2023 at Oakywood – the yearly recap

The end of the year is a magical time – that’s when we often realize just how fast time flows and how, in a blink of an eye, another 12 months have passed by. It encourages us to sum up our year and reflect: think of all the things we have managed to achieve, what changed, what stayed the same, and how we’ve grown. Here we recap our 2023: our creative endeavors, successes, and rewarding collaborations.

Product launches and new offers

At Oakywood, the most important release of 2023 was, without a doubt, the MagSafe collection. We have spent the preceding 11 months on creating almost 100 prototypes and conducting a number of utility test series. Our efforts bore 4 multifunctional fruit: the iPhone Stand, Wall Mount, Desk Shelf Mount, and the Apple Watch Stand. And to make the MagSafe products even more functional, we created a practical addition to the collection: the MagSafe Puck. The wooden puck covered with flock is fitted with strong magnets to replace the original Apple charger whenever you don’t need to charge your iPhone, but want to keep using it comfortably.

Another product which became quite popular amongst our customers is the Dual Slim Charging Pad – a dual version of our iconic favorite, the cordless Slim Charging Pad. Exceptional minimalistic design, the possibility of charging two devices at the same time, and built-in LED lights that indicate the start of charging – that’s all you need to never be surprised by your battery running out.

We have also added a special kit of products to help you with conservation of your wooden items, especially desks and Desk Shelves. Our​​​​​​​ Maintenance Kit contains eco-friendly oil wax, OSMO cloths, and 2 types of sandpaper. These 4 tools are enough to preserve wood and fix minor damage by yourself.

In our efforts to further promote responsible shopping habits and making intentional decisions, we introduced a set of material samples you can order before purchasing your desired item. It allows you to test the quality of the wood and felt used in our products – a particularly good idea before making larger investments like buying a​​​​​​​ Standing Desk or fully equipping and arranging your desk.

Perfecting the design

In addition to coming up with new solutions, this year we put great care into improving our existing products. We released a new size version of the​​​​​​​ Laptop Stand to accommodate MacBooks 13’’ and 14’’. We also introduced some changes in our Laptop Dock and Dual Laptop Dock:

• a new way of regulating the laptop/tablet slot (adjusts the dock to fit almost any device), 
• solid aluminum finished with structured paint instead of stainless steel for connecting the wooden pieces,
• soft and durable flock lining the bottom of the dock.

Our Underdesk Organizer has also undergone some design changes – it is now equipped with adjustable brackets to ensure a snug fit on your tabletop. The set includes cable bands with hook-and-loop fasteners to secure the cords.

Configurator upgrade

Our 3D configurator, together with the AR visualizations, is a groundbreaking tool that takes your online shopping experience to a whole new level. But we don’t like to get complacent so we keep working on updates and new features. This year, the 3D customizer gained an option to add ergonomic wheels to our Standing Desks, as well as grommets across our range of desks.

Environmental initiatives

Environmental protection is one of our guiding principles and we put it to practice throughout our design process, into our production practices, and during sales. On top of this, we take part in various environmental initiatives. Since April 2023, our Ciche workshop is 100% powered with energy coming from renewable sources. Through this, you can be sure our products are as ‘green’ as possible.

Planting trees is a permanent part of our environmental efforts. In the past year, together with One Tree Planted we planted 8585 trees in Africa. We also planted 8490 m2 of forest in Poland, Wilkowyja, with the Las na Zawsze (Forever Forest) foundation. Some of them we even planted​​​​​​​ with our own hands!

Introducing offers for business clients

We believe that in order to accommodate our clients’ diverse needs, we must think big. So, this year we decided to move in a new direction and created our special offer: Oakywood for Business. Our business partners can now enjoy perks like dedicated customer service, access to 3D models of our products, personalized accessories, or free material samples.

Recognition of good design

Our hard work (more specifically, our product design) has not gone unnoticed amongst industry experts! The MagSafe iPhone Stand, designed by Magdalena Gembala, was nominated for the Dobry Wzór (Good Design) award. This commendation feels particularly gratifying as it’s the oldest design competition in Poland and, thus, a huge honor for our brand.

Collaborations

We always treasure partnerships with organizations that share our values and want to do some good. In 2023, we had the pleasure of working with Geeks Like Us and co-organizing a webinar about issues like: environmental responsibility in business, sustainable development goals, reducing our carbon footprint, and other ways of improving our planet’s wellbeing.

We are also extremely proud to be the official partner to TED Vancouver – the goodie bags from this year’s conference included our wireless chargers.

As a result of a very interesting collaboration, Oakywood accessories can now be found and used in some stunning, airbnb-type places for you to both relax and work remotely. These places are, amongst others, Casita de Arrebol in New Mexico, Zacisze near Krakow, Tatry Zachodnie (Western Tatras), or Into the Las situated in the picturesque buffer zone of the Biebrza National Park.

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How was your 2023? Are you in the mood for reminiscing or do you prefer thinking ahead and planning your next few months? We hope our products are there to help you achieve your goals, and that they make your daily life more comfortable – after all, this is our top priority, regardless of the changing seasons.