Sorry, you can say to the election canvassers: we’d love to talk but we’re having the house painted

Sorry, you can say to the election canvassers: we’d love to talk but we’re having the house painted

Already the phones at Parvin Towers are ringing off the hook. Can you park a van outside our house until the election’s over? Or lend us a “Wet Paint” sign for our front door? There are serious questions to be asked of all parties: for example is Dulux’s “Striking Cyan” washable paint an anti-Labour or…

Is it worth paying more for Farrow & Ball?
| |

Is it worth paying more for Farrow & Ball?

It’s a question that comes up frequently. With Farrow & Ball paints often costing twice or three times as much as comparable Deluxe and Crown paints – both good quality brands – is it really worth paying the extra? Will you be able to tell the difference? From a professional decorator’s viewpoint, here’s what I…

No christmas songs yet, but we know next year’s colour of the year

No christmas songs yet, but we know next year’s colour of the year

You heard it here first. Before even the first sighting of a Santa, before a single sparkle of tinsel in a shop window, I can reveal next year’s Colour of the Year. Akzo Nobel – Dulux to you and me – must have their colour elves on piece-work, because according to my watch it’s only just…

Sound ecomonic advice about decorating from an acknowledged expert

Sound ecomonic advice about decorating from an acknowledged expert

For once I’ll be serious. At least for a bit. If you own property in London you probably keep a close watch on property price trends. If not you must have nerves of steel. Latest figures from the ONS suggest a 4.4pc fall in London house prices over the last year (compared to a rise…

Take your seats for the Colour of the Year 2019
|

Take your seats for the Colour of the Year 2019

Forget Brexit. Forget the Party Conferences. The real news of the week is next year’s Dulux Colour Of The Year. Now it may be easy to get a cheap laugh at the expense of the people whose job it is to entice us with new colours that reflect our collective subconscious hopes, ambitions and fears. (That,…

Choosing white paint – simple, surely?
| |

Choosing white paint – simple, surely?

Recently we’ve seen some customers getting very creative with their use of different shades of white and it got me thinking. Always dangerous. It won’t surprise you to hear that white is the most popular paint colour. But white comes in a wide range of shades – even “Pure Brilliant White” can vary considerably between manufacturers. Here’s…

If the dog tells your child to write on your wall, can you blame grandma?

If the dog tells your child to write on your wall, can you blame grandma?

I’ve always thought the biggest danger to interior walls comes from, well, accidents. People like me trying to put up shelves, or spilling a glass of wine when England score a penalty. Not a bit of it. It’s children. They make you and me look like amateurs. And London kids are among the worst. Insurance…

Redecorating boosts your house value – but what colours sell best?
| | |

Redecorating boosts your house value – but what colours sell best?

When I was just a lad, I convinced my Dad to let me decorate my own room. Today, as my bank account waves farewell to yet another mortgage payment, I spare my Dad a thought as I think what the orange wallpaper and purple paint did to the value of the family home. Regular readers…

Leonardo. Michaelangelo.  Picassso.  GDParvin. Spot the odd one out……

Leonardo. Michaelangelo. Picassso. GDParvin. Spot the odd one out……

  The words of Franz Liebekind in Mel Brook’s The Producers: “Churchill! With his cigars. With his brandy. And his rotten painting, rotten! Hitler – there was a painter! He could paint an entire apartment in one afternoon! Two Coats!” It’s my great pleasure to walk in the footsteps of many great men. Isaac Newton said…

How will Christmas dinner be different after Brexit? No Brussels.

How will Christmas dinner be different after Brexit? No Brussels.

Ready for Christmas? Me neither. But I’m getting my retaliation in first with a choice selection of topical commentary and searching questions. For example, what does Sports Direct give its staff for Christmas dinner? About 5 minutes. The office Christmas party 
- a great opportunity to catch up 
with people you haven’t seen for 
20 minutes. One Christmas,…

The prettiest way to add £40,000 to your property value
| |

The prettiest way to add £40,000 to your property value

I was pleased to see a story in the Daily Telegraph comparing various home improvements, and estimating the added value each of them puts on your property. Yes, it’s official – decorating is one of the most cost-efficient ways of adding property value. The online tool takes your property value, the amount you might spend…

A useful tool for surveyors and architects
| |

A useful tool for surveyors and architects

Dulux have had a tablet or phone-based colour-picking app, aimed at home users, for some time. It’s quite handy – some people love it, others find it a bit gimmicky – but it does tend to make you think about diffferent colour combinations. Now they have a comparable app for professionals. Architects, designers and specifiers…

Apparently we all secretly want to paint our houses lime green and fuscia
|

Apparently we all secretly want to paint our houses lime green and fuscia

Choice of colour is – excuse me – something of a grey area. We’ve all been told for years that we have to paint our houses in neutral colours if we ever want to sell them. But some new research seems to suggest that we’ve all been repressing the urge to splash out in the…

A London decorating case study
|

A London decorating case study

We are currently putting finishing touches to a project on West Hill in Wandsworth. The property is a substantial Georgian mansion, tastefully converted into nine well-sized flats as well as a converted stables building, a gate house, and an adjoining Orangery. It may well have been originally built as a country retreat for a wealthy London…

Preserving the history of London homes
|

Preserving the history of London homes

Despite very strict planning laws, we’re famous in London for the way we put modernist buildings next to fabulous old buildings. Somehow, it all seems work. House prices have also driven owners to add extensions, often using the same mixture of new and old. Personally, I think it works very well most of the time….

Coming in 2016, from the company who brought you Dulux

Every year about this time, Dulux, issue their predictions for our colour choices in the coming year. We saw their presentations for 2016 at a briefing held at the McLaren motor centre in Woking, and when I could take my eyes off Jenson Button’s Formula 1 car there was some interesting news. Besides the colours, the…