HERITAGE INTERIORS
Period interior decoration
Period cornicing repair, ceiling-rose restoration, hand-cut lines for listed and Conservation Area properties across EH1, EH8.
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EDINBURGH · OLD TOWN
Award-Winning Painters and Decorators in Old Town
Medieval tenements along the Royal Mile, Canongate listed homes, Lawnmarket close-properties and Holyrood-edge family homes. Borthwick has worked the Old Town for six decades — listed-building consents, period-correct Conservation Officer-aware heritage decoration.
4.9 / 5average rating
175+verified reviews
1959est. — 65 years of craft
£10 millionpublic liability cover
Welcome to Borthwick Decorators Old Town
Borthwick Decorators works on listed medieval tenements, Royal Mile