Marylebone Painters & Decorators
Wallpaper hanging
Wallpaper can give a Marylebone drawing room or mansion-flat bedroom its own character. The important decisions are often at the edges: how a repeat arrives at the chimney breast, where it meets a shutter recess and what remains visible through the doorway.
Discuss your project
Treat the wall layout as part of the design
Marylebone’s Portman Estate conservation area includes both Georgian terraces and later mansion blocks. For a room in either setting, begin with the actual wall divisions rather than a photograph of the paper in another home. Measure returns, fitted cupboards and openings; mark the principal view. A large motif may need a deliberate centre line, while a small repeat can draw attention to an irregular corner.
Sources: Westminster: Portman Estate conservation area audit
Find out what sits beneath the present covering
Removing a small agreed area can help establish whether the wall has layers of paper, fragile plaster or a recent lining. Where an older decorative layer may be significant, pause for advice before stripping further: Historic England identifies earlier wallpaper and paint as possible evidence of a house’s history. Any investigation and subsequent repair should be resolved before an expensive wallcovering is ordered.
Work from the actual roll information
Send the supplier’s technical sheet with the design reference, batch details and repeat. A sample offcut helps us consider the edge, texture and junction with painted woodwork. Quantities depend on the measured drops and setting-out losses, not just the floor area. Agree who orders the material and retain the labels so any additional rolls can be checked against the original supply.
- Wall elevations with openings and returns
- The intended focal point and starting position
- Supplier instructions and a physical sample
- Removal, lining and ordering responsibilities
Finish the room around the paper
Choose the adjoining door and shutter colours with the wallcovering present, then sequence their painting so wet work does not compromise the finished paper. Confirm the treatment behind radiators and beside fixed shelving. In a narrow hallway, think about the view from both ends. These junctions should be settled as part of the room design, with unsuitable or unresolved surfaces left outside the hanging date.
Start with a conversation
Tell us about your property.
Share the address, the rooms or surfaces, and what you have in mind.
Your project details
Tell us what you would like to decorate and where.