21 Jul 2016

Prop Studios Turns 35

Prop Studios is celebrating our 35th birthday today!

Today Prop Studios celebrates turning 35 – and it’s safe to say we have seen a lot change since starting 1981! We take a look back at a selection of amazing projects, the beginnings of the company and sister division FormRoom.

Ex-directors Joy and Dieter started Prop Studios from their Godalming living room, where they began to design and manufacture window schemes for luxury department stores such as Harrods. After rapidly expanding in 1982, they moved into a large studio in Chilworth, in 1986, which was originally a gunpowder mill tucked away in a nature reserve.

During this time, their daughter Nina (our Managing Director) worked at the studio during her summer holidays to assist on projects, getting hands on experience in both design and manufacture. In 2002, Prop Studios moved to a large production facility in Ditchling – where we still manufacture all of our projects today!

After a extremely fulfilling and creative career in retail, both Dita and Joy retired with Nina taking over the business in 2006. Her first project taking over the company was a Harrods Christmas Window Scheme, which won an award for Best Christmas Windows.

Since taking over the company, Nina started to bring in more projects around the interiors, furniture side – as this is where her passion lies, after studying Three-Dimensional Design at University. Once having enough projects in this field, Nina launched Prop Studios’ sister division FormRoom, which specialises in interiors, fit-outs, pop-ups and bespoke furniture and lighting.

The launch of FormRoom at 100% Design was a huge success, exhibting to clients a high quality of design and production, which ever since has evolved into a fully integrated agency exhibting to clients a high quality of design and production.

Since then, both Prop Studios and FormRoom continue to work together on a number of exciting projects. It wouldn’t be possible without our fantastic clients and truly creative team, here’s to the rest of the year!