For one of our brand clients, we were asked to design an immersive experience that brought the history of Blenheim Palace to life, whilst ensuring the fundamental moments of a cocktail party were practical and in full flow throughout the evening. Blenheim Palace, with such a rich history, offered such a repertoire of choice, not only for its association with society parties, but also for the famous characters that inhabit its past. One such person being Sir Winston Churchill, a legend in British history.

Our task was to create two interactive, highly creative and bespoke cocktail bars and to install small mise en scène environments, immersive set design in various places throughout The Long Library to reflect a particular period in Churchill’s life, as if his life was the stage and the guests in the room were the spectators or audience.

To honour the life and work of Sir Winston Churchill was an exciting proposition which gave us the opportunity to include a high level of immersive detailing. Throughout the room we made use of bespoke production design and props to convey a strong narrative, paying particular attention to key periods of his life. These included his time as an artist and his achievements as a leader in World War II, for example.

To ensure the success of the immersion, the wider scope of the design needed to be bold and obvious, with hidden layers of detail available for those who wanted to explore. We made use of recognisable iconography, vintage print and famous portraits, whilst adding texture, authentic objects and layers of detail that guests would not have seen before. Our objective here was to create a type of exhibition, as if walking through a physical timeline of Churchill-inspired installations which you could appreciate at a glance, but then truly fall into should you wish to interact with.

Our bespoke production team created two impressive cocktail bars which were made with glass panelling to the bar surface and on all four corners. From a bird’s eye perspective, we created a mini museum layout with graphics, memorabilia and design from World War II, something you’d expect to see in a war museum. Installed in the corners we placed props from his life, ensuring these beautiful bars were transformed into living time pieces that could easily have been installed into the V&A.

Further, our bespoke efforts were seen across the furniture in the room. We made console tables with hand painted portraits of Churchill on their exterior and coffee tables which housed larger props to further extend the storytelling and authenticity of our narrative.

The level of detail and intricacy we explored for this event is something that we are extremely proud of and this is a great example of how high-level storytelling can be achieved whilst the enjoyment of a cocktail party can operate in tandem.

We collaborated with partners to create one seamless production and a consistency throughout the styling of the event. Food and drink design was important and whilst the cocktail bars were the focal point, passed cuisine in various form circulated with elegant styling to complement our immersion. Production was also integral, with tungsten bulbs adding a vintage effect and ambient lights to bring warmth.

Our installations, whilst working harmoniously as a whole, each reflected a unique moment in Churchill’s past. It was important that we used items from these particular times in history as authenticity is critical in our work. One installation, to represent war, made use of parcels wrapped in paper, salvaged from World War II, displayed with labels. These installations were placed to invoke nostalgia and to take us back in time.

To soften the room we brought in Chesterfield sofas and stools, a nod to an old smoking lounge, the thought of Churchill drinking a whisky at the end of a busy day in Parliament or the War Cabinet getting together to reflect on a night of strategy.