Decorating Upper Berkeley Street

Upper Berkeley Street is a residential street in the Marylebone/Portman Estate area of Westminster, W1H, running west from Portman Square toward Edgware Road and forming part of the handsome late-Georgian and early Victorian street pattern laid out by the Portman family in the late eighteenth century. The street is lined with four and five-storey stucco-faced terraced houses of considerable grandeur, their restrained classical facades reflecting the Portman Estate's consistent architectural ambitions for the district. Upper Berkeley Street connects directly to the wider Bryanston and Portman Square conservation area, ensuring its Georgian streetscape remains protected.

The tall stucco facades of Upper Berkeley Street require scaffolding access for any comprehensive external redecoration, and the Portman Estate's management specifies paint colours and coating types to maintain the uniform appearance of the street — typically a warm white or off-white silicate masonry paint. The imposing entrance halls and principal staircase areas within these converted Georgian townhouses are a particular focus for high-quality interior decoration, where elaborate plaster cornices and original marble fireplaces set a high standard for decorative work.