The Finishing House / Services / Interior decoration
Interior painting & decorating in London.
Interior painting and decorating for London's finest homes — walls, ceilings, woodwork and cornicing, prepared properly, finished by hand, and specified in writing with a fixed price before a dust sheet goes down.
4.9 on Google · 18 reviews (opens Google Maps)
Every commission is specified in writing at a fixed price, prepared before it is painted, handed over with zero snags, and guaranteed for twelve months.
Read our reviews on GoogleBefore and after
The same wall, before and after.
A reception room in Marylebone. Old plaster made good and primed, then the finish coats. Drag the handle.
Marylebone
How a room is finished
Four stages, photographed on our own jobs.
Every room goes through the same four stages, in the same order. Select a stage to see it in a client’s home, and what it means for yours.
Stage 01 of 04
Protect
Floors and furniture sheeted and sealed, the room closed off for dust-controlled sanding. Nothing in the house is touched by the work except the surfaces being decorated.
Stage 02 of 04
Prepare
Cracks raked out and filled rather than bridged, old plaster made good, cornices cleaned back, woodwork rubbed down and primed on bare timber. Over half of every programme is this stage.
Stage 03 of 04
Paint
The correct primer for each substrate, then the finish coats in the right conditions — cut in by hand, woodwork laid off so it dries free of brush marks, one sheen from skirting to cornice.
Stage 04 of 04
Hand back
A joint walk-through in daylight, touch-ups on the spot, the room cleaned and the furniture returned, with labelled paint and a record of every product used.
See the finished rooms in the portfolioGoogle reviews
In our clients' words.
We stayed in the flat throughout and it was far less disruptive than I'd feared. Everything sheeted, dust kept under control, tidied up every evening. Polite, quiet and got on with it. The hallway looks like a different space.
Came back to live in our own flat after years of letting it out and it needed a lift. The Finishing House painters did the lot, prep, woodwork sanded and primed properly, then the Little Greene colours we'd picked with their consultant. Matt walls, eggshell joinery, no mess left behind. Very pleased with it.
A superb job from start to finish. Our home was carefully protected, the team worked quietly and cleanly, and they were a pleasure to have around. The colour consultant was very helpful too.
Next step
Tell us about your rooms.
Send a few photographs, or book a short video call if your diary is tight. We reply within one working day, and every proposal is written and fixed in price before any work begins.
The service
Interior painting and decorating, done properly.
Interior decoration is the heart of what we do: complete redecoration of reception rooms, bedrooms, halls and staircases in London's finest homes, finished to a standard that withstands the closest inspection and the most exacting light.
What the work covers
From a single drawing room to a whole-property programme — walls and ceilings, woodwork and joinery, cornicing, panelling, doors, staircases and built-in cabinetry. Each surface is assessed, prepared and finished with the right system for its substrate and the way the room is used.
Preparation is the work
More than half of any interior programme is preparation, and it is where the finish is genuinely won. Dust-controlled sanding, filling and repair, caulking, and the correct primer for each surface — plaster, new and aged timber, previously painted work — never one primer for all. Skip this, and no quality of paint can rescue the result.
Finish & application
Premium paints applied in the right conditions with proper drying times between coats. Cutting-in by hand for crisp edges, woodwork laid off so it dries free of brush marks, and a consistent sheen carried across every elevation so the room reads as one considered whole in every light.
Doors, ceilings & panelling
The surfaces that decide whether a room reads as finished are the ones people rarely name. Panelled doors are taken off and finished flat where the programme allows, their mouldings sharpened rather than filled, the brass removed rather than painted around. Ceilings are the largest surface in the room and the least forgiving in raking light — a flat, dead-matt emulsion, rolled and laid off in one direction, with cracks raked and filled rather than bridged. Panelling and wainscot are treated as joinery, not wall: filled, sanded, primed on bare timber and given three coats minimum in an eggshell that will take a decade of hands. The same discipline, and the same finish, is what a hand-painted kitchen depends on.
Colour & finish guidance
We advise on colour, sheen and the right finish for each surface — and prepare sample areas on your own walls so you can judge them in the room's natural light before committing. We work fluently across the leading heritage paint houses and will guide you to the right specification for how each room is lived in.
Low-odour, water-based systems
Wherever the specification allows, we work with premium water-based, low-VOC systems — low odour, kinder to families and pets, faster to recoat, with no compromise in the finish.
In motion
Interiors, in film.
A few short films of the kind of interiors we work in across prime London — painted woodwork, considered colour, rooms made ready. Silent, and they play on a tap.
More interiors
Walls, woodwork and considered colour.
More rooms we have finished recently — in Mayfair, Belgravia, Chelsea, Kensington, Notting Hill and St John's Wood — followed by the kind of interiors we look after. Scroll along for more.
Where we do this work
Ten areas, one standard.
We work in Central London and the surrounding prime locations — the same team and the same written specification, whichever the house. Choose an area, or read about our work as painters and decorators in Central London.
Common questions
Interior work, answered.
Anything else — ask us directly. We reply within one working day.
Ask a questionDo you work in occupied homes?
Yes — most of our interior work is carried out in lived-in homes. Floors and furniture are sheeted, sanding is dust-controlled, and we tidy as we go, leaving each room cleaner than we found it.
How much does interior painting and decorating cost?
A single room finished to our standard starts from £3,000. Every project is priced as a fixed, written specification before work begins — never a vague estimate.
Which paints do you use?
We work with the heritage paint houses these interiors deserve — Farrow & Ball and Little Greene among them — specifying the right system and sheen for each surface.
What happens after I enquire?
We reply within one working day and arrange a free, no-obligation consultation. You then receive a written proposal with a fixed price and clear next steps.
Is your work guaranteed?
Yes — our workmanship is guaranteed for twelve months. If a finish fails prematurely, we return and put it right.
How much of the job is preparation?
Over half of every programme. Protection, repairs, dust-controlled sanding and the correct primers are where the finish is won — we never rush them to hit a date.
How long does interior decorating take?
It depends on the rooms and the preparation they need, so every written proposal states the expected programme for your project and what will be out of use and when. Nothing starts until that is agreed, and we do not shorten preparation to hit a date.
Do you work with interior designers?
Yes — a good deal of our interior work is delivered to a designer’s or architect’s scheme. We work to the specification exactly, coordinate with the other trades, and price directly and discreetly with the professional. See our page for interior designers and architects.
Which areas of London do you cover?
Central London — Mayfair, Belgravia, Knightsbridge, Chelsea, Marylebone, Kensington and Pimlico — and the adjoining prime areas of Notting Hill, St John’s Wood and Hampstead. Our premises are in Mayfair.
Request a consultation
Considering interior painting & decorating? Let's talk.
Tell us a little about your project and we'll be in touch within one working day — with honest, no-obligation advice from a senior decorator, not a call centre.
We accept a limited number of commissions each month, so every project receives the senior team it deserves.
Start your enquiry Prefer to talk? 020 3983 2484Our other services