Best paint brands for London homes: your 2026 guide
- luka bursac
- Aug 6
- 14 min read
For most London homes, the best paint brands come down to four core picks: Farrow & Ball for period properties and feature walls, Dulux (including Dulux Heritage) for whole-home durability and everyday value, Little Greene for high-end artisan finishes on older plaster, and Lick for eco-conscious homeowners who want low-VOC formulations and fuss-free sampling. Independent lab tests by The Telegraph named Farrow & Ball Dead Flat as Best Buy and Mylands Marble Matt for pigment depth, confirming what London decorators have known for years: the right brand depends on your substrate, your room’s light, and how hard the walls will work.
Here is a quick shortlist to get you started:
Farrow & Ball — best for feature walls, heritage interiors, and period colour schemes
Little Greene — best for period properties where pigment depth and breathability matter
Dulux / Dulux Heritage — best all-rounder for busy family homes and whole-home repaints
Lick — best for eco-conscious homeowners and easy at-home colour sampling
Mylands — best for high-pigment finishes on London feature walls, made in the city itself
Johnstone’s / Leyland Trade — best for trade-grade durability in high-traffic zones
Tenenltd has been helping homeowners across West and Central London choose and apply the right paints since 2006, and the guidance below reflects real project experience across period terraces, modern flats, and everything in between.
Table of Contents
Best paint brands for London homes: quick comparison
The Telegraph’s test of 14 wall paints and House Beautiful’s UK brand roundup both confirm that no single brand wins every category. The table below maps each brand to the dimensions that matter most for a London project.
Brand | Best for | Finish options | Durability / scrubbability | VOC / eco | Price band | UK availability | Sample options |
Farrow & Ball | Feature walls, heritage interiors | Dead flat, estate emulsion, eggshell, gloss | Moderate (wipe-clean estate range) | Low-VOC water-based | Premium | Specialist stockists, own stores | Sample pots, colour cards |
Little Greene | Period properties, high-end finishes | Absolute matt, dead flat, eggshell, gloss | Good | Low-VOC | Premium | Specialist stockists | Sample pots, colour cards |
Mylands | Feature walls, period homes | Marble matt, eggshell, gloss, exterior | Very good (high pigment) | Low-VOC | Premium | Specialist stockists, online | Sample pots |
Dulux / Dulux Heritage | Whole-home repaints, family areas | Matt, silk, eggshell, gloss, Heritage range | Excellent (washable) | Standard | Budget–mid | High-street, trade | Sample pots, colour cards |
Johnstone’s | Trade jobs, exterior woodwork | Matt, silk, satin, gloss | Excellent | Standard | Budget | Trade counters, high-street | Colour cards |
Crown / CRAFTED by Crown | Kitchens, family homes, washable walls | Matt, silk, eggshell, satin | Very good | Standard–low-VOC (CRAFTED) | Budget–mid | High-street, trade | Sample pots |
Lick | Eco-conscious homeowners, sampling | Matt, eggshell, satin | Good | Low-VOC | Mid | Online, select stockists | Peel-and-stick swatches |
Earthborn | Sustainable refurbishments | Claypaint, eggshell | Good | Very low-VOC, natural | Mid | Specialist stockists, online | Sample pots |
Graphenstone | Eco interiors, breathable applications | Matt, eggshell | Good | Mineral-based, very low toxicity | Mid–premium | Specialist stockists, online | Sample pots |
Paint & Paper Library | Luxury interiors, designer schemes | Matt, dead flat, eggshell, gloss | Good | Low-VOC | Premium | Specialist stockists | Sample pots, colour cards |
Frenchic | Furniture, decorative DIY | Chalk, satin, gloss | Moderate | Low-VOC | Mid | Online, garden centres | Colour cards |
Valspar | Durable walls, colour-matching | Matt, silk, satin, gloss | Very good | Standard | Budget–mid | High-street (B&Q) | Sample pots, colour cards |
Graham & Brown | Wallpaper-coordinated schemes | Matt, silk | Good | Standard | Mid | High-street, online | Colour cards |
Benjamin Moore | High-pigment colour, professional finishes | Matt, eggshell, satin, gloss | Excellent | Low-VOC (Aura range) | Premium | Specialist stockists | Sample pots |
COAT | Designer palettes, easy sampling | Matt, eggshell | Good | Low-VOC | Mid | Online | Swatch cards |
Craig & Rose | Heritage decorative work | Matt, eggshell, satin, gloss | Good | Standard | Mid | High-street, online | Colour cards |
Fired Earth | Premium natural palettes | Matt, eggshell | Good | Low-VOC | Premium | Own stores, specialist stockists | Sample pots |
Atelier Ellis | Soft neutral schemes | Matt, eggshell | Good | Low-VOC | Premium | Specialist stockists, online | Sample pots |
Leyland Trade | Large-scale repaints, contractor projects | Matt, silk, satin, gloss | Very good | Standard | Budget | Trade counters | Colour cards |
Paper and Paints | Contemporary schemes, specialist finishes | Matt, eggshell, gloss | Good | Low-VOC | Mid–premium | Specialist stockists | Sample pots |
House of Hackney | Maximalist feature walls, bold schemes | Matt, eggshell | Good | Low-VOC | Premium | Own stores, online | Colour cards |
Quick pick tips:
Period terrace hallway needing a rich, breathable finish? Go Little Greene or Mylands in a dead flat or absolute matt.
