At home with... Francesca Fraser from Crush

Francesca Fraser is the talent behind Crush – the contemporary design outfit that produces unusual seating cubes for the home.

I live in… a village in Hertfordshire.

My favourite room in my house is... my living room. It’s bright and spacious. There is always lots going on in that room – it’s where the family gets together and there is always a real sense of vibrancy about it.

I’ve always had a passion… for interiors. I’m a great one for ‘doing things up’ so interior design came naturally to me. My Cubes were something I developed in my spare time – I have four sons aged between 13 and 20 and I find my work a good way to maintain my creativity and individuality.

The concept came to me when… I was doing up my house and wanted extra seating that would not clutter but at the same time reflect my love of bright colour. I wanted something contemporary and modular by lightweight and unique. Hence Crush Cube!

The cube is meant… to reflect the owner’s tastes and surroundings. Most are covered in Designers Guild fabric with a little of Nono and Beaudesert thrown in but they can be bespoke to clients. I am researching printing my own digital design onto leather. Watch this space!

My Cubes went commercial when… I was studying an interiors course and an email was sent around introducing mydeco.com. I had been looking for a distributor, so I emailed them and joined a few months ago.

Crush Cubes can be used for… Everything! In my house, we sit on them, put our feet up on them, stack magazines on them – the great thing with them is they are so durable. They are covered with a removable Perspex top, which can be cleaned, changed and even used as a tray!

The easiest way to refresh a room is to... move furniture and use objects for different purposes. People always think they must go out and buy new furniture, redecorate and knock walls down but swapping chairs between rooms and filling glasses with flowers can give a room a whole new lease of life.

The piece of furniture I’d most like to own is... a white leather Eames chair. It is classic and beautiful.

My favourite possession is... my family. I guess, as an interior designer, I should say something materialistic but you can have a home filled with lovely pieces but people make it come alive.

Furniture is for... using. Earlier this year we bought a sofa by Mah–Jong and it cost a fortune. As soon as it arrived we forgot about how much it cost and just enjoyed it.

Next season... vintage will be a big influence – We’re already seeing that now in fashion. There is a strong relationship between interiors and fashion – often what is happening in the fashion world is reflected in interiors.

If my house was burning down... I would grab my family, a board I created with images of them and my cubes – although I think it would be quite a struggle to carry all of that!