Taking Corston to the EU
Quality-first design is at the heart of what we do. We want to make it accessible to everyone. And that means outside the UK too.
We’ve grown fast as a company over the last four years.
In that time, we’ve developed an edited choice of products that we really believe in. We’ve also grown and nurtured direct relationships with our customers – that’s the beauty of an online business, after all.
It felt only right, then, to introduce Corston to other markets.
Digging a little deeper, we found a gap in the EU market for high-quality designs that don’t cost the earth.
Quality-first design is at the heart of what we do. We want to make it accessible to everyone. And that means outside the UK too.
We’ve grown fast as a company over the last four years.
In that time, we’ve developed an edited choice of products that we really believe in. We’ve also grown and nurtured direct relationships with our customers – that’s the beauty of an online business, after all.
It felt only right, then, to introduce Corston to other markets.
Digging a little deeper, we found a gap in the EU market for high-quality designs that don’t cost the earth.
Designing for the EU – what’s different
We knew our switches and sockets would need some rethinking for the rest of Europe.
A totally different set up (round back boxes for starters) meant there’d have to be some fundamental changes.
The round back boxes aside (the backplates on the switches and sockets are round to work with these), we’ve also made a few style changes to our European designs.
The toggles are even sleeker – a clean taper shape – and a touch smaller too.
The rocker switches are in the classic European style (which, by the way, we love). A square that’s either divided in half to create two switches or left as it is for one large switch. We went with a 45mm square which feels generous but still elegant.
The rockers themselves are also made from solid brass for a heavy click and those crisp edges.
We knew our switches and sockets would need some rethinking for the rest of Europe.
A totally different set up (round back boxes for starters) meant there’d have to be some fundamental changes.
The round back boxes aside (the backplates on the switches and sockets are round to work with these), we’ve also made a few style changes to our European designs.
The toggles are even sleeker – a clean taper shape – and a touch smaller too.
The rocker switches are in the classic European style (which, by the way, we love). A square that’s either divided in half to create two switches or left as it is for one large switch. We went with a 45mm square which feels generous but still elegant.
The rockers themselves are also made from solid brass for a heavy click and those crisp edges.
The rotary dimmers are larger than you’ll find in the UK too. They have a brass collar underneath to hide all the working parts and have slight notches on the turn.
We’ve also spaced all these switch types out nicely on their plates, so things look calm not cluttered.
Finally, there are two types of sockets: those set within a 45mm module (to match the rocker switches); and the ‘keystone’ modules which are just 20mm square to keep the plastic to a minimum and show as much of the metal as possible.
And what little plastic there is across the range is pitted so it has a slightly textured, satin (not shiny) finish.
We’ve also spaced all these switch types out nicely on their plates, so things look calm not cluttered.
Finally, there are two types of sockets: those set within a 45mm module (to match the rocker switches); and the ‘keystone’ modules which are just 20mm square to keep the plastic to a minimum and show as much of the metal as possible.
And what little plastic there is across the range is pitted so it has a slightly textured, satin (not shiny) finish.
One-of-a-kind back boxes
There’s a lot to say about our 100% recycled plastic back boxes.
So much so that we’ve made a video for our UK range here. It’s all pretty much the same for Europe except they’re round-ended to match the standard in the EU.
One other extra feature we’ve added are render trims.
These slip over the back box and raise it up by a few millimetres (3mm for plaster and 9mm for thicker renders) so you can render or plaster over the edges of the back box and get a perfect finish around your switch or socket. The boxes all come with covers that stop the render/plaster from getting inside while you’re doing this.
The trims are optional but the boxes themselves aren’t. The design of our flush-fit switches and sockets means you need the features in our back boxes to install them.
Find all our switches and sockets here. If you're a professional interior designer, architect or builder and haven’t ordered from us before, you can apply for a trade account here.
There’s a lot to say about our 100% recycled plastic back boxes.
So much so that we’ve made a video for our UK range here. It’s all pretty much the same for Europe except they’re round-ended to match the standard in the EU.
One other extra feature we’ve added are render trims.
These slip over the back box and raise it up by a few millimetres (3mm for plaster and 9mm for thicker renders) so you can render or plaster over the edges of the back box and get a perfect finish around your switch or socket. The boxes all come with covers that stop the render/plaster from getting inside while you’re doing this.
The trims are optional but the boxes themselves aren’t. The design of our flush-fit switches and sockets means you need the features in our back boxes to install them.
Find all our switches and sockets here. If you're a professional interior designer, architect or builder and haven’t ordered from us before, you can apply for a trade account here.
Published on 27th July 2023