Whole-home repaint on a realistic budget? Dulux Heritage gives you the heritage palette without the premium price tag.
Renting or sampling before committing? Lick’s peel-and-stick swatches save you painting test patches on every wall.
Furniture or a statement sideboard? Frenchic chalk paint is purpose-built for the job.
Contractor-led full refurbishment? Johnstone’s or Leyland Trade keep costs predictable and coverage consistent.
How do you choose the right paint for your London home?
Your project requirement determines the brand, not the other way round. That single principle cuts through most of the confusion around choosing between the dozens of options available. Decorator guidance consistently emphasises matching brand to substrate and use-case rather than defaulting to a name you recognise from a magazine.
Finish: what goes where in a London home
The finish you choose affects how a room looks, how easy it is to clean, and how long the paint lasts. Here is a practical guide for typical London rooms:
Dead flat / absolute matt — absorbs light beautifully and hides imperfections in older plaster. Ideal for reception rooms and bedrooms in period properties, but difficult to wipe clean.
Estate emulsion / matt — slightly more durable than dead flat; the workhorse finish for living rooms and bedrooms.
Eggshell — the right choice for hallways, kitchens, and children’s rooms where walls take knocks. Also the standard finish for interior woodwork.
Satin and gloss — for joinery, sash windows, and exterior woodwork. Gloss gives the sharpest finish on architraves and skirting boards.
Exterior masonry — a dedicated formulation for London’s brick and render; never substitute an interior emulsion outdoors.
Durability and scrubbability
High-traffic zones in London homes, particularly hallways, stairs, and kitchens, need a washable emulsion or a trade-grade formula. Dulux, Crown, Johnstone’s, and Leyland Trade all offer scrubbable finishes that hold up to daily cleaning. Premium artisan brands tend to prioritise colour depth over scrub resistance, so use them where walls are less likely to take direct contact.
VOC and eco credentials
Specialist brands using plant-based and natural mineral formulations are increasingly mainstream choices, particularly for ventilation-limited London flats and family homes with young children. Earthborn, Graphenstone, and Lick all carry low or very low VOC ratings. If you are working on a listed building, check whether your conservation officer has guidance on breathable finishes before specifying.
Coverage and coats
Professional decorators favour paints that deliver consistent colour depth in two coats to keep projects on schedule and within budget. A high-pigment paint from Mylands or Little Greene can genuinely reduce the number of coats needed, which saves labour time on a full refurbishment. Budget paints often require three coats to achieve the same depth, which erodes the apparent cost saving.
Sampling strategy
Never commit to a full tin without testing in situ. London flats, particularly north-facing rooms and basement conversions, have very different light conditions to a showroom. Peel-and-stick sampling and numbered palettes from brands like Lick and COAT let you assess colour without painting a test patch. For artisan brands, buy a sample pot and paint an A3-sized patch on the actual wall, then check it at different times of day.
Three questions to ask before buying
Is the surface new plaster, old masonry, or previously painted? (Determines primer and breathability needs.)
How much traffic and cleaning will this wall take? (Determines finish and brand tier.)
What is the natural light like, and does the colour read warm or cool in that room? (Determines whether to go one shade lighter or darker than the sample card suggests.)
