CONSIDERED INTERIOR DESIGN ACROSS BRIGHTON, SUSSEX & LONDON
An interior design studio founded in the heart of Sussex, Piers Thurston offers bespoke design services to create beautiful homes of comfort and ease. Whether that’s a Georgian Townhouse renovation in London, bringing warmth to a Country Cottage in Sussex, or updating a Victorian Terrace in Brighton, we care as much about the project lifecycle as we do the final result. Every commission is treated as a creative partnership, from whole home transformations to single room projects.
Interior Design
About
DISCOVER OUR INTERIORS
DESIGN SERVICES
Every project is different, which is why we offer a range of services tailored to varying needs and stages of the design journey. From complete interior design and project delivery to focused consultations and specialist studio support, our approach remains the same: thoughtful, detail-driven and centred around creating spaces of character.
-
![A bedroom with two beds, featuring striped pillows and a beige pillow, a floral wall art behind the beds, a bedside lamp, and a small vintage radio on the nightstand.]()
Full Interior Design
Our signature service for complete home transformations. From concept to completion, we manage every detail to create thoughtful, characterful interiors that feel beautifully lived-in. This could be a whole house transformation or a single room, but always entails a measured survey, space planning, concept development, FF&E and material specifications, bespoke joinery, and technical drawings. Learn more
-
![A person holding a green color swatch card with the word 'COAT' printed on it, surrounded by interior design samples including fabric swatches and a woven material.]()
Design Consultations
Focused design support for those seeking expert guidance on a specific room, project or design challenge. Perfect for clients renovating a kitchen, struggling with the layout of a sitting room, unsure about a colour scheme, or even seeking reassurance during an ongoing renovation. Our Design Consultations offer practical advice, clear direction and tailored solutions. Learn more
-
![Living room with built-in shelving, beige couch with cushions, round wooden table, framed seaside photograph, lamp on shelf, decorative objects.]()
Studio Support
Technical and creative support for independent interior design studios. This service is specifically targeted toward other practices that need additional creative or technical support, or access to specialist software. Professional drawings, visualisations and documentation delivered with precision, discretion and reliability. Learn more
“IT’S BEEN A JOY”
Piers has bought the most considerate, thoughtful and inspiring energy to a very stagnant and quite daunting phase of my long-term house refurbishment. He picked up threads of my original ideas and ran with them, adding huge amounts of creative flair, knowledge of suppliers, and quietly confident instinct, which will create something so much more special than I ever could have dreamed of without his help. It’s been a joy.
— Bryony, H
HOMES WE WORK WITH
Country Cottages
Country cottages and rural properties such as those seen across the Sussex landscape often have an informality that aligns with our own design philosophies and makes them particularly enjoyable to work on. Exposed beams, uneven walls, inglenook fireplaces, low ceilings and smaller windows can all present practical challenges, but they are also abundant in charm. Rather than fighting the smaller scale, we often encourage our clients to ‘embrace a small space’ in such cases. A grounded, earthy palette, tactile fabrics, and aged finishes are all carefully selected to create an interior that feels cosy, relaxed and meant-to-be.
Georgian Townhouses
Georgian townhouses make for beautiful properties, often defined by generous proportions, high ceilings, original fireplaces, large windows and a strong sense of symmetry. That said, their scale can be their greatest challenge, with each room requiring sufficient furniture and visual weight without losing its architectural identity. Our studio embraces such proportions, preserving original features wherever possible, yet introducing layers of colour, texture and furniture to add warmth. An ideal opportunity to create contrast in pairing traditional architectural details with contemporary finishes, we ensure that the finished home feels both collated over time and relevant to modern life rather than like a period recreation.
City Centre Apartments
Contemporary city-centre apartments can be some of the most rewarding spaces for our studio, as every square metre needs to work hard. Limited floor space, awkward proportions, restricted storage and a lack of natural light can all present challenges. We approach such projects by carefully considering flow, and finding opportunities for furniture, joinery and lighting to serve more than one purpose. Rather than reaching for the bright white paint to try and make a small apartment feel bigger, we prefer a considered and comfortable approach. Strategic use of colour, texture, mirrors and well-selected furniture can create depth and personality, whilst enhancing natural light.
