Back in the early eighties, a very famous European beer brand decided that they needed to address the fact that their product was more expensive than competitors, due to its higher strength.

But rather than shy away from the slightly awkward fact, they actually embraced it whole heartedly and ended up basing a whole TV ad campaign around it. The campaign was called ‘Reassuringly Expensive’ and the brand of course was ‘Stella Artois’.

Now, we have to admit, we’re not big fans of the brand itself, but we are big fans of a campaign that was bold, confident and had a sense of self belief. It basically said, ‘you’re buying quality’.

And here’s the point, that ‘Reassuringly Expensive’ ad campaign could just as easily work for us at Leyden because when it comes to traditional plastering and rendering we know we’re not the cheapest. It’s important that we admit that to you and that more importantly, you as customers understand it.

The real positive point here is that our customers are so much more interested in the quality of the job we do, the craftsmanship involved and the attention to detail that we operate with (albeit slightly obsessive on occasions).

When we talk to customers about why they want Leyden on their projects, there are two very clear, recuring themes. First of all, they want to do the ‘right thing’ by the building itself and second of all they view themselves as ‘custodians’ of the property and not just ‘owners’, so it’s about the preservation for the future.

It’s our aim to bring period property back to life by using true craftsmanship on renders, hand-crafted pointing, lime plasters and decorative features. Our company has knowledge, an appreciation of the very fabric of older buildings and a detailed understanding of the techniques and materials required to complete any job in an honest, respectful and friendly way.

So, if you’re restoring a period property or if you’re redeveloping one on behalf of a client, then why don’t you start a conversation with us at Leyden. We are after-all, serious about craftsmanship. In the meantime, all this talk of beer has made us ever so slightly thirsty.

So cheers everyone.

Matt & Hannah