Pro Tip: Buy 10% more paint than your coverage calculation suggests. London rooms with cornicing, dado rails, and irregular walls always use more than a flat-wall estimate predicts, and running out mid-coat with a bespoke colour is a costly mistake.
Brand profiles: what each paint brand offers and where to buy
The right paint choice hinges on the project brief: luxury brands give pigment richness for feature walls while trade brands win for durability and efficiency in high-traffic areas. Scan each profile for best-for, finish options, eco notes, price band, and where to buy.
Farrow & Ball is the brand most associated with London period homes, and for good reason. Its deeply pigmented, water-based formulations produce a distinctive chalky depth that reads differently from standard emulsions. Dead Flat is the go-to for reception rooms; Estate Eggshell handles joinery. Available from Farrow & Ball stores and specialist stockists. Premium price band.
Little Greene produces its paints in small batches with precise pigment control, which creates deeper colour and finer finishes. Artisanal British manufacturers prioritise pigment saturation and small-batch processes, placing them above mass-market brands when finish and depth of colour matter most. Its historic palette is particularly well suited to Georgian and Victorian properties. Specialist stockists and online. Premium.
Mylands is made in London and markets its Marble Matt as a high-pigment formula that achieves rich colour in two coats. It is a strong choice for feature walls and period homes where pigment depth matters. Specialist stockists and direct online. Premium.
Dulux and Dulux Heritage cover more London walls than any other brand, and the trade formulations are genuinely hard-wearing. Heritage gives you a curated period palette at a mid-range price. Available everywhere from B&Q to trade counters. Budget to mid.
Johnstone’s is the decorator’s workhorse: consistent, durable, and cost-effective. Its exterior gloss and satin ranges are particularly reliable for woodwork and front doors. Trade counters and high-street. Budget.
Crown / CRAFTED by Crown offers good washable emulsions for kitchens and family rooms. The CRAFTED range steps up to lower VOC formulations and a more considered palette. High-street and trade. Budget to mid.
Lick has built a following among London homeowners who want a simplified colour system, low-VOC credentials, and the ability to test colours at home without mess. Its numbered palette and peel-and-stick samples are genuinely useful for flats where repainting test patches is impractical. Online and select stockists. Mid.
Earthborn uses natural ingredients and very low VOC formulations. Its Claypaint finish has a distinctive texture that works well on older lime-plastered walls. Specialist stockists and online. Mid.
Graphenstone is a mineral-based, low-toxicity paint marketed for breathability-sensitive applications. A good option for period properties where substrate health matters. Specialist stockists. Mid to premium.
Paint & Paper Library offers designer-led palettes and refined finishes for luxury interiors. Its colour editing is precise and the finishes are high quality. Specialist stockists. Premium.
Frenchic is purpose-built for furniture and decorative DIY. Its chalk-style and satin ranges are easy to apply without specialist equipment, making it popular for upcycling projects. Online and garden centres. Mid.
Valspar delivers good coverage and durability at a competitive price. Its colour-matching service at B&Q is a practical option for homeowners who want a specific shade without committing to a premium brand. High-street. Budget to mid.
Graham & Brown coordinates its paint palette with its wallpaper collections, making it a practical choice for rooms where you want a unified scheme. High-street and online. Mid.
Benjamin Moore is a US-origin brand growing steadily in the UK. Its Aura range is pigment-rich and low-VOC, with a wide colour library that appeals to professional decorators. Specialist stockists. Premium.
COAT offers a curated colour collection with swatch cards for easy at-home sampling. A good option for homeowners who want a designer-led palette without the specialist stockist hunt. Online. Mid.
Craig & Rose has genuine heritage credentials, with traditional manufacturing techniques and a robust range of decorative finishes. A solid choice for heritage-sensitive work. High-street and online. Mid.
Fired Earth brings earthy, tactile colour families to premium interiors. Its palettes suit natural material schemes with stone, timber, and linen. Own stores and specialist stockists. Premium.
Atelier Ellis produces soft, curated palettes on British-made bases. Its neutrals are particularly well resolved, making it a strong choice for whole-home schemes where colours need to flow between rooms. Specialist stockists and online. Premium.
Leyland Trade is the contractor’s choice for large-scale repaints where value and consistency matter more than colour depth. Trade counters. Budget.
