Interior repaint planning for Kensington homes. A room by room checklist

Short answer: The best interior repaint results in Kensington come from a simple plan. Decide your colour and finish choices early, prep walls and woodwork properly, and work room by room so the home stays usable. Use matt or soft sheen on hallway walls, and treat woodwork as its own workstream with careful sanding and clean lines. If you want a professional plan and finish, see our interior painting and decorating service.

In Kensington, interiors often have a mix of period detail and modern living. High ceilings, sash windows, cornices, and original joinery can look amazing, but they also make repainting more demanding. Strong light can show every ripple in a wall. Tall skirting and panelled doors add time. Hallways and stairs take daily knocks. A repaint can still be calm and predictable, but only if you plan it like a project, not like a quick refresh.

This room by room checklist is designed for affluent homeowners and designers planning a Kensington repaint. It keeps the process practical. What to decide early, what to inspect, what to prep, and how to sequence the work so the home looks coherent, not patchy. You can use it as a planning tool before you request quotes, or as a briefing document when you book the work.

Before you start, define the goal for the repaint

Every project runs smoother when the goal is clear. Two homes can repaint the same number of rooms and have completely different priorities. Start by choosing which of these matters most to you, then plan around it.

• Perfect finish for reception rooms and highly visible spaces, with extra prep and clean detail.
• Practical refresh focused on durability and easy care, especially for hallways and family zones.
• Design update where colour, wallpaper, or limewash creates a new mood.
• Pre sale uplift where the goal is clean and consistent rather than detailed upgrades.

Most Kensington projects include a mix. Reception rooms may be closer to perfect finish, while storage rooms and secondary bedrooms may follow a practical refresh.

Whole home checklist, decisions to make early

Delays often come from late decisions. These items should be decided before the first sheet goes down.

• Colour plan for each room, including ceilings and trim.
• Which walls are staying the same and which are changing.
• Finish choices by room, for example matt, soft sheen, or other suitable finishes.
• Hallway wall finish rule, matt or soft sheen only.
• Woodwork scope, doors, frames, skirting, shutters, built ins.
• Any feature finishes such as Bauwerk limewash.
• Any wallpaper plans, linked to our wallpaper service.
• Furniture plan, what moves, what stays, what needs special protection.

If you want sample panels, schedule them early. In Kensington, light can change a colour quickly across the day, so samples help you avoid surprises.

Room by room checklist. Hallway and stairs

The hallway is the first impression and the highest traffic zone. In many Kensington homes, it is also narrow, so walls and trim get brushed daily. A hallway repaint should be planned for durability and clean lines.

• Walls choose matt or soft sheen only, based on how much cleaning you expect.
• Woodwork check skirting corners, door frames, and handrails for chips and dents.
• Cracks check corners at ceilings and stair turns, then repair and blend properly.
• Lighting note wall lights and side light from stair windows that can show defects.
• Protection plan a safe, clean route through the home during the work.

Hallways are where rushed prep shows fast. If the wall has old patches, cable repairs, or uneven paint build, it is worth flattening the surface properly before final coats. It costs less than repainting again when marks and shadow lines show.

Reception rooms checklist. Living room and dining room

Reception rooms are often the most visible rooms. They also tend to have the strongest light, which shows surface issues clearly. In Kensington, these rooms often include period details, fireplaces, and fine cornices.

• Ceilings check for hairline cracking, past water marks, and uneven texture.
• Walls check for ripples, old picture hook patches, and visible filler edges.
• Cornices inspect joints and edges, then repair so lines look crisp.
• Joinery check doors, shutters, and window boards for chips and wear.
• Feature finish decide if you want paint, wallpaper, or limewash for added depth.

If you want a softer, more tactile look in a reception room, Bauwerk limewash can be a strong option. You can learn more on our Bauwerk limewash page. If you prefer pattern or texture with more definition, wallpaper can work well, especially on a feature wall, see wallpaper.

Kitchen and utility checklist

Kitchens need a practical plan. Heat, moisture, wiping, and daily use can wear finishes faster. The goal is a finish that stays clean and calm, not one that needs constant touch ups.

• Walls near splash zones choose a finish that can handle gentle cleaning.
• Ceilings check for cooking marks and past staining, then prime properly if needed.
• Cabinet surrounds plan clean cutting in where units meet walls.
• Joinery check door edges and trim near bins and high use routes.
• Timing plan work when the kitchen can be partly out of action without stress.

