Castleforge

Key Details

Location:: Cheltenham
Professional Team:: Cartwright Pickard
Manufacturers:: Rawside

Client Brief

Castleforge were starting a new set of projects around the country, turning bought buildings into co-working spaces. One of them was in Cheltenham, where Hunters had the goal to create a balance between private, rentable office suites and shared breakout and amenity spaces. The aim was to offer maximum flexibility so businesses could rent private offices, dedicated desks or use the shared facilities like the coffee shop, bar and kitchen on the ground floor.

Design Approach

Working alongside architects Cartwright Pickard, we were brought in to support with the full furniture consultancy, procurement and installation for this CAT B scheme. It was Castleforge’s first time working with a commercial furniture specialist, so education and partnership were key, helping the client navigate what’s possible, what’s practical and what makes good design last.

The design concept was a blend of industrial and modern. Rawside played a central role in that vision, supplying all desks and meeting room tables with a striking raw metal finish paired with warm herringbone tops.

The interior palette leaned into raw materials so wood floors, exposed metal cage details, and pops of colour in communal zones. This loft-meets-warehouse style became Castleforge’s visual signature that we rolled out across their later projects in Bristol, Manchester and Exeter.

We also collaborated with the client and supplier on bespoke desk designs, which were initially developed exclusively for this project, but so successful they were later adopted as a standard product by Rawside.

Challenges & Results

With Castleforge being new to the world of furniture specification, there was a significant consultative element to our role. From procurement processes to product lead times, we worked closely with the client team to guide them through each step, ensuring a smooth and stress-free experience.

The Cheltenham site was a success, completed on time and on brief, and has since been used as a blueprint for the other developments. We’ve since supported Castleforge on additional co-working projects in Bristol, Manchester and Exeter, helping replicate the look and feel whilst scaling it across different sites.