At a time when British manufacturing is in a state of inertness, when the UK has sadly witnessed a demise in its craft sector, it is both reassuring and revitalising to know that certain companies continue to create, make and flourish. One such establishment is Isokon Plus, a furniture company founded in 1935 (known then as Isokon) by British entrepreneur Jack Pritchard. Isokon Plus manufactures all of its furniture at its east London workshop, utilising the latest technology alongside traditional woodworking methods. Furniture pieces are handmade, from start to finish, by a team of highly skilled and dedicated craftspeople. It is in this workshop that the Isokon Penguin Donkey Mark 2 is crafted, its handsome profile an expression of smart midcentury design.Isokon: A brief historyA man with experience in the plywood business, Jack Pritchard had a role in building Britain’s earliest block of modern flats (known as the Isokon Building, this progressive reinforced concrete edifice was designed by architect Wells Coates and completed in 1934). Isokon, a shortened form of Isometric Unit Construction (and a reference to constructivism), was avant-garde, bold and liberal: the perfect name for such a novel venture.Jack Pritchard in Marcel Breuer?s Long Chair with the Ernest Race Isokon Penguin Donkey Mark 2.With utopian ideals, Mr Pritchard believed in the potential for modern architecture and design to reshape society for the good of all citizens. In a mainl...