Fusing contemporary design and heritage charm with a premium finish

With a keen eye for contemporary design and a passion for a premium finish, Stuart Yates, a professional painter and decorator with 45 years’ experience was delighted to return to a previous customer for a revamp of their 1850s lounge and music room.

The inspiration for the redesign centred around a unique print from the movie Zorro, which shared the orange tones of a contemporary wallpaper Stuart had designed with Graham and Brown for a Dulux competition. The client fell for the wallpaper instantly and decided a feature wall would be the ideal way to really inject personality into the room, alongside the heritage architectural features and stylish furniture.

To offset the orange tones of the wallpaper and the Zorro print, a palette of contrasting blue and green hues were selected from the Dulux colour of the year 2020 palette, which would be used in a vinyl matt for the walls and a quick dry satin for the woodwork.

With the essential design elements confirmed, Stuart got to work preparing the room. 

Just because you can ‘cut in’, it doesn’t mean you always should!

Stuart explains that whilst he is experienced in ‘cutting in’ with a brush, he often chooses to mask certain areas which will benefit from a precision finish. This is especially true in period properties where window to wall joins for example are often uneven.

Stuart comments: “For discerning clients who share my keen eye for detail, period properties with uneven edges and areas which will be time consuming to cut in by hand, taking the time to mask with a premium-grade performance enhancing masking product is the right choice. Just because you can cut-in, it doesn’t always mean you should – choosing the method that will deliver the best result is always the right thing to do.

“Using two complimentary colours in such a visually stunning environment as this 19^th Century home, commanded the very sharpest of lines, and I knew that using Q1® Precision Line Masking Tape on the window to wall edges and around the door would afford me that quality.

“Many decorators would feel inconvenienced with taping only certain parts of a job, but finish is paramount for me and my demanding customers. Q1® is easy and accurate to apply, it tears neatly from the roll and stays put for the duration of the painting. Removing it is always easy and there is never any residue or damage to the protected surface thanks to the premium quality of the Japanese Washi paper and carefully designed adhesive.”

An outstanding finish

This heritage lounge and music room, with its three large sash windows, deep skirting and ornate coving perfectly showcases what can be achieved when premium-grade products come together in the hands of a craftsman who has an eye for precision detail and drive to deliver a class-leading finish. 

Stuart concludes: “Many painters pride themselves in using premium quality paints, wallpapers, and equipment, but consider masking tapes, papers and painting masking films a throwaway commodity. This is a mindset that has been passed down from previous generations of painters and things are changing. The masking products you choose have a direct and significant impact on the quality of the finish and the time in which you can achieve it. For me, having a stock of Q1® products in the van is as important as the tools I use and the materials I recommend to my clients.”

For more information on Q1® masking tapes, papers and films visit, search ‘Q1 tapes1 online.