Q&A with Stuart Crossing, our in-house Fittings & Installations Manager
Here at Christopher Peters, we’re proud of our British heritage. Our bespoke furniture is handmade in our Warwickshire-based workshop and we’re proud to work with some of the most talented artisans and specialists in the area to create our one-off designs and pieces.
In honour of Buy British Day on 3rd October, we caught up with Stuart Crossin, our Fittings & Installations Manager. Expert in working with our British-crafted products, Stuart shares more about what his role involves and what his typical working day looks like.
How long have you been at Christopher Peters and what did you do before?
I’ve been at Christopher Peters for 18 months now. Previously self-employed in the building trade, I’ve got over 30 years’ experience fitting bathrooms, kitchens and home interiors. I saw an advertisement for this job and, as they say, the rest is history!
What attracted you to the role?
I was looking for an employed role, where I could put my expertise to good use. Having worked as a sole trader, I was keen to work as part of a team. I enjoy being able to meet clients, understand their needs and find solutions. I’m a real people-person and being able to work with clients, and with my own team, really appealed to me.
What does a typical day look like for you?
No two days are the same here – there’s always so much variety and what we’re doing is often led by the projects we’re currently working on. I meet with the fittings and installations team every day so we can discuss our priorities and I can plan ahead, identifying any challenges and resolving them. As well as leading the team here, I also get to go out to clients’ houses to fit our products. It’s great to be part of the whole renovation process, from hearing about a client’s ideas for their space, to seeing the project come to life when we fit it.
What is your favourite part of the role?
I get to work with such a range of clients, whose needs all differ. As each of our projects is bespoke, our work is always different so we can be really creative. Being part of each renovation journey and seeing how pleased a customer is with their finished project makes all our hard work worthwhile.
I love being able to work with period properties. As all our installations are made-to-measure, we can fit them to any space. Fitting something perfectly to a non-standard wall always feels satisfying – it’s the joy of creating bespoke furniture. Being able to make a piece of furniture look like it belongs is one of my favourite parts of an installation.
Many of our installations are part of a bigger renovation project, so we work alongside other tradespeople. They often comment on the quality of our products and how incredible our finished projects look. An appreciation of how special our work is from other tradespeople always feels like a big compliment.
What’s it like working at Christopher Peters?
Everyone at Christopher Peters is so dedicated to providing exceptional service. Managing the fittings and installations team meansprogressing and developing other talented professionals and what we achieve as a team of four is down to the commitment and expertise.
As a company, we have a get together twice a year, where we share some good food and catch up with each other. We’re all so busy during the working day and it’s important to make sure we stop and reflect on our collective achievements. As we work across different locations – head office, the workshop and the paint shop, it’s always good to get the entire team together.
What’s your work-life balance like?
Being employed has brought a lot more structure to my work. We’re always flexible to fit around clients’ needs, but our projects are run efficiently, so we have time for each part of the process. I have a family, and working at Christopher Peters means I get to enjoy my time with them in the evenings and during weekends. Having a role that fits in so well with my family life is a big positive. I love what I do, we all feel valued and appreciated and want to do all we can for our customers.
What’s coming up for you at Christopher Peters?
As the business continues to grow, we may need to expand our fitting and installations team. That would mean my role would focus more on trouble shooting and site visits which would be an exciting progression – for me and for the company.
To book a free consultation with our expert design team, call us on 01926 832511.