Painting Garden Studios & Home Offices in North London: Exterior & Interior Specs

Garden studios — purpose-built home offices, art studios, and garden rooms at the end of North London gardens — have proliferated significantly since 2020. The best of these are beautifully designed timber-clad structures that deserve as careful decoration as the main house. Here's our guide to getting the external and internal specification right.

External Cladding — Timber Boards

Most garden studios are clad in horizontal or vertical timber boards — either feather-edge boards, shiplap, or more architectural profile systems. The correct treatment depends on the timber type and whether it's been pre-treated or arrives bare: untreated softwood cladding requires a timber primer (or oil) then two coats of exterior timber stain or paint; hardwood and pre-treated softwood requires an exterior oil or stain suitable for the species.

Colour Choices for Garden Studios

Dark, natural tones are the most consistently successful choice for garden studio exteriors: Farrow & Ball Railings (near-black), Downpipe (dark graphite), Studio Green (deep forest green), or Little Greene Dark Lead. These blend into garden settings, age gracefully, and look deliberately designed rather than incidentally placed. Pale colours quickly show weathering and require more frequent maintenance in London's polluted environment.

Interior Decoration

Garden studio interiors are usually lined with smooth plasterboard or birch-faced ply. Plasterboard walls are decorated with standard interior emulsion (usually a clean white or pale off-white to maximise light); birch ply panels can be oiled, clear-lacquered, or painted depending on the aesthetic preference. Floor finishes range from micro-cement to engineered timber to luxury vinyl.

Garden studio painting and decorating across North London — call 020 3874 2670 for a quote.