London based contractor du Boulay Contracts has recently completed the fit out of the new Jamie’s Italian restaurant in the heart of the historic city of Cambridge. Here, the company talks to Shop Spec about the project brief and how it was fulfilled.
Jamie’s Italian Cambridge is the eighth in the massively successful chain serving affordable quality Italian food established by the ‘Naked Chef’ Jamie Oliver and is located within the striking 19th Century Grade II listed Guildhall in the Peas Hill and Market Square district.
The project has provided contracts director Michael Reed and designer Garrow Seal of Martin Brudnizki Design Studio, the challenge of working in a historic and sensitive environment.
Garrow Seal commented: “Working with du Boulay ensured that we have successfully achieved quality in design by preserving the original architectural features of the building and creating modern, practical solutions to meet the client’s brief.”
The brief was to create and realise the very latest concepts in restaurant and bar design while maintaining and protecting the original features. The building had been largely remodelled by Charles Cowles-Voysey in the 1930s, however the stunning 1884 Rotunda was retained and forms a prominent and unique design feature of the whole dining experience. One of the biggest challenges was restoring the intricate plasterwork inside the 19th Century dome area and above the marble colonnades.
The main hall includes the show kitchen with all the cooking visible to the dinners, this is very much part of the theatre of a Jamie’s experience. The anti pasti counter with its reclaimed solid oak top and handmade Spanish tiled front is a prominent feature with the black oxidized steel display rails laden with hanging hams, salamis and sausage meats along with large rounds of Italian cheese.
Custom made steel and copper lighting to the marble columns supporting the rotunda were commissioned along with a number of specially made steel and glass chandeliers to the dining rooms and main staircase.
The main bar counter features decorative tiles salvaged from a famous hotel in Southend topped with Arabescato polished marble with a finely moulded edge detail. Dark polished oak joinery, granite and antique mirror complete the back counter joinery. The bar area has leather banquette seating finished a bright lime green with the timber panelling highlighted with antique mirrors and aged brass light fittings to give a warm and inviting atmosphere.
Simon Blagden, MD of Jamie’s Italian Restaurants said: “We are delighted with the completed restaurant. We were confident that in du Boulay we had a very safe pair of hands. We could trust them to deliver on time while managing the project with the sensitivity yet dynamic and practical approach required.”
Extensive renovation works were carried out to the original 19th century pine herringbone flooring throughout the ground floor with salvaged material skillfully let into the existing floor to repair decades of wear and tear.
Contracts director Michael Reed also co
mmented: “Although the very nature of the listed status can present many inherent challenges, it was immensely satisfying to achieve the finished result. We are extremely proud to be working with Jamie Oliver and the Jamie’s Italian brand.”
du Boulay Contracts is a main contractors in the commercial refurbishment sector of the construction industry. Working from offices in the Royal Victoria Patriotic Building in Wandsworth, the company has built up an enviable reputation over 35 years in the field of fitting out licensed premises – predominantly restaurants, bars, pubs and nightclubs. In addition it has fitted out many
offices, casinos, hotels, airport lounges, and high street multiple units. It specialises in the contract range from £250,000 to over £1m.