

Solus Ceramics
At GS Contracts attention to quality workmanship is at the heart of what we do.
And, when projects still look as good as new several years after they were completed, we know our hard work is paying off!
This is certainly the case at the Solus Ceramics’ Clerkenwell showroom.
The leading tile supplier wanted to create an informal space which offered architects and designers somewhere they could go to look for tile inspiration and develop design schemes.
Our friends at BusbyWebb carried out the design for the two-floor showroom and the end result is simply stunning.
When visitors enter the building, they are met with a striking concrete reception and bar area, and there is plenty of space to explore the new and exciting tile ranges on offer from Solus.




An impressive steel staircase fabricated by our joinery team takes you down to the lower floor. Here you can take your time to look through more Solus products while meeting rooms are separated from the main space by glass doors.
The building is light, airy and inviting, with exposed cable tracks and concrete pillars completing the look.
And the flooring? Well, as a tile specialist that was something Solus was keen to sort themselves!




Gavin Caiger-Barker, GS Contracts’ Business Development Manager said: “This is one of the best examples of what we do, as it is full of joinery work both in metal and timber, and it shows just what our team can achieve. To look at it you wouldn’t realise the project was carried out three years ago. It really has stood the test of time very well.”
Importantly the basement was tanked so drilling into the floor and walls was out of the question. This meant fixtures and fittings had to be free standing which when displaying multiple heavy tiles could have been an issue.
However, our joinery team rose to the challenge, taking the weight of the tiles into consideration while creating beautiful yet practical display units. Where the units were placed was also taken into consideration, given their weight.
The clever design recognised that the space needed to be hardwearing, as if a tile is dropped on a floor or surface it can cause considerable damage. This meant the GS team worked with some slightly more unusual materials such as black Valchromat MDF, which is more hardwearing than standard MDF.


Solus Ceramics was so impressed with the final result we have been back to carry out a number of further projects at the showroom.
One of our favourites was a bespoke window display, designed by @aleksa_studios_london and fabricated by GS Contracts.
The eye-catching display featured a metal frame with large vertical pins set top and bottom. Metal wings were attached to these allowing a rainbow of tiles to be displayed front and back, and angled in different directions. When shoppers walked past the showroom, they were hit by a wall of colour.
Gavin added: “It was a pretty simple idea but very attractive. All the weight of the tiles was transferred to the bottom of the frame and the end result was really eye-catching.”
Click here to take a virtual tour of the Solus Ceramics showroom Solus Clerkenwell – Google Maps
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