Paper and Paints offers a modern colour edit with specialist finishes that sit between artisan and trade. A good option for contemporary schemes where you want something less mainstream. Specialist stockists. Mid to premium.
House of Hackney produces bold, print-friendly palettes designed to complement its wallpaper collections. Its maximalist approach suits statement feature walls and rooms where colour is the centrepiece. Own stores and online. Premium.
Specialist paint choices for London properties
For period properties, exterior masonry, sash windows, and furniture, the right product type matters as much as the brand. Here is a summary: use breathable, high-pigment water-based finishes on older masonry; dedicated exterior masonry paints on London’s brick and render; oil-based or water-based satin and gloss on sash windows; and chalk or specialist decorative paints for furniture.
Period properties
London’s Victorian and Georgian terraces are built from lime mortar and older brick that needs to breathe. Decorators working on period properties choose high-pigment, water-based finishes that allow substrate breathability to avoid trapping moisture in older masonry. Applying a non-breathable synthetic emulsion can cause plaster to bubble and spall within a few years.
Choose microporous or breathable emulsions: Little Greene, Earthborn Claypaint, Graphenstone, and Mylands all meet this requirement.
Avoid vinyl silk on old lime plaster; it seals the surface and traps moisture.
If the property is listed, consult your local conservation officer before specifying a finish. Some conservation areas have guidance on acceptable paint types for external surfaces.
For period property renovation, a specialist decorator who understands substrate preparation is as important as the paint brand itself.
Exterior masonry and London’s pollution
London’s air quality means exterior surfaces accumulate grime faster than in rural settings. Choose a dedicated exterior masonry paint with anti-pollution durability. Dulux Weathershield, Johnstone’s Stormshield, and Sandtex are the most widely used options for London brick and render. Ensure the surface is clean, dry, and free of loose material before application; a stabilising primer is often needed on older render.
Sash windows and woodwork
Sash windows need a paint that stays flexible as timber expands and contracts with London’s damp winters. A water-based satin or gloss in eggshell or satin sheen is the modern standard; it dries faster and is less prone to yellowing than traditional oil-based gloss. Johnstone’s and Dulux both offer reliable water-based gloss ranges. Always prime bare timber with an appropriate wood primer before the topcoat.
Pro Tip: On sash windows, apply paint in thin coats and keep the sashes moving during drying to prevent them sticking. Two thin coats beat one thick coat every time.
Furniture and upcycling
Frenchic is the most accessible option for furniture painting, with a chalk-style formula that requires minimal prep and no topcoat for most applications. For a harder-wearing finish on kitchen furniture or heavily used pieces, consider a water-based eggshell from Little Greene or Farrow & Ball, which gives a more refined result.
How London decorators actually choose paint
Local decorators choose by substrate, expected traffic, and access first, then match pigment and finish to light and room use. Brand loyalty comes a distant second to practical performance on the job.
Here are three anonymised project examples from London refurbishments:
Period terrace hallway, Fulham. The decorator specified Little Greene Absolute Matt in a warm off-white. The older lime plaster needed a breathable finish, and the narrow hallway with no natural light required a colour that read warm rather than grey. Two coats achieved full coverage. The client had originally considered a standard Dulux matt, but the pigment depth of the Little Greene made a visible difference in artificial light.
Whole-home repaint, West London flat. A two-bedroom flat in Chiswick was repainted throughout using Dulux Heritage for the main rooms and Johnstone’s washable emulsion in the kitchen and bathroom. The Heritage range gave the client a period-appropriate palette at a realistic budget, while the Johnstone’s handled the practical demands of the wet areas. Total coverage across the flat was completed in four days.
Modern open-plan kitchen with young children, Notting Hill. The family wanted a bold colour on the kitchen island cabinetry and a neutral on the walls. The decorator used Crown CRAFTED for the walls (low-VOC, washable) and Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell on the cabinetry. The combination kept VOC exposure low during the school holidays and gave the cabinetry a finish that could be wiped clean daily.
Tradesperson tips that save time and money:
Prep is where most paint failures begin. Fill, sand, and prime before you open the topcoat tin.
Two coats of a high-pigment paint will almost always cost less in total than three coats of a budget emulsion once you factor in decorator time.
For access work (scaffolding, sash restoration, high ceilings), hire a professional decorator rather than attempting it from a ladder. The risk and the finish quality both argue for it.
