Case Studies

Apartment in Chelsea

A client, moving from a large country residence to a smaller London apartment, wanted a design that allowed the incorporation of treasured pictures and books.  Apart from a few antique pieces all the furniture was made especially. The client's main request was that everything had to be extremely soft and comfortable, including a deep-pile carpet throughout.  The colours and textures in the apartment were chosen to set a warm and graceful background for the client’s possessions.

Kitchen in Wandsworth
Crystabel worked with the family who wanted to modernise their kitchen within a tight budget. The wall dividing the kitchen from the conservatory was removed, creating masses of light and space.  The existing units were re-used and new doors were designed for each unit. New granite worktops, lighting, floor and wall tiles were also added, along with new chair covers and cushions, creating an attractive modern room for all the family.

Curtains in Roehampton

A family in Roehampton wanted new blinds and curtains.  Blinds were put in their son’s bedroom, playroom, kitchen and bathroom, with curtains in all the other rooms of the house.  A bold statement was wanted for the long narrow dining room, so Crystabel chose a striking architectural fabric design and made sure that the box pleat heading carefully centred each bust head for dramatic effect.

House in Kew
An American couple moving to London  wanted their house to reflect their travels and to be a comfortable home for family, visiting friends and business colleagues.  Crystabel took inspiration for the big square bay in the sitting room from their pair of Russian chairs and samovar, giving the room a contemporary yet formal look. The hall stairs and landings were papered in rich reds, contrasting with the wooden floor laid throughout the ground floor.  The front door was replaced and new stain glass panels were made, copying the traditional designs in the street.  Each bedroom had its own scheme, linked by a neutral carpet running throughout the upstairs of the house. A pretty floral design in the downstairs cloakroom and a black and white scheme in the main bathroom completed the look.

Corporate office reception in Basingstoke
This growing company needed a striking new reception to accommodate extra staff and provide for disabled visitors. Using a bespoke curved desk it was possible to improve circulation through the reception area during busy times and provide extra useful features. The three receptionists had improved visibility and access to their computer screens, security cameras, lifts and visitor’s seating area.  Both staff and directors were delighted with the solution.  

Board room in Surrey
This Company’s offices are in a listed building, with boardroom walls that are panelled and cannot be altered in any way.   The multi-purpose boardroom needs to seat 20 members of the board, but also to have the ability to seat 40-80 people for training courses, as well as buffet lunches and receptions.  All new bespoke furniture was specified, with a special requirement for an adaptable boardroom table which could be configured in various ways to suit different types of meeting.  Other furniture and a large audio-visual system were also installed.

Open plan office

The brief for these open plan administrative offices was to produce a timeless solution, built around the existing desking, which could be adapted in the future to keep it looking fresh and current.  The size of the company’s work teams changed regularly, so Crystabel’s solution was to keep the basic scheme cool, calm and monochrome from a distance, but with added close-up pattern texture and colour to give a cheerful unity to the scheme and make an exciting and flexible space to work in.

Home office in London

A very small 4th bedroom, (2.4m x 1.9m) needed to be used as an office in a busy home. By designing bespoke book shelves to be built into a mansard ceiling and using lateral filing cabinets, Crystabel managed to squeeze every inch of space out of this little room.