Crown Creative captures the Irish landscape’s quiet hum for Birch Cabins

Crown Creative has developed the identity and interiors for Birch Cabins, a luxury retreat nestled within Northern Ireland’s historic Florida Manor Estate. The New York, London and Belfast-based studio shaped every dimension of the project – strategy, naming, visual language, spatial design and digital presence – building a cohesive experience where stillness becomes tangible. The cabins occupy 200 acres of rolling countryside near Strangford Lough, surrounded by birch trees that lend both their name and symbolic weight to the project. Growth and renewal anchor the narrative, with these themes woven through typography, material choices and spatial planning. Crown Creative has since been shortlisted for Design Practice Team of the Year at the 2025 IDI Awards, with Birch Cabins recognised for both brand and interior design. Working from the ground up meant unusual freedom. “This was a dream project for our studio,” says Founder & Creative Director Ryan Crown. “We were able to shape every layer – from strategy and interiors to brand and digital – which is where we do our best work. It’s in this full-scope approach that our team thrives.” That scope began with a weathered sign discovered within Florida Manor itself. Dating to the 17th century, the hand-rendered lettering carried what Senior Brand Designer Matthew Butler describes as “quiet dignity, a sense of ownership and legacy.” Rather than archive it as inspiration, the team extracted its proportions and curves, refining stroke contrast and geometry whilst preserving its essential character. The resulting wordmark bridges three centuries, rooting contemporary luxury in estate heritage without mimicry. Typography extends this tension between old and new. A custom serif inspired by that historical inscription pairs with a clean, modern sans across all touchpoints. One grounds the brand in place and history; the other signals contemporary refinement. Butler describes it as a recurring theme: “old and new, crafted and minimal, Irish and globally relevant.”