A recent feature in the Daily Telegraph highlighted a project that reminded us why we love this craft. Working alongside designer Ali Pittam of Can Can Deisgn (@cancandesign_), we carried out a sympathetic restoration of a Tudor mural in a private home. This was not a reproduction. It was genuinely Tudor. During our survey, we uncovered specific historic elements that confirmed the period, and those details guided every decision from stabilisation to final toning.
The brief was clear. Keep the soul, keep the age, keep the poetry. Remove only the distracting, for want of a better word, knackered elements that pulled the eye away from the narrative of the wall. Our aim was to let the mural be readable again without losing the character that time had written into it. That mindset shaped a genuinely sympathtic restoration from the first test to the final check.
A finished home, zero compromise on protection
The house was fully furnished and in daily use. Site protection and etiquette were non negotiable. We designed a clean, quiet programme with immaculate masking, dust control and daily tidy close downs. Every surface was protected. Conservation can be rigorous and still be kind to a household that is living through the work.
Why our lacquer paint system was the right choice
Control is everything in a restoration. Colour needs half steps, quarter steps and sometimes the gentlest nudge. Sheen needs tiny adjustments until new work sits inside old and disappears at conversational distance. We used our waterborne Lacquer Paint System because it lets us:
- Dial in precise glaze density for soft, period appropriate optical depth.
- Fine tune sheen so retouches blend under daylight and evening light.
- Build thin, durable layers with conservation style reversibility in mind.
- Work cleanly in occupied homes with a system that is quick drying, non yellowing and has very low odour.
It is predominantly non solvent and fully waterborne. On rare occasions, a specific primer step may require a minimal solvent content for technical reasons, but the overall method remains waterborne and non solvent in practice.
Thirty colours, infinite nuance
Historic pigments drift and bloom. They hold undertones that reveal themselves only in context and changing light. To honour that, we hand mixed more than thirty colours on site. Swatches were tested in situ and viewed morning and evening to make sure hue, value and chroma read truthfully. Matching was never a single hit. It was a sequence of micro adjustments until the repair belonged to the wall and the wall belonged to the room.
Sheen control is half the match
Even a perfect hue can read wrong if the sheen is off. Historic plaster and paint do not reflect evenly. Some passages catch light. Others absorb it. Using our Lacquer System, we developed tiny sheen variations so that each retouched passage settled. The result created one coherent historic surface rather than a new patchwork.
Bespoke stencils and a playful menagerie
Some areas had lost so much information that they needed careful reimagining. We cut multiple bespoke stencils to rebuild rhythm where the pattern had vanished, taking cues from surviving fragments and period references. Among the most enjoyable elements were ribbons of wolves and dragons that threaded through the wall. The goal was balance. Enough invention to make the design legible, never so much that it overshadowed the Tudor hand beneath.
Sympathetic, not sanitised
A restoration should never feel newly minted. Age carries value. We retained patina, gentle irregularities and the soft transitions that only time can make. The room now feels dignified and settled, yet unmistakably historic, which is exactly what the client and designer wanted.
How we structured the work
- Condition survey and photographic record.
- Trials for consolidation, glaze behaviour and sheen response.
- Full protection and containment for a live home.
- Stabilisation of delicate areas.
- Colour matching with more than thirty hand mixed tones.
- Sheen matching and micro feathering of edges.
- Stencil led reintroduction of lost motifs informed by fragments.
- Final review under multiple light sources and at different times of day.
What made this project special
- Collaboration with Ali Pittam of Can Can Design (@cancandesign_).
- Proven Tudor fabric guiding methodology.
- Waterborne Lacquer System for precise colour and sheen control.
- Quick drying, non yellowing and very low odour process suited to occupied homes.
- Predominantly non solvent approach, with only rare primer exceptions.
- Bespoke stencils including ribbons of wolves and dragons that restored the art.
When you might need us
- If you have a period mural that deserves repair and restoration without losing its age or character.
- If you live in the property and need a quick drying, non yellowing and low odour process.
- If you prefer a predominantly non solvent, waterborne system suitable for conservation.
- If you need careful colour and sheen control so retouches sit invisibly within the original.
- If you would benefit from stencil work to reconnect a broken pattern.
If you would like us to review images or discuss testing for a restoration, get in touch. We can propose a clear, conservation led plan that respects history and restores harmony to your room.
View our other restoration projects here.
Sympathetic Restoration FAQs
We identified construction clues and motifs consistent with Tudor practice and confirmed them against the building’s history. That evidence informed a conservation led plan rather than a decorative repaint.
Where fragments are too damaged to read, we create bespoke stencils to reintroduce likely elements. For this project we included ribbons of wolves and dragons that were historically plausible and visually joyful, while staying subordinate to the original hand.
Complex historic surfaces often require dozens of mixes. We created and tested over thirty colours here to secure the subtle undertones that make the restoration convincing.
We treat age with respect. Colour is mixed to what the eye sees on the wall, not to a theoretical swatch. Sheen is adjusted in fine increments. Glazes are feathered so transitions feel natural. The aim is a sympathetic restoration that doesn’t look newly painted.
Our approach is designed for lived in homes. Materials are quick drying and have very low odour. The system is predominantly non solvent and waterborne, so daily life can continue with minimal disruption. Only in a specific primer step might a small solvent presence be used where technically necessary.
Yes. Protection planning is built into our method. We use careful masking, containment and daily housekeeping so the household can function while work proceeds.