Beyond Architecture

Destination Menswear, Interior View

Beyond Architecture: Why Great Design Happens When Disciplines Meet

At REAFE STUDIO, architecture is only one part of what we do. For more than 25 years, our work has spanned retail design, graphic design, product and furniture design, and immersive brand experiences. This cross-disciplinary background shapes every project we undertake — from historic townhouses in Lewes to modern rural remodels and sensitive extensions within the South Downs National Park.

Before founding REAFE STUDIO, our team spent decades designing retail environments, brand identities, fixtures and furniture for global names. That experience continues to inform our architectural work today: the way we shape light, guide circulation, consider materiality, and compose spaces speaks directly to the precision demanded in retail and exhibition design.

Most recently, we brought this blend of disciplines to retail projects within Battersea Power Station, where we delivered thoughtful environments centred around craftsmanship, customer experience and visual storytelling. It’s the same attitude we bring to every project, regardless of scale or sector.

Looking across our architectural portfolio — No.1 Windover Crescent, Bluebell Cottage, 29 Friars Walk, No.1A Mount Place, and our sensitive conservation work throughout Lewes — you’ll see the same principles in action:
clarity, simplicity, atmosphere, and an unwavering attention to detail.

Designing a heritage extension, a countryside home, a retail space or a piece of furniture is, for us, part of the same continuum. It’s all about how people live, move, feel and connect with the spaces and objects around them.

And that’s what excites us: the ability to move fluidly between disciplines, bringing fresh insight to each new project. It means our architecture is enriched by brand thinking. Our interiors are strengthened by product design knowledge. And our retail work is elevated by an architectural understanding of form, structure and context.

Whether it’s a Grade II listed home, a contemporary extension, a bespoke piece of furniture or a retail environment in one of London’s most iconic buildings, our goal remains the same:
to create beautifully considered, intelligent and enduring design.