Colour consultation

Choose the relevant local reference

The Dorset Square audit distinguishes Georgian terraces from the mansion blocks around Clarence Gate. Those settings do not demand one shared interior palette. A room’s retained timber, stone or tiles is a more useful starting point than an area-wide colour label. We bring those materials into the discussion and establish whether you want the architecture to read quietly or with a more deliberate contrast.

Sources: Westminster: Dorset Square conservation area audit

Compare front and rear rooms directly

Place generous sample boards where the finish will be seen: beside a shutter, near the floor and on the wall opposite the window. Move the same board between connected rooms to expose differences in light. Check it again under the lamps used after dark. Record the choices in the room, rather than relying on a phone image to settle a subtle undertone.

Design the joins between colours

A hallway can connect a bright reception room to a more enclosed kitchen, while an open door introduces another plane of colour. Decide where each finish starts and ends, including the door edge, lining and ceiling junction. Where panelling or cornicing is present, test whether it should merge with the wall or remain distinct. This is as much a question of proportion as of shade.

• Retained materials gathered before palette selection
• Sample positions and evening-light review agreed
• Doorways and changes of plane resolved
• Colour, product and sheen recorded for each surface

Make the choices usable by the decorator

The outcome should identify the manufacturer’s reference, intended product and sheen for every included surface, with approved samples retained. Mark areas awaiting a repair decision or permission so they are not ordered prematurely. If the consultation includes an exterior, review the building’s existing instructions and the surrounding frontage separately from the interior palette. A coherent scheme still needs a clear, practical paint schedule.