Case study
Garden-Square Terrace, Notting Hill
First-floor ironwork threaded by hand and a fresh berry wreath on the door — the whole scheme sits on the balcony, so the facade stays untouched.
- Property
- Garden-square terrace
- Area
- Notting Hill, W11
- Fixings
- Threaded, nothing into paint
- Palette
- Warm white, 2200K
Schemes like this run £1,500–£1,900 for the season
The brief
A pastel terrace on a Notting Hill garden square, W11. Leasehold, listed neighbours, and a residents' association with opinions. The owner wanted the house to look dressed for the square's carol evening without becoming the house everyone complains about.
What we installed
- Warm white pea fairy threaded through the first-floor balcony ironwork
- A fresh eucalyptus and red-berry wreath on the door
- Two doorstep planters lit low
- One discreet outdoor timer inside the balcony door
Can you light a balcony without touching the facade?
Yes, and on a square like this it is usually the only scheme you will get signed off. The ironwork does all the work: we thread the string through the balusters by hand rather than cable-tying to the top rail, which hides the wire behind metal from street level and stops the run sagging in the first gale. Power comes off an internal socket through the balcony door with a weatherproof gland, so nothing is drilled and no cable crosses a shared wall.
Why it works
Terrace frontages on the squares are narrow and tall. The eye needs one bright horizontal at first-floor level and one warm point at the door — anything more and you are competing with five identical houses either side. The wreath is fresh, not plastic, and that is more than sentiment: real foliage catches the light unevenly, which is the difference between a doorway that looks styled and one that looks bought.
Related reading
Same treatment, your house
Tell us about the property
A few photos is all it takes. We'll come back with a scheme and a fixed seasonal price.