DIY is reasonable for a single room repaint on accessible walls. A full-property repaint, exterior work, or any joinery restoration is worth hiring a contractor to manage.
Key takeaways
For London homes, matching the paint brand to the substrate and room use delivers better results than choosing on brand recognition alone.
Point | Details |
Match brand to substrate | Breathable, high-pigment water-based finishes suit older London masonry; synthetic emulsions can trap moisture and damage plaster. |
Finish drives durability | Dead flat for period reception rooms, eggshell for hallways and joinery, exterior masonry paint for outside walls. |
High-pigment paint saves money | Two coats of a premium paint often costs less in total than three coats of a budget emulsion once decorator time is included. |
Sample in situ | Test colours on the actual wall in your room’s light conditions; peel-and-stick swatches from Lick and COAT make this straightforward. |
Tenenltd for full-project delivery | Tenenltd advises on brand and finish selection and delivers the decorating work across West and Central London refurbishments. |
What I would actually pick for a London home
There is a tendency in paint guides to treat every brand as equally valid and leave the reader to decide. That is not how a decorator approaches a job. For a Victorian terrace in Fulham or Kensington, I would specify Little Greene or Mylands on the main walls without hesitation: the pigment depth, the breathability, and the way those colours read in north-facing London rooms justify the premium. For the joinery, Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell on the architraves and skirting boards gives a finish that holds up and looks right.
For a modern flat, the calculus shifts. Dulux Heritage covers the walls efficiently and gives you a period-appropriate palette at a price that makes sense for a rental or a first home. Lick is worth considering if you are sampling colours across multiple rooms and want to avoid the mess of traditional test pots.
The one thing I would push back on is the idea that premium paint is always the answer. A whole-home repaint of a busy family house in Chiswick is not the place for dead flat Farrow & Ball on every wall. Washable trade emulsions in the hallway and kitchen, with a more considered finish in the rooms that matter most, is how experienced decorators actually spec a project. That balance of practical and aspirational is what Tenenltd brings to every refurbishment we work on across West and Central London.
Tenenltd’s painting and decorating service for London homes
Choosing the right paint brand is only half the job. Getting the preparation, priming, and application right is what separates a finish that lasts five years from one that needs redoing in two. Tenenltd offers full painting and decorating services across West and Central London, including Fulham, Chelsea, Kensington, Chiswick, Hammersmith, and Notting Hill, as part of complete refurbishments or as a standalone decorating contract.
The team handles everything from period terrace hallways and sash window restoration to exterior masonry and full-property repaints, with director oversight on every project. If you are unsure which brand or finish suits your property, Tenenltd can advise during a site survey and specify accordingly. Get in touch to request a quote for your next decorating project.
Useful sources and where to read more
These are the primary sources and stockist routes used to build this guide.
The Telegraph: Best wall paints 2026, 14 tried, tested and ranked — independent lab and real-world tests covering coverage, finish, and durability across 14 brands. The most rigorous UK consumer test currently available for wall paints.
House Beautiful: The UK’s best paint brands for colour, coverage and value — broad market roundup covering trade vs retail availability and brand positioning across the UK market.
The English Home: Six luxury paint brands made in Britain — focused coverage of artisan British manufacturers, including production methods, pigment quality, and sustainability credentials.
Mylands — direct source for product specifications, coverage data, and the Marble Matt range. Useful for technical data sheets on high-pigment formulations.
Where to buy: High-street retailers (B&Q, Wickes, Homebase) stock Dulux, Crown, Valspar, and Craig & Rose. Trade counters (Johnstone’s, Leyland Trade, Dulux Trade) require a trade account but offer better pricing for large-scale projects. Specialist stockists (Papers and Paints, Paint & Paper Library stores, Farrow & Ball stores) are the route for premium and artisan brands. Most brands now sell direct online, which is the most practical route for Lick, COAT, Atelier Ellis, and Earthborn.
Using technical data sheets: Every reputable brand publishes a technical data sheet for each product, covering coverage per litre, recoat times, VOC content, and surface preparation requirements. Download these before specifying a paint for a project, particularly for exterior or heritage applications where the wrong formulation can cause lasting damage. When in doubt, call the brand’s technical helpline: Dulux, Little Greene, and Mylands all offer decorator support lines with genuinely useful advice.
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