Popinjay Bespoke Joinery

A Message from Lord Pickles and Lord Blunkett, followed by Popinjay Bespoke Joinery's best practice article

The ability to listen and learn from one another has always been vital in parliament, in business and in most aspects of daily life. But at this particular moment in time, as national and global events continue to reiterate, it is uncommonly crucial that we forge new channels of communication and reinforce existing ones. The following article from Popinjay Bespoke Joinery is an attempt to do just that. We would welcome your thoughts on this or any other Parliamentary Review article.

Rt Hon The Lord David Blunkett, MP

Rt Hon The Lord Eric Pickles, MP

www.popinjaygroup.com

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

22 | POPINJAY BESPOKE JOINERY

Co-directors Harry Roper-

Curzon (left) and George

Munton (right),

Working with well-known

architects and designers

Based in London, Popinjay Bespoke Joinery is an ambitious

new company dedicated to the delivery of bespoke joinery

that’s not only highly functional, but beautiful too. This

bespoke element is especially important when it comes to

home fittings, which can vary greatly in style and scale, and

are often highly valued by their possessors. Co-directors, Harry

Roper-Curzon and George Munton, saw enormous potential

in this industry, and it was on this basis that they founded the

company. They’ve just started to make their impact on London

and have a strong appetite for growth. Harry and George tell

The Parliamentary Review

what is required in the industry, as

well as what distinguishes them in this field.

A fresh new approach

Starting a new company is always a risk, but in our case, we knew there was

potential. We have a strong background in building, as we had been involved

in project management for the residential refurbishment sector. In this capacity,

we’d already developed good contacts within the industry and saw this as a good

foundation to work from. In fact, we still work in this area to a minor extent.

During our time in this role, what was particularly noticeable for us was how much

more reliable and effective being in the business of joinery was. Turnaround times

here were matters of weeks, not months, and cash flow was consistently on our

side. We saw the potential this sector had and we knew we had the skills to work

solely within it: It was just a matter of implementing it. It was on this basis that

Popinjay Bespoke Joinery was established.

FACTS ABOUT

POPINJAY BESPOKE JOINERY

»Co-directors: Harry Roper-

Curzon and George Munton

»Founded in 2018

»Based in London

»Services: Bespoke joinery

»No. of employees: 4

»www.popinjaygroup.com

Popinjay Bespoke

Joinery

23POPINJAY BESPOKE JOINERY |

BEST PRACTICE REPRESENTATIVE 2019

Function and form

Our main goal is to deliver joinery

that’s both aesthetic and fit for

purpose, and to do so in such a way

that our clients’ expectations are met

or exceeded. The idea that function

and form are in any contest at all

with each other is a false dichotomy.

Ultimately, we fully appreciate the

importance that many people attach

to intelligent storage solutions for

homes or places of work – be these

kitchens, dressing rooms, bathroom

suites or even desks and furniture

of all styles – and treat every project

with the seriousness and attention

it deserves. In practice, this means

ensuring that every order receives only

the utmost care and detail, not only to

meet customer expectations, but also

because we take pride in the work that

we do.

To do this, of course, requires

infrastructure, which is why we have

a considerable range of factories –

three in Europe and one in Wiltshire

– and workshops underpinning our

efforts. This means we can perform

large-scale joinery packages accurately

and with minimal turnaround times.

Adjoining this, too, is a panoply of

high-quality materials and a team of

experts in craftsmanship, ensuring our

projects are capable of meeting the

highest standards – indeed, meeting all

standards.

On top of all this, we work with well-

known architects and designers who

have a keen eye for detail and for

aesthetic excellence. Moreover, we

perform this service on a nationwide

and even international basis, even

if most of our custom takes place in

west London. Also worth noting is

One of our many

projects

Our main goal

is to deliver

joinery that’s

both aesthetic

and fit for

purpose

“

THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW

Highlighting best practice

24 | POPINJAY BESPOKE JOINERY

the fact that we have an exceptional

aftercare service, so if any issues arise

surrounding our work, we’ll always be

around to help.

