Decorating Pembridge Villas

Pembridge Villas is one of Notting Hill and Bayswater's most elegant Victorian residential streets, running south from Notting Hill Gate toward the Pembridge Conservation Area with a boulevard-like character defined by its wide carriageway and substantial detached and semi-detached villas. Developed in the 1840s and 1850s on the Ladbroke estate, the street's large stucco-fronted Italianate villas — many of them now converted into apartments — retain their imposing original facades and generous garden settings. The area's conservation status and the quality of the existing buildings attract discerning homeowners seeking both space and period character.

The large stucco villas on Pembridge Villas require careful exterior maintenance with breathable mineral or masonry paint systems, given the substantial areas of render that can trap moisture if sealed with impermeable coatings. Interior works in the converted villas often involve high-ceilinged principal rooms with original plaster cornicing and marble fireplaces, where period-appropriate decoration in traditional paint systems achieves the best results.