Matter to… discover
Follow the life of a Decor project, step by step, with Richard, Head of the Decoration department at Crystal Group. Watch out Richard, we are watching your every step!
Stage 1 This is the story of a project…
We start, of course, by receiving the brief from the client. Then we get moving! Meeting and talking with the initiator behind the project is a crucial step. This allows us to better understand their expectations. Sometimes we have carte blanche to propose a subject, other times, the request is more precise. The goal is to listen, without ever arriving with preconceived ideas. Every project is unique and needs to respond to particular constraints.
Stage 2 …that grows…
Richard gets busy in his Workshop’s office. He puts himself in the shoes of the guests. He reflects on trends and appropriates the mission. A visit to the stock area upstairs above is essential: what can we reuse? What could be transformed and adapted? The goal is to maximise the budget. Imagine: among the stock there are more than 250 rectangular tables that can seat almost 2,000 people! Richard says: “Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed”.
Nothing is created? Not really because, depending on the project, the decor might be entirely made to measure, identifying with a brand or event and thus absolutely unique.
Stage 3 … becomes refined…
Marie is a graphic designer and works with Richard. Her mission: to enable our clients to envisage the ideas. She creates 3D images of the proposed decorations. Everything is there, the atmosphere takes shape and the project becomes concrete. We like to compare our 3D staging with the final rendering: the resemblance is incredible!
These images are then revealed to the client. The project is accepted, modified, refined, questioned. The budget is discussed, options are integrated and a time line is established.
Stage 4 … is crafted…
Elements are put in place and the teams are organised. How many people will work on the project? What kind of experts do we need to call upon? Materials need to be ordered, carpenters, upholsterers and electricians briefed…
Does the project require a lot of manpower? If so, the team is reinforced by temporary staff who are already accustomed to working with Crystal Group. Organisation is the key to everything: on some days the Decor team must manage multiple events, especially in June, September and December. This is where the synergy between the various Crystal Group departments comes into play and makes it possible to find solutions for everything. The Decor department has a certain autonomy, however it also works in line with the group’s other four departments: Water, Ice, Special Effects and Engineering.
Stage 5 … and assembled…
Everything is assembled in the Decor department’s workshops. Nothing leaves Crystal Group without having first been tested, It is a matter of solving each complication before the on-sire assembly. No nasty surprises. The carpenters get to work, primer and paint are applied (a final coat of paint will be applied on-site to complete the finish.). Electrical cables are installed, sewing machines heat up and the rural, futuristic, summery or luminous atmosphere of the project comes to life in our workshop in Blanc Mesnil.
Next, everything is meticulously disassembled. The pieces of this immense, 3D puzzle are numbed and installed in our trucks. On site at the event, Richard is on hand to receive this fragmented universe and the assembly recommences.
Stage 6 … for an unforgettable evening.
Everything is under control. The guests arrive. Look hard and you will see Richard! He is watching over the event. He drinks in the reactions of every guest. The last ones arrive… and marvel at their surroundings.
But the day doesn’t stop there! Everything must be disassembled. The vast majority of the projects handled by the Decor department are temporary. Everything plays out over a few hours, an evening, a day or even a few days.
The assessment is the final stage. It’s a matter of drawing on everything the teams have learned from the project. Every achievement allows us to evolve and meet even more challenges.