Coastal Properties
The seafront homes that border Brighton and the Sussex coastline can vary architecturally, but they all share the opportunity to utilise natural light, highlight sea views and develop a strong connection between the home and the surrounding environment. Too often, coastal interiors become too literal – the cliché of blue and white furnishings with abundant seaside motifs. We prefer to use the location as a starting point, rather than a theme. Natural textures, restrained colour, and comfortable furniture can create a strong sense of place without resorting to the obvious seaside references.
OUR WORK ACROSS BRIGHTON, SUSSEX & LONDON
Working across Brighton, Sussex and London provides a beautifully varied architectural landscape for our team. A project can take us from a Georgian townhouse or Victorian terrace in London, to a colourful Regency property in Brighton, and with each location comes its own architectural language.
Brighton is famed for its particularly distinctive and eclectic character, with Regency architecture, Victorian terraces, colourful period properties and a slightly more organic approach to interiors. Beyond this, wider Sussex offers an even broader mix, from historic villages and country cottages to large rural houses and barn conversions, whilst London naturally differs depending on the neighbourhood.
Of course, with this comes varied clients with different requirements, but there is a common thread that runs through all: our clients want their home be as functional as it is beautiful. Whether we’re designing a family home in Sussex, a pied-à-terre in London or a period property in Brighton, our process always starts by understanding the people who live there – how they spend their time, what they need from each room, what they already love and what is currently missing.
The local environment inevitably influences our work. Natural light, views, landscape and architecture all contribute to the decisions we make, but that doesn’t mean a Sussex home should be adorned with florals and botanicals, nor a London home with concrete and urban-industrial furnishings. Our role is to strike a balance, so that the surrounding location is felt rather than announced.
Alongside Brighton, Sussex and London, we also operate across Surrey and Kent, bringing the same considered approach to each project.
OUR DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
Renovating a home or commercial premises can be exciting, but it can also involve an enormous number of decisions, suppliers, deadlines and moving parts. Appointing a design studio like Piers Thurston can alleviate some of the pressure, with an expert on-hand to make sense of those details and keep everything moving to schedule and on-budget.
Communication is a big part of that. We aim to be approachable, responsive and straightforward, without overwhelming our clients with unnecessary information. Attention to detail, technical expertise and practical knowledge sit alongside our creative work, informing the entire process, from initial concepts through to install. The result should feel effortless, yet intentional, with impressed visitors none-the-wiser as to the great deal of thought and organisation behind that apparent ease.
Ultimately, we’d hope our clients appoint us for our ability to understand both the big picture and the small details: a studio creative enough to make their home feel special, but practical enough to make sure it works.
START A CONVERSATION
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
-
The sooner, the better! Appointing an interior designer before major architectural or building decisions have been finalised can make a significant difference. It means the layout, lighting, joinery, finishes and furniture can all be thought of as a collective, rather than treated as separate entities and retrofit later (which can be both frustrating and costly!)
That said, there is no single 'right' stage. We often work with clients who are part way through a renovation or simply need help with a particular room or design challenge.
-
Yes. In fact, we particularly enjoy working with period properties. The important thing is to understand what makes the property significant and work sensitively with its existing architecture and features. Where specialist advice, permissions or conservation input are required, these can be incorporated into the wider team and design process.
-
Not necessarily, but it depends on the scope of the project. For projects involving significant structural or architectural changes, an architect would be an important part of the team, and in such cases we work alongside them to ensure that the internal layout, lighting, joinery, finishes and overall design are all considered.
Other projects without such significant alterations negate the need for an Architect, so an Interior Designer should be sufficient.
-
Absolutely, and actually, single room renovations are some of our favourite projects. That said, they can have just as many design challenges as an entire property, particularly when it comes to layout, lighting, colour, and furniture, so appointing a designer can be very advantageous.
-
Yes! Although Piers Thurston was founded in Sussex, we now work with residential clients across Brighton, Sussex, Surrey, Kent and London (and even Hampshire at one point!). The location of a property is never a limitation in itself; and we will happily travel beyond our usual territory for the right project!
-
Naturally, there is no standard timeframe as every project is different. A single-room consultation or design project can be relatively focused, while a whole-house renovation can take several months – and sometimes considerably longer if architectural work and planning regulations are involved!
At the beginning of every project, our team will establish the likely stages and anticipated timescales so that clients have a clear understanding of the scope of work. The earlier we are brought into a project, the sooner the design and project programme can be coordinated.