This article was first published on Natural Paving
Natural Paving Products (UK) Ltd has designed and supplied a striking natural stone display for Clarkes of Walsham’s flagship new store at Jimmy’s Farm in Suffolk.
Made famous by the BBC2 series of the same name, Jimmy’s Farm is a popular family attraction consisting of a farm park, woodland nature trails, a restaurant and several shops. Recognising the positive fit with its own brand, Clarkes of Walsham, one of East Anglia’s largest independent suppliers of building, farming and garden materials, decided to open its new store there – the first branch to open outside of Walsham in more than 100 years.
With numerous visitors passing through the farm each year, Natural Paving Products – already an existing supplier to Clarkes of Walsham – saw a great opportunity to create an attractive display that would draw customers into the store itself, as well showcasing the natural stone products in an appropriate environment. The resulting design is an eye-catching mixture of Natural Paving Products’ most popular paving stones, which creates an appealing first impression for visitors approaching the new store.
Commenting on the installation, Neil Elers Purchasing Director at Clarkes of Walsham, said: “Jimmy’s Farm is the perfect location for us: there is a huge customer footfall but most importantly, it attracts the ideal demographic for our line of products. The new display looks fantastic, the design is really forward thinking and edgy and it showcases the more modern colours and sizes that we are finding our customers prefer.”
The display itself consists of more than 225m2 of paving, comprising a mixture of both riven finish flags and smoother, sawn stones. Taking front stage are highlights from Natural Paving Products’ Premiastone range including its Platinum, Walnut and York Mix sandstones, as well as the warmly honed Maple sandstone. Machine cut to give a smooth ‘square edge’ look, the Premiastone range includes some of most contemporary and appealing natural stone products on the market.
To provide a pleasant visual contrast and give some inspiration for more traditionally styled gardens, the display also includes classic styles, such as the beautifully riven Lakeland sandstone, the pink toned Harvest sandstone and the cool grey Promenade sandstone – all from Natural Paving Products’ Classicstone range.
Finishing off the display, the design also includes a walled area, created using stones from Natural Paving Products’ range of walling and coping materials. Designed to provide a natural way of enclosing spaces or creating inspiring features within outdoor areas, the range taps into the classic appeal of traditional rural design.
“When it comes to limestone and sandstone, we think Natural Paving Products’ stone is the best out there and the display gives visitors the chance to see that for themselves,” Neil concluded. “Our customers are quite discerning and will generally buy better quality products because they know they’re going to last, which is why Natural Paving Products’ stone has proved so popular in our branches. The products really do look amazing and certainly seem to be doing their job in drawing visitors into the store.”
