WHAT? A range of colourful tabletop, wall- and door-mounted post boxes made from printed, powder-coated folded steel, available in 200x200mm, 300x300mm and 370x320mm respectively. 

WHO? The Original Metal Box Company was founded by George Buchanan and designer Clifford Richards in 2007. The boxes are printed by Welsh firm Purple Mustard.

WHERE? The company made its show debut at The Top Drawer exhibition in January this year. The boxes are all produced in the UK and can be purchased via the firm’s website,
www.theoriginalmetalbox.com.

HOW? The boxes are printed using dye sublimation. Purple Mustard prints the images onto thick paper, which absorbs them into the sheet. The paper is pushed against the metal using high heat and pressure causing the ink crystals to sublimate onto the steel. The steel sheets are pre-coated in a white powder paint and clear varnish. The sharp images are protected by the lacquer and the boxes are held shut using magnets.

WOW! Buchanan set up the company after being asked to find a way to deter thieves from breaking into homes via letterboxes by a friend in the property industry. Clifford Richards, who was commissioned to design the prototype post box, went on to produce a range of boxes of varying sizes. These included the Original 3030 Collection of wall-mounted cabinets, including products such as pills holders. The firm hopes to release a range of customised boxes and plans to work with architects to design banks of post boxes for blocks of flats.

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