ABOUT LOUISE
Louise Forbes is a Dundee-based designer and maker, specialising in wood, product design and creative installation projects, with a love for playful, functional design and working with her hands.
She first moved to the city from Aberdeen to study, fell in love with the creative scene and has been shaping it ever since.
After studying at Duncan of Jordanstone, she went on to build a varied practice that spans exhibitions, workshops and collaborative ventures, with a focus on craftsmanship and community engagement.
Image Credit: Grant Anderson
LOUISE'S JOURNEY AS A DESIGNER
Louise moved to Dundee from her hometown of Aberdeen in 2005 to study Interior and Environmental Design at Duncan of Jordanstone.
She fell in love with Dundee and it's creative community, it's a brilliant city for a designer with a short attention span!
During her last two years at university she worked with her classmate and pal, Susan Younger and formed her first business, TWIG. Louise and Susan did a joint degree show and produced a range of amusing anthropomorphic furniture, which they later took to London to show at 100% Design. The pair also made the furniture and lighting for The Parlour Cafe in Dundee.
After TWIG Louise worked as a carer for the elderly, a job she loved, but didn't have the stomach for. Then she worked as the manager at The Fabric Mill at Halley Stevensons
in Dundee, which taught her lots about running a business.
Louise Forbes Design was established in 2011 while she was working as a retail manager. She made a range of chopping boards, mirrors and some small scale furniture from a friend's beautiful workshop in Angus.
In 2012 Louise joined Sarah Spalding to run Tayberry Gallery. The pair grew the business together to create a special space full of beautifully made, unique products by artists and makers from throughout the country. Louise was at Tayberry until 2022 when Louise had her wee boy, Calum.
In early 2013 Louise moved into a workspace at Blinshall Street Studios to join Islay Spalding and Adrian Murray.
In August 2013 Louise made her first ever spoon!
In 2014 Louise and her workshop buddy Islay Spalding began making Man Pins! To read their story check out the website here!
In 2017 Louise ran a make a ring and spoon workshop with Sarah and Islay Spalding (both Jewellers) for a 30th birthday. It was great fun and prompted Louise to finally start thinking about running workshops. A few months later the lovely folk at Guardswell Farm got in touch to see if she could run a spoon carving workshop there for the family... it was a hit, and now they do 3 or 4 workshops there a year. The workshops are one of Louise's favourite things to do and she is so pleased they continue to grow in popularity.
In 2018 Louise began to work one day a week as an Architecture Support Specialist at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design. Helping students in the wood workshop turn their 2D sketches into 3D pieces.
Louise works as an install technician for various places in Dundee including; DCA, Cooper Gallery, FifeX, Tea Green Events and Dundee Design Festival. Since 2013 she has been involved in lots of super interesting exhibitions and shows, with 2019 being her best year yet - Louise was the lead tech for the Dundee Design Festival and for Tea Green Events design market at the V&A.
Louise has continued as lead technician for Dundee design festival in 2021. Followed by the biggest festival yet, the 2024 show,
with creative director Stacey Hunter.
In 2025 Louise was the head of Installation for Craft Scotland show Harvest, curated by Stacey Hunter.
and finally..... when she's not mucking about with wood, Louise loves chocolate, fine foods, music, dancing, hanging out with pals and beer!!
A BIT TOO WORDY?
TAKE A LISTEN INSTEAD
'Designer, maker, teacher, wood worker, exhibition installer... Louise has a lot going on and this episode is an amazing whirlwind of a journey.'
'Louise has a real drive and urge to share her knowledge and understanding with others.'
'This episode goes from the bizarre and wild to warm and comforting.'
- Podcast by Ryan McLeod
MAN PINS came to be when Louise started noticing how beautiful her spoon offcuts were and inspired by her workshop buddy, Islay Spaldings Kilt Pin designs she started making wooden pins of her own to sell in her gallery, Tayberry Gallery in Perth. These pins were designed to be worn as a lapel pin or kilt pin but men just weren't getting that they were designed for them, so a more obvious approach was decided and the name Man Pin was born.
For Islay, teaming up with Louise has inspired her to work more with wood and make a more affordable alternative to a silver Kilt Pin; a quirky product with a sense of humour and an opportunity to bring pins to a more diverse group of men.
Their aim is for more men to wear brooches! Follow their woody adventures across social media and their website.