Four-Storey Georgian Townhouse Full Restoration — Canonbury Square

The Challenge

Working within the constraints of a Grade II listed building in the Canonbury conservation area placed significant restrictions on materials and methods. The Islington conservation officer required formal confirmation that all coatings used were compatible with the underlying lime plaster fabric — ruling out any vinyl emulsion or impermeable paint systems. Removing multiple layers of previously applied modern emulsion from lime plaster without damaging the fragile historic substrate demanded considerable patience and the use of appropriate chemical and steam methods. The dado rail in the first-floor drawing room, a delicate run of hand-finished moulding, had been painted over so many times that its profile was almost completely lost and required careful stripping before the planned decorative detail could be applied.

Our Approach

We began with a detailed condition survey in the presence of the client's conservation architect, agreeing a room-by-room specification for substrate treatment before any coatings were selected. Modern emulsion layers on lime plaster were removed using a combination of low-pressure steam and a proprietary poultice system, followed by careful scraping with wooden tools to avoid scoring the plaster surface. Where the lime plaster had cracked at junctions or at skirting board and cornice interfaces, repairs were carried out using a matched lime putty mortar. All walls were finished in breathable clay paint — Clayworks Matt in bespoke tinted shades — which provides excellent vapour permeability and a characteristic soft-textured surface entirely in keeping with the period. Period joinery — panelled doors, deep skirtings, architraves, shutters, and window boxes — was stripped to sound paint using Eco Solutions Panel Wipe, then primed with an appropriate oil-based wood primer and finished in Farrow & Ball Full Gloss in All White, built up in three coats with fine-grade denibbing between each. The dado rail in the drawing room received a hand-painted decorative detail: a simple egg-and-dart pattern picked out in Farrow & Ball Pointing against the adjacent wall colour, applied freehand by our decorative specialist using a fine sable brush.

The Result

The completed townhouse presents an interior of exceptional restraint and authenticity. The clay paint walls have the soft, chalk-like depth that marks truly considered Georgian decoration, and the oil-painted joinery — with its slight sheen catching the light from the square's garden — provides the counterpoint the scheme demands. The hand-painted dado rail detail in the drawing room is much admired by visitors, who frequently assume it to be original. The Islington conservation officer visited on completion and recorded the project as a positive exemplar of listed building decoration within the Canonbury area.