Insights into the industry

One of the challenges with a company

like ours is that, no matter how good

you are, unless you’re visible, no one

will ever use your services. We have

the quality and the experience, but

not necessarily the reach. This is why

we had to adopt a branding and a

name which stood out from the rest,

one which didn’t contain generic

wording related to our industry. In this

regard, “Popinjay” was sufficient to

distinguish us from the other results

on Google. For this reason and others,

our presence online is becoming more

visible as we speak.

Another difficulty worth mentioning,

albeit not strictly related to our

current company, is the delay that

so many in the building industry

experience with regard to the

planning process. The red paper and

the processes through which one has

to struggle not only hinders much-

needed developments for the UK but

also limits the growth of companies

and, by extension, the number of jobs

available.

With regard to Britain’s exit from the

European Union, we have noticed

more people are holding onto their

properties as a result of the reduction

in house prices. This, in turn, means

fewer people are looking to sell their

properties, entailing a greater focus

on increasing square footage instead.

Because this will often involve more

joinery, it could be good for us. On

the whole, though, the property

market will always go through cycles;

it’s just in a trough at the moment.

As we make our way through these

negotiations with the EU, confidence

will be restored and the housing

market will be back to normal.

What the future holds in store

for us

We are profoundly confident about

our future. We’re a small business

at the moment, but we have reason

to believe that we can expand to

become a become a medium-sized

enterprise. We have all the correct

foundations in place – the skills, the

experience, the infrastructure, the

industry contacts, the competitive

prices and the high-quality results –

and all we need to do now is get the

word out there. In short, we want to

make a large impact on the industry,

raising standards and exemplifying

best practice in so doing.

We work with

well-known

architects and

designers who

have a keen

eye for detail

and for

aesthetic

excellence

“

Distinctively bespoke

The Parliamentary Review Publication, in which this article originally appeared, contained the following foreword from the prime minister.

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP's Foreword For The Parliamentary Review

By The Rt Hon Theresa May MP

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review. For Her Majesty’s Government, our task in the year ahead is clear: to achieve the best Brexit deal for Britain and to carry on our work to build a more prosperous and united country – one that truly works for everyone.

The right Brexit deal will not be sufficient on its own to secure a more prosperous future for Britain. We also need to ensure that our economy is ready for what tomorrow will bring. Our Modern Industrial Strategy is our plan to do that. It means Government stepping up to secure the foundations of our productivity: providing an education system that delivers the skills our economy needs, improving school standards and transforming technical education; delivering infrastructure for growth; ensuring people have the homes they need in the places they want to live. It is all about taking action for the long-term that will pay dividends in the future.

But it also goes beyond that. Government, the private sector and academia working together as strategic partners achieve far more than we could separately. That is why we have set an ambitious goal of lifting UK public and private research and development investment to 2.4 per cent of GDP by 2027. It is why we are developing four Grand Challenges, the big drivers of social and economic change in the world today: harnessing artificial intelligence and the data revolution; leading in changes to the future of mobility; meeting the challenges of our ageing society; and driving ahead the revolution in clean growth. By focusing our efforts on making the most of these areas of enormous potential, we can develop new exports, grow new industries and create more good jobs in every part of our country.

Years of hard work and sacrifice from the British people have got our deficit down by over three quarters. We are building on this success by taking a balanced approach to public spending. We are continuing to deal with our debts, so that our economy can remain strong and we can protect people’s jobs, and at the same time we are investing in vital public services, like our NHS. We have set out plans to increase NHS funding annually by an average by 3.4 percent in real terms: that is £394 million a week more. In return, the NHS will produce a ten-year plan, led by doctors and nurses, to eliminate waste and improve patient care.

I believe that Britain can look to the future with confidence. We are leaving the EU and setting a new course for prosperity as a global trading nation. We have a Modern Industrial Strategy that is strengthening the foundations of our economy and helping us to seize the opportunities of the future. We are investing in the public services we all rely on and helping them to grow and improve. Building on our country’s great strengths – our world-class universities and researchers, our excellent services sector, our cutting edge manufacturers, our vibrant creative industries, our dedicated public servants – we can look towards a new decade that is ripe with possibility. The government I lead is doing all it can to make that brighter future a reality for everyone in our country.

British politics provides ample material for analysis in the pages of The Parliamentary Review

The Rt Hon Theresa May MP
Prime Minister