Designed in the midst of lockdown, the Safe Server was a way to keep our creative juices flowing, whilst providing a solution to a real problem that we could foresee happening. Many of our commercial clients across Edinburgh at cafes, retail stores and other small businesses were soon to have to think about re-opening their premises to the public in order to survive. Stopping the spread of the virus, complying to guidelines and keeping customers and staff safe however was extremely important.

The Safe Server was designed to be an alternative to the makeshift and often unsanitary doorway serving stations that were seen springing up all over the city. It is a unit that sits on castor wheels, provides a protective barrier between staff and customer that folds neatly away and expands to perfectly fit any doorway. The main material is birch plywood, an affordable but attractive choice. The viewing window is clear polypropylene and a writable blackboard sits below the company logo in the front. The window folds away and interlocks perfectly with the base unit. This is both for easy storage and the ability to use this as a pop up serving counter, lectern or display table post Covid. Articulated flaps at the sides fold out to expand into door openings and are very easily removable. Spaces for hand sanitiser and a contactless card reader are provided either side of the serving pass. All surfaces were finished with a wipe clean wood-finish. The ability to customise the unit to suit your specific business was provided free of cost. The Safe Server was provided at a very affordable cost and was received extremely well by previous clients, new clients and the greater public. 



 SPLINTR are a small design studio and fabrication company based in Leith, Edinburgh who specialise in Interior Design for the commercial sector. We create beautiful spaces in bars, cafes, restaurants, shops and more. SPLINTR provide a full design service as well as a full shoplifting service, making sure every aspect of a project is considered and taken care of for the client. 

This project is extremely well suited to the ‘2020 Award’ Category as it was a direct result of the disastrous year that has been 2020. The idea was born from witnessing the problems faced by friends, clients and other business owners during the lockdown. It is and was a very uncertain time, and the Safe Server allowed people to overcome the difficulties that came along with re-opening in the face of Covid-19. We believe this nomination deserves to win a Creative Edinburgh Award because it provided an effective solution for small business owners to a real problem seen time and time again as a result of the global pandemic. It’s stylish, customisable, affordable and above all, safe. Our team adapted to a strange new way of working in order to produce these quickly and get our fellow Edinburgh business owners open again.