Holbeck gets a touch of Spanish style

Boutique bathroom, kitchen and tile specialists, Bert & May, has moved into the former Engine House foundry building at the Round Foundry.

Fifteen staff have made the move to the new Leeds studio, which will act as the company’s head office.

The firm was previously based at Tockwith, near York, and made the move down the A64 to Leeds to expand the business and tap into the many lovers of interiors outside of London.

Lee Thornley, managing director, said: “There’s something really exciting happening in Leeds in terms of creation and design, and it was really important for us to be right at the heart of that in the Round Foundry.

“The Engine House is a stunning building and we’re already seeing the benefits of being so close to companies.

“This is a great place to be and we hope to be here for a long time.”

The new Leeds studio will also offer a design consultation service where customers can bring along plans, ideas and moodboards and have a full consultation with the expert design team.

Mr Thornley, a former barrister, left London for Spain in 2004, converting a property in Cadiz into a boutique hotel.

His eye for design led him to set up an online business selling reclaimed materials 
and in 2010, he met Juan Menacho, the owner of a small business hand-making Spanish tiles.

He invested into the business and re-opened the Menacho family factory, out of which Bert & May was born.

The company operates in Britain and Spain and the signature tiles are made in Andalusia, in southern Spain.