A quiet, considered repaint in the heart of Belgravia
This Belgravia (SW1) project covered two rooms of a private residence: the principal drawing room at ground level and a lower-ground living room. The brief was simple but exacting — the same soft, warm neutral throughout, applied to a standard that would sit comfortably alongside the original Victorian plasterwork.
We specified Farrow & Ball Tallow No. 203 in Estate Emulsion Matt for the walls and eggshell white for all the woodwork, dado rails, skirtings and cornicing.
Why Tallow 203
Tallow is a quiet, slightly warm off-white from Farrow & Ball's archive. In daylight it reads as a soft cream; under lamplight it warms further without going yellow. It's a forgiving colour in a period Belgravia interior because it never fights the original mouldings — it lets the cornicing and ceiling roses do the talking.
The drawing room
The drawing room had previously been finished in a dark patterned wallpaper with a contrasting dado. We stripped back, made good, primed and finished the entire room in Tallow 203, restoring the cornicing and ceiling rose in eggshell white. The bay window, panelled shutters and column reveals were all hand-cut.
The lower-ground room
The lower-ground room came to us with patched plaster, old fixings and a tired magnolia finish. We carried out a full prep — filling, sanding, spot-priming — before two coats of Tallow 203 went on the walls and the dado/skirting were refinished in eggshell white.
Materials & finish
- Walls: Farrow & Ball Tallow No. 203, Estate Emulsion Matt, two coats
- Woodwork, dado, skirtings, cornicing: Eggshell white, two coats over primer
- Prep: Full filling and sanding, spot-priming on repaired plaster, decorator's caulk to all joins
Why this finish works for Belgravia
Belgravia's stucco terraces and Grosvenor Estate interiors reward restraint. Heavy colour competes with the architecture; a quiet, well-prepped wall in a softly warm off-white lets the cornicing, fireplaces and parquet do their job. Tallow 203 is one of a small handful of Farrow & Ball colours that consistently reads "right" in these rooms.
See the project
Full before-and-after images live on the Belgravia area page and in our portfolio.
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