PROJECT
Whole house decorating, top to bottom
A family home decorated in 2025, from the kitchen diner to the home office, with every room planned as part of one job.
What does whole house decorating involve?
Whole house decorating means every room, from ceilings and walls to woodwork, decorated as one planned job rather than room by room over several years. On this 2025 project, I decorated a family home top to bottom: kitchen diner, lounge, snug, four bedrooms, family bathroom, en suite, hallway and landing, and a home office.
Doing the whole house at once has real advantages. Colours can be planned so rooms flow into each other, preparation is done in one go, and the finish is the same standard throughout. The job followed the same five steps as all my work: visit, colours agreed, careful preparation, decorating and a walk-through before sign-off.
How were the kitchen diner, lounge and snug decorated?
The kitchen diner has navy shaker units, so the walls and woodwork around them frame the room. In any kitchen I'd advise a tough, wipeable finish, as kitchens take steam, splashes and knocks every day. There's more on my kitchen decorating page.
The lounge has a gallery wall, which changes how a wall should be decorated: it becomes the backdrop to the frames, so an even, flawless finish matters more than ever. The snug was decorated as part of the same scheme.
How were the four bedrooms decorated?
All four bedrooms were decorated as part of the job. In bedrooms the preparation matters as much as the colour: walls filled and sanded, clean lines where wall meets ceiling, and crisp woodwork. Have a look at my bedroom decorating page for more ideas.
How were the bathroom and en suite decorated?
The family bathroom and en suite were decorated alongside the rest of the house. Bathrooms and en suites deal with steam every day, so I'd always recommend a moisture-resistant paint and good preparation to help stop peeling and mould.
How were the hallway, landing and home office decorated?
The hallway and landing tie a house together, as they're the spaces you pass through to reach every other room. They also take the most wear, so skirting and doors need a hard-wearing finish. See my hallway, stairs and landing page for more.
The home office completed the house, decorated top to bottom like every other room.
WHAT CUSTOMERS SAY
"He kept us up-to-date with how it was going and if there were any small difficulties, he put our minds at rest with how it could be remedied."
MAXINE SIMMS
Living room, dining room and hallway customer
QUESTIONS
Should I plan colours for every room before whole house decorating starts?
Planning colours for every room before whole house decorating starts is the best way to make a house feel joined up. Daniel Riley agrees colours and details with each customer before work begins, so hallways, landings and the rooms that open off them sit well together.
Who carries out whole house decorating with Daniel Riley?
Daniel Riley works with Sam and a wider team on larger jobs such as whole house decorating. More hands keep a whole house project moving, and every job ends with a walk-through with the customer before sign-off.
What order should rooms be decorated in?
A sensible order for decorating a whole house is to finish the rooms that can be closed off first, such as bedrooms, and leave hallways, stairs and landings until later, because those areas take the most foot traffic while work goes on elsewhere.
FREE, NO-OBLIGATION QUOTES
THINKING ABOUT YOUR WHOLE HOUSE?
Tell me about your home and I'll come and talk it through, with a free, no-obligation quote.
NEWSLETTER
Colour ideas in your inbox
Seasonal colour ideas, decorating tips and recent projects from Daniel. No spam, and you can unsubscribe at any time.