If the home is occupied, a phased plan helps. Keep the kitchen usable, then tackle it in a focused block rather than dragging it out over weeks.

Bedroom checklist. Main bedroom and guest rooms

Bedrooms are calmer spaces, so you can use finishes that feel softer. They are also good candidates for wallpaper or limewash, since traffic is low and the mood matters.

• Walls decide if you want a calm uniform paint, or a feature wall.
• Headboard wall consider wallpaper or textile wallcoverings, or a limewash finish.
• Ceilings check for hairline cracks and old fixings.
• Woodwork check window boards, shutters, and wardrobe doors.
• Light test check sample colours in morning and evening light with bedside lamps.

If you are considering wallpaper in bedrooms, it is worth planning wall prep and lining properly so seams sit quietly. That is part of why many clients book our wallpaper installation service rather than treating it like a quick add on.

Bathrooms and cloakrooms checklist

Bathrooms are smaller rooms, but they demand planning. Steam and cleaning can stress finishes, and edges around fittings must be tidy.

• Ventilation check extractor fans and airflow. Good airflow helps every finish last.
• Ceilings check for peeling and staining, then prime and coat correctly.
• Dry zones feature finishes can work away from direct splash, with the right plan.
• Edges keep cut lines clean around mirrors, tiles, and cabinetry.

If you want a softer, higher end look in a powder room, wallpaper can be a great choice. In full bathrooms, it depends on the moisture and the zones. A site check helps decide what is sensible.

Woodwork checklist. The details that lift the whole home

Woodwork is where quality is easiest to judge. Doors and skirting are touched and seen up close. If they look crisp, the whole home feels finished.

• Degrease around handles, rails, and door edges before sanding.
• Sand to remove nibs and reduce old brush ridges.
• Fill dents and chips, then sand flat so repairs disappear.
• Caulk gaps neatly where needed to keep lines clean.
• Prime bare patches so top coats dry evenly and bond well.

Ask one simple question when comparing quotes. What is the prep plan for woodwork. If the answer is vague, the finish will often be vague too.

Surface issues checklist. What to fix before final coats

These are the common issues that can make a new repaint look tired fast.

• Picture hook patches that were filled but not feathered, then show as circles.
• Old cracks that were painted over and return as ghost lines.
• Uneven suction where some areas dry dull and others dry richer.
• Old paint build on doors and frames that causes sticking and chips.
• Staining from past leaks that needs stain blocking, not just paint.

Fixing these takes time, but it saves time later. A repaint that looks calm in strong Kensington light is usually the one where these issues were handled properly.

Sequencing checklist. The calm way to repaint a lived in home

Most Kensington clients stay in the home during works. That can still be smooth if the sequence is clear.

1. Zone plan decide which rooms are done first and which stay usable.
2. Protection cover floors, group furniture, and keep a clean route open.
3. Prep do filling, sanding, and priming before any top coats.
4. Ceilings then walls, then woodwork for each room, unless the plan calls for a different order.
5. Finish and snag complete one room fully, then move on.

This room by room approach avoids the feeling that the whole house is in progress at once. It also keeps the quality higher because each space is finished cleanly before attention moves elsewhere.

Linking rooms so the home feels coherent

A common Kensington challenge is flow. A townhouse has many rooms, and a full repaint can feel disjointed if each room is chosen in isolation.

Simple ways to keep coherence:

• Use one trim colour across the home so doors and frames tie rooms together.
• Pick wall colours from one related undertone family.
• Keep transition spaces like landings steady and calm.
• Use feature finishes in a few rooms, then echo the undertone in adjacent rooms.

If you want to see how a cohesive scheme can read in a period interior, browse our projects page, including the Georgian London interior.

Areas we cover

We carry out interior painting and decorating across Prime Central London, with frequent projects in Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia, Notting Hill, Knightsbridge, and Westminster. If you want a repaint that feels tidy and looks refined in strong London light, we can help plan the work room by room.

Next steps

Want a clear interior repaint plan for your Kensington home? Send a few photos of each room and tell us which spaces must stay usable day to day. We can propose a room by room schedule, confirm finish choices such as matt or soft sheen in hallways, and deliver a clean, high end result. To begin, request a site visit and we will arrange a time that suits you.