Ground-Floor Period Flat — Farrow & Ball Whole-Interior Scheme

The Challenge

The lime plaster walls, while largely intact, had absorbed decades of incompatible modern emulsion. This had led to a number of areas where moisture was trapped behind the paint film, causing bubbling and localised delamination. Removing the paint without damaging the fragile lime substrate required careful mechanical and chemical work. The client was also particularly exacting about colour: all shades were sampled on large boards and viewed at different times of day before final decisions were made.

Our Approach

All problem areas of existing paint were carefully removed and the lime plaster was allowed to dry thoroughly before any new coatings were applied. Walls were finished with Farrow & Ball Limewash in a warm off-white throughout the main reception rooms, allowing the plaster to continue breathing naturally. Ceilings were finished in Farrow & Ball Estate Emulsion. All joinery was hand-stripped, re-primed with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3, and finished in two coats of Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell — Purbeck Stone on the main doors and Cornforth White on the window shutters and architraves.

The Result

The flat now feels like a properly restored piece of Marylebone history rather than a modernised apartment. The limewash walls give each room a gentle, luminous quality that shifts beautifully through the day, and the layered palette of warm neutrals creates a seamless flow from room to room.