River Cottage has built its reputation on honest food, sustainable farming and a genuine connection to the land. When they commissioned a bar for Planted, a sustainable homewares fair that they were partners of it the bar needed to embody those sustainable principles.
We designed and built a fully sustainable modular bar using natural, reclaimed and recyclable materials throughout, keeping embodied carbon low, toxins lower, and waste designed out from the very start.
The bar is built as a modular system, breaking down into four sections for easy storage, transport and reassembly at future events. Nothing about this piece is single-use as it was designed from day one for a long life across multiple events and contexts.
The front of the bar features three decorative panels made from poplar ply, recycled pallets, reclaimed floorboards and salvaged timbers, each panel fully removable and replaceable as and when needed. The carcass is constructed from exterior grade poplar ply, chosen for its exceptional sustainability credentials as a fast-growing renewable material, and built using glueless metal fixings throughout to allow future disassembly, repurposing and recycling.
The frame is made from recycled timbers. The worktop is Richlite Paper, an extraordinarily durable surface made from layers of recycled and FSC certified sustainably harvested paper, compressed under heat into a material that outlasts most conventional worktop options. Beautiful, tactile and made entirely from what others would consider waste.
The top of the bar provides a display area for plants alongside the River Cottage sign, bringing the biophilic quality that runs through everything River Cottage does into the physical presence of the bar itself.
Sustainable bar, event and hospitality furniture designed and made by Nested Living. We work with food, hospitality and events brands across the UK seeking circular, low-carbon design and making solutions.