At GS Contracts our joinery team never fails to amaze, creating spectacular bespoke fixtures and fittings to ensure our customers can turn their design vision into a reality.
Based at Moorside in Colchester, our in-house team love a challenge.

From the delivery of raw materials to the final installation, they combine traditional skills and an innovative approach to achieve a high-quality finish.

Full fit-outs

Sometimes a project arrives at our door that really allows the skills of the joinery team to shine.

The prestigious Rovi Ottolenghi restaurant in London is one of those. The opulent style and mix of materials create a stunning showcase for what the team can achieve, using specialist joinery and metalwork to complete the look.

The client was delighted: “GS Contracts are exceedingly conscientious, and even though our design specs were quite demanding, nothing seemed to be a problem.”

Rising to the challenge

Led both by the design and the need to make sure the finished product is functional, the team works with a wide range of materials from timber and solid surfaces, to metals, glass, acrylics and plastics.

And if you want to create something which is really out of the box then look no further!

Bird Street in London was a brilliant example of innovative thinking which put our team to the test. The project’s aim was to create the world’s first sustainable ‘smart street’ – a tech-friendly, traffic-free thoroughfare which took advantage of next-generation technology from around the globe.

Our brief was to create the retail pods and street furniture for the project. Designed by architect Harry Dobbs Design, the brightly coloured, multi-faceted pods conjured up images of origami birds as a nod to the street’s name. Clever design meant they could either stand alone or link together to create larger units. We also created a truly unique bench, designed by a team of atmospheric chemists to allow visitors to enjoy fresh, filtered air while resting their legs.

Never a dull moment!

Working with restaurants, cafes, hotels, bars and shops means that the variety of projects which come through our joinery workshop is really varied. This was certainly true when we were asked to help create a piece of installation art at the spectacular Atoll in Finsbury Avenue.

The concept bar incorporates a bold 7.5-metre-high installation by artist Morag Myerscough. We used cladding and the exotic wood, iroko, to create the structure for this fairground-like centrepiece and the final result is simply stunning.

Standalone commissions

As much as our joinery team works to support full fit-outs, they can also help when a client wants to commission a bespoke standalone item to update their look.

A recent example saw the team create a truly unique cage seat from scratch and they are happy to work on other such projects.

If you have a bespoke joinery project you would like to discuss, get in touch today.

Call us on 01206 793053.

Creating amazing spaces is what we do at GS Contracts, and despite the huge challenges 2020 has thrown at us all, we haven’t been deterred! 

So, with the year now coming to an end we wanted to celebrate just some of our success stories, before we move forward with the exciting projects that are in store for 2021. 

Queens of Mayfair

We loved working on the fit-out of this sumptuous coffee bar by day and cocktail bar at night. Everything about it screams luxury from the floor to ceiling mirrors, hand-painted wallpaper in chinoiserie blues and golds, and high-end brass finishes. Despite our unwavering attention to detail, it only tool five weeks to complete. 

All projects have their tricky parts, and with Queens of Mayfair this proved to be the corrugated blue counter which runs the length of the front room. 

Despite being crafted to spec in our Colchester workshop, once installed in the London venue the height proved to be a bit too imposing. This certainly didn’t faze our team. They set straight to work sketching out alterations, before bringing it back to the workshop for a redesign. The final result is simply stunning. 

Spread Eagle

Our team really does love a challenge. So, when we were asked to convert a Grade II* Listed pub – part of which dates from the 1300s – into a beautiful Chinese restaurant, we couldn’t wait to get started! 

The Spread Eagle in Witham had been empty for some time and posed lots of challenges buildings of this age so often present.  

But at GS Contracts we have years of experience making the very most of original details, and there was so much to celebrate in this building including exposed herringbone brickwork and stunning wooden floors.  

Working with the vision of the designers at Harp Interiors, there was plenty of original, bespoke detail involved too, and we are particularly proud of the feature bar we created. The resulting AKA Restaurant & Lounge is a beautiful mix of old and new. 

The Athenian

The Athenian in London Bridge posed many a quandary for our team.  

As the unit is actually part of the station, there were extra restrictions and protocols we had to follow. On top of that some sections of the unit were made entirely of concrete. And if that wasn’t enough, just two weeks before we completed the project the country was plunged into its first lockdown. 

After a pause we returned to complete the project, with altered designs to allow for new rules for distancing and food retail. Additional Covid-safe rules also meant we were limited in how many people we could have onsite. 

The result is really something to be proud of, especially when you take into consideration the many challenges the team faced along the way. 

If you have a retail, leisure, residential or hospitality project you could use our team’s help with then don’t hesitate to get in touch on 01206 793053.