Five Creatives Launch FELT, a Design Studio Born From Collaborative Magic

New boutique studio brings veteran experience design expertise to cultural institutions and brands

FELT is a freshly launched boutique design studio crafting lasting experiences for cultural institutions and brands. Its founders are five veteran creatives from the experience design world—Chris Carlson, David Crumley, Ariel Efron, Julie Flechoux, and Christine Murray. FELT offers comprehensive services spanning Strategy & Planning, Media & Storytelling, Design & Environment, and Technology & Production. New boutique studio brings veteran experience design expertise to cultural institutions and brands

“We met working together at Art Processors and discovered something rare – a true creative partnership that makes each of us better at what we do,” says co-founder Julie Flechoux, “Sometimes you find a chemistry so powerful, you have to follow it wherever it leads.” Co-founder Christine Murray adds “Our name says it all. We want to design experiences that are deep with feeling, rich with texture, and resonate long after the moment.” 

FELT’s launch represents a new chapter in boutique experience design, where intimate scale meets ambitious creative vision. The studio’s size allows for direct client relationships and personalized attention while leveraging the collective expertise of the founders. “We’re small by design, but we have a huge network of collaborators that we’ve gathered over decades. We can scale up or down, depending on the project” notes co-founder David Crumley. 

FELT has already begun working with several cultural institutions, including the Acadiana Center for the Arts, National Naval Aviation Museum, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, USS Midway Museum, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. 

Each FELT member brings a distinct expertise to the table, from Ariel’s fearless storytelling using new and emerging technologies to Julie’s command of visual design and immersive media to David’s architectural lighting mastery to Christine’s documentary filmmaking craft to Chris’s software and sound art innovations. While each approaches projects from a different angle, the collective shares an unwavering commitment to story-first experiences that engage heart, body and mind in genuine, lasting ways. 

On top of their extensive experience in museum design, the FELT team also shares a common background working in live performance, theater, dance, music, and multimedia shows. “We know how to craft moments that build and release, how to engage all the senses in service of narrative, and how to design for the electric energy that happens when people come together in shared space,” notes co-founder Ariel Efron. 

FELT was born in the Spring of 2025 as Art Processors shifted its business model. “We took it as an opportunity to build the studio of our dreams, a creative collective,” says co-founder Chris Carlson. “The FELT team represents the best of what made our North American studio so special,” says Art Processors Founding Principal Nic Whyte, “A brilliant combination of craft, heart and imagination.” You can find out more about FELT at www.felt.design and on instagram.com/we_are_felt

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