Success Story: Painting and Decorating an Early Victorian House in London
Property History:
When The Good Painter was asked to help restore an early Victorian semi-detached house in Clifton Hill, St Johns Wood, to its former glory, we couldn’t wait to get started.
The three-story Grade II listed building is a late Regency property that was built in 1840. Its previous owner had refurbished it to a blander contemporary style that seemed out of place considering the rich history of the property. This was to be a renovation of the whole house, focusing on the basement, ground floor and first floor.
Client Brief
The owner wanted to renovate the property right down to its roots, maintaining its rich history but also emphasising the romanticism and elegance it needed to truly shine. The house also needed to work as a practical, functional home for both relatives and guests.
The Good Painter’s primary intention was to carry out a high-quality renovation whilst showcasing the beautiful traditional style of the property.
Kitchen
We wanted to give the kitchen a traditional style that was also practical for family life. We aimed to bring a true elegance to the kitchen and spent lots of time choosing colours and coming up with the perfect overall design.
We painted the kitchen island in Farrow and Ball’s Lichen and the bespoke cabinetry in Vert de Terre. We used simple Fired Earth glazed metro tiles on the splashback behind the cooker for an authentic, homely look.
The ceiling was painted in Farrow and Ball’s All White and the walls in White Tie by Farrow and Ball to emphasise the colour of the island and the worktops. It was the perfect complementary tone and helped to create a harmonious look that isn’t too busy.
Dining Room
The kitchen leads to the dining room and opens out onto the garden, so we wanted to create a sense of a continuation from the outside and a fresh, natural atmosphere.
The client wanted to retain the greenery of the garden to give the illusion of extension, so our painters and decorators used Earlham, a blue-grey silk design by De Gournay, to create a feature wall.
The walls were finished with Farrow and Ball’s White Tie, using this specific tone in various rooms throughout the house to keep the style consistent.
Master Bedroom
The Master Bedroom was kept relatively clean and classic as it blends to the ensuite bathroom where more colour is portrayed. The walls were painted with Slipper Satin no.2004 by Farrow and Ball, which is a popular chalky off white for a subtle but sophisticated traditional scheme. The ceilings are painted consistently with Farrow and Ball’s All White, to really define the walls and keep the scheme and palette equal.
Master En Suite Bathroom
The master en-suite bathroom needed to coordinate with the bedroom to emphasise its traditional and elegant outcome. Our team chose a subtle yet striking colour scheme of sage and ivory with strong floral patterns for the walls. The wallpaper was sourced from Colefax and Fowler, and it’s the Snow Tree Old Blue, we particularly loved this wallpaper as it’s glamourous and contemporary colourings works perfectly with the message the owner was trying to portray. We complemented this with Farrow and Ball’s Slipper Satin for the wall panelling to emphasise the beautiful colours in the wallpaper, and to combine with the bedroom.
Hallway
The Good Painter painted the hallway in a combination of Vert de Terre (Farrow & Ball, 234) and Dimity (2008), using expert painting techniques to avoid clotted sections and create a perfectly smooth and clean surface. This is another key feature that should be handled by a specialised service, you may find this on our blog post on reasons to choose a professional painter and decorator.
Efficiency is key when renovating a property, even minor details must be considered for a high-quality outcome. Our primary objective was restoring the quality of the unique features of the property, such as this beautiful element that reveals a story about the history of the property.
Before
After
Before
After
“The property is extremely important to me and it’s a treasure of mine, but I knew it could look so much better and more authentic. Finding a professional and capable painting and decorating service was a priority of mine. I didn’t want to risk facing a disheartening outcome where something would be poorly done or feel like it was a completely different house from before. The Good Painter left me satisfied and truly delighted with their care, attention and brilliant work-driven composure.”
Dressing Room
When decorating the property, our painters and decorators followed a consistent theme of greens, blues, whites and neutrals. We wanted a blue-tone focused dressing room, but initially found it a challenged to find the right soft blue colour.
Eventually we found a gorgeous subtle tone called Cromarty 285 by Fallow and Ball. We also used Colefax and Fowler’s aqua-coloured Heywood wallpaper on the joinery to create an interesting contrast.
Childrens room
Our focus for the childrens room was to create a charming yet appropriate space that would mature nicely as the child grows older. Our team spent some time deciding on the perfect blue to create a marine theme and settled on Linen Wash 33 for the walls with Juniper Ash 115 by Little Greene as the accent and prominent colour.
QUESTIONS FOR THE CLIENT:
What was the main challenge during the painting and decorating project?
Initially, I was worried that the job wouldn’t be completed within the time frame I requested. In addition, choosing the appropriate blue colour tones for the dressing room and children’s rooms was challenging as I wanted the colours to complement each other without being contradicting. Luckily all of this was achieved and done promptly.
What did you enjoy the most during the process?
I could see for myself the journey of the renovation and how everything fell into place, just as I had envisioned and hoped for. It was a great satisfaction to see my property restored to its original beauty, and now I’m excited to share with my family.
What would be your advice to anyone planning a painting and decorating project?
Finding a company who cares about your project as much as you do. The Good Painter worked with the utmost care on the balusters, walls and joinery and achieved a beautiful result throughout the house.
Our Painting and Decorating Service
Want to achieve a success story of your own? We’re here to help you renovate your property and create the dream home you’ve always wanted. We deliver a high-quality service without the hassle, and no job is too big or small for us.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can renovate your home to its excellent standards, visit our residential painting and decorating services page and get a quote instantly!
