Born in the forests of Central America, FORESTA is an emerging design brand that I now have the pleasure of working with. The collection that I’ve designed for FORESTA celebrates the dynamic attributes of their sustainable teak wood — sculptural, architectural, and wonderfully made by nature.
I’m very excited to be sharing this selection of images featuring the Arco Candle Holder. This design is scheduled to launch towards the end of summer. Originally, our plan was to introduce FORESTA Collection in May in Copenhagen during 3daysofdesign. However, because of the current situation surrounding Covid-19, our launch has been rescheduled for September to coincide with the postponement of 3daysofdesign. In the meantime, I want to tell you all a bit more about our first collection and the vision FORESTA and I share for these designs.
As I’ve shared in an earlier post, FORESTA specializes in sustainable tropical timbers and is deeply committed to the environment and fair-trade. Their mission has been to revitalize the forestry industry in Honduras, working exclusively with plantations who naturally cultivate and harvest teak and mahogany without the use of pesticides or fertilizers. Through their core line of business in the timbers industry, FORESTA is able to connect buyers directly to the plantations. By doing so, FORESTA can ensure a fair price falls back into the hands of the foresters who renew and harvest these natural resources in a traditional, chemical-free way.
In 2019, FORESTA and I began working together on a new element of their brand — FORESTA Collection. Every decision throughout the design process was made with the intention of keeping FORESTA Collection keenly sensitive to the land that supplies our timbers and the people who manufacture our designs. The collection has been thoughtfully designed to celebrate FORESTA’s inherent connection to nature, working exclusively with FORESTA’s own specialty teak wood. Each piece is hand-manufactured at a small, artisanal workshop close to FORESTA’s plantations in Honduras. The designs were first and foremost guided by our appreciation for solid wood, allowing the material to be the focus of the object while the form subtlety supports the function.
The first collection will consist of six unique designs and includes accent tables, seating, and functional objects like the Arco Candle Holder featured here. Timelessness as a form of sustainability also became a guiding principal to our work, and this is why our designs connect well to the aesthetic values of minimalism. Slow-living and Caribbean vibes blended with the design simplicity of Northern Europe is the heartbeat of FORESTA’s brand ethos — an ethos that is also defined by FORESTA’s commitment to work ethically and sustainably. In the weeks to come, we will begin sharing more details of our other designs, and I look forward to unveiling more of our collection as we come closer to our launch in September. In this article, you can get to know our first reveal, Arco, as both a candle holder and sculpture.
Until then, I invite you to read more about FORESTA’s sustainable plantations and check out the beautiful images on their website.
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You can keep up with our project by following FORESTA on Instagram & Pinterest
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FORESTA Collection – launching September 3rd-5th, 2020 in Copenhagen during 3daysofdesign
Pop-up exhibition at NYT I BO, Frederiksgade 1
Follow Foresta on Instagram & Pinterest
Visit Foresta Online
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