Whole-house family interiors

A house with more than one kind of room

Richmond's council guidance records substantial Victorian villas and large Edwardian semi-detached houses within the wider town. The practical brief might combine a formal front room, family bedrooms and a later kitchen extension. List those spaces individually, including their ceilings, skirting, doors and fitted joinery, so each room receives the preparation and finish it actually needs.

Sources: Richmond Council: Richmond and Richmond Hill village planning guidance

Agree the first room to release

Begin with the space that can be emptied without displacing the rest of the household. Decide where its furniture will go and how it will return before moving on. Bedrooms can be grouped differently from reception rooms, while the hall may need shorter working sections. Tell us about home working, children, pets and any access needs when we discuss that order.

Follow the light through the house

Test samples on the actual walls and compare them with the floors and curtains that will remain. A rear kitchen, a shaded front room and an enclosed landing deserve separate consideration. We help define how the palette travels between them: where a wall colour continues, where a door provides a transition and where a room benefits from its own treatment.

Include the surfaces touched every day

Door edges, cupboard fronts and the wall beside the stair can need as much thought as a large reception-room wall. Describe the expected use of each space and discuss suitable finishes with that use in mind. Where a door needs adjustment or plaster needs repair, identify who will address it before the decorating stage is confirmed.

Make the daily arrangement clear

Agree a place for equipment, a carrying route and which rooms remain private. Set out how work areas will be separated from living areas and how the day's progress will be communicated. The return of each room should include an inspection and the selected product's drying and use requirements. A household should be able to understand the next stage before it begins.