Venetian plastering in Mayfair

Zavoré offers Venetian plastering in Mayfair for townhouses, lateral apartments, mews homes, galleries and shops. We are based in Birmingham and our own applicators travel to lay lime Venetian plaster, Marmorino, gilding and lacquered finishes, with the plaster tinted to your approved colour before it leaves us. A sample board or photos of the rooms is the way to begin.

Mayfair work is planned as a block of days, so the applicators stay with the job and each coat goes on in its proper turn.

Georgian squares, terracotta streets and quiet mews

Mayfair was built up in the eighteenth century around its great squares, Grosvenor Square and Berkeley Square among them, and much of it still belongs to large estates. Many of the original Georgian houses were rebuilt or refaced in the later nineteenth century, which is why Mount Street and the streets around it are lined with pink terracotta and red brick rather than plain London stock.

Through the twentieth century a large share of Mayfair houses became offices, and a good number have since been turned back into homes or split into lateral flats. Behind the main streets run mews of former stables and coach houses, now small houses, and Shepherd Market keeps its tight lanes of little buildings.

Then there is the commercial side of Mayfair, with tailoring on Savile Row, fashion on Bond Street, galleries around Cork Street, and hotels along Park Lane.

Inside, that usually means solid brick walls with old lime plaster, tall ceilings and original cornices, or newer linings put in during an office conversion. The first can be uneven and must breathe. The second may be flat enough for a high polish once properly primed.

Finishes that suit Mayfair interiors

• Venetian plaster for drawing rooms and entrance halls, where a deep, layered polish suits tall Georgian proportions, once the walls are flat.
• Marmorino for bedrooms and stair halls in older houses. It is lime based and breathable, and its soft sheen is kind to a wall with some movement in it.
• Gilding for cornices, ceiling details and feature panels in formal rooms.
• Lacquered walls for dining rooms and libraries, where a glossy, deep colour works by lamplight.
• Microcement for shop floors and boutique fitting rooms, where one seamless surface runs from wall to floor.

How a Venetian plastering job in Mayfair runs

Send photos and rough measurements, then we survey. We look at the substrate, flatness, cracks, damp and movement, how each room will be used, and how floors, joinery and stairs will be protected. Where a wall needs skimming, stripping or a damp repair before any decorative finish, you will hear it from us plainly.

When the sample and price are approved, we agree dates. The plaster is tinted to that sample in Birmingham, from our 48 house colours or any NCS reference, so the colour on the wall matches the board you chose.

Many Mayfair homes are leasehold, and leases often need the freeholder’s consent for alterations, while listed houses may also need listed building consent. Check both early. Parking is scarce, so tell us about bays, permits and any building rules on access. The Venetian plaster installation page has more detail.

For designers, galleries and hotels

If an interior designer or project manager is running your Mayfair project, our page for designers and architects explains how we work with a specification, samples and a programme. Decorators can also buy our materials with tracked delivery, or open a trade account.

For further reading, see gold leaf walls and ceilings and our lacquered walls guide. You can also see every area we cover.

Questions about Venetian plastering in Mayfair

Do I need consent for Venetian plaster in a Mayfair flat?

Check your lease first, because many need the freeholder’s consent before alterations. If the building is listed, ask the council whether listed building consent is needed too.

Which finish suits a Georgian drawing room in Mayfair?

A polished Venetian plaster gives depth to a tall room if the walls are flat. On older, less even walls, Marmorino keeps the breathable lime character with a softer sheen.

Can gilding and Venetian plaster be done as one job?

Yes. We install gilding and lacquered walls as well as Venetian plaster, so a formal room can be planned in one go.

Do you work in Mayfair shops, galleries and hotels?

Yes. We survey the space, then agree access, deliveries and dates with you and the building management once the sample and price are approved.

Call 07592 929191, Monday to Saturday, 9am to 6pm, or email photos, rough measurements and the postcode to sales@zavore.co.uk. Order a sample board to try your colour in the room.