed to be over in a flash, with carnival style buses preceding the bearers themselves. To catch a glimpse of the torch, if only for a moment, really brings it home - we are all a part of these Games even if the focus will mainly be on London. I can't wait for the games to get under way - shame about the football, but what a summer for England.

Wakefield Art Culture

WAKEFIELD CULTURE 

(historically an oxymoron)

Don't get me wrong, Wakefield has always been nice enough; sat in the heart of Yorkshire, surrounded by mining towns and countryside. Despite all that, it has always been the case that when someone asks where I'm from, I say 'Leeds'. Not just because most of the country knows where Leeds is, but because Wakefield has always been in its shadow, with nothing particularly to put it on the map.

However, in recent years the 'generic northern town (actually a city)' brush it has been tarnished with, has started to be shaken. The Hepworth Gallery, built in tribute to the world famous sculptor Barbra Hepworth, has made art and design enthusiasts all over the country stand up and take notice, with impressive foot-fall since it was opened over a year ago.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

In turn the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (just outside Wakefield) has also seen renewed interest. The Park has always been well renowned for showcasing the county's best modern sculptors with inside and outside exhibitions. Championing Hepworth pieces has always been natural for the YSP, with a large collection of it's own.

At Orchard, we have been lucky. Situated where we are, if it wasn't for a few trees and a Homebase, we would be able to see the Hepworth in all it's glory from our office window.

Why not tie your visit to the Hepworth in with a quick coffee at Orchard. 

We can talk you through and demo any of our drawing boards, paper storage systems, light boxes or retail display equipment. We'll let you park here with only a 5 minute stroll down to the Hepworth! Perfect for a cultured day out in Wakefield .... near Leeds.

LED Light Tables - The Future is bright

Light Tables and LED Light Boxes

Design constraints always exist with light tables, but maybe the outlook is a little different. Typically the technology to create a large back-lit light table has always revolved around standard florescent tubes which provide the intensity and colour requirements for detailed design and plan review work.

ORCHARD have now developed the perfect LED light box solution which allows professional light boxes to be manufactured in almost any size or shape. A0, A1, A2 and A3 light boxes are obviously match the standard paper sizes for most design, art or photography applications, but our LED system allows our designers to think outside the box when developing a new light table - make the light area large enough to meet requirement, but why stop there?

The modern design studio is always looking to impress clients and create an inspirational environment for its employees. These types of breakthrough designs where practical viewing equipment is combined with stylish, designed and refined furniture provide the best of both worlds.

From minimalist to extravagant, Orchard can develop the right light table for the requirement.