Hydrated lime finish over lime wash with secco painting.

I was commissioned to apply a 'chinois' design around the main room of a Georgian folly that was situated in the heart of the Cotswolds. The folly was one of the last remnants of a vast estate that was no longer in existence. It was set on a buff overlooking the Severn valley, on a clear day you could see The Mendips one way and The Brecon Beacons the other.

The building had existing lime plaster throughout and this particular room had had numerous lime-washes applied over the years. These and the plaster was largely secure. After minimal repair, I applied a casein primer and lime wall finish base. These are both totally suitable and compatible with substrate.

I then applied a second coat of a hydrated lime plaster called Kokyu - this has an added paper pulp, a by-product of local paper industry and another example of up-cycling.

Once this had been completed, I applied two coats of sora, a beautifully refined hydrated lime plaster. Tagawa Sangyo have created such a wonderfully adaptable and versatile series of plasters that I have been able to accommodate all projects no matter how diverse.

I started to apply a monochrome 'chinois' design using lime paint

Although there may well have been areas of sora that were still wet - so technically the painting could be 'fresco' - the majority of the lime painting was undertaken when base was dry.

Katie B Morgan assisted me on this project and spent two weeks applying painted detail to foliage alone.

This short film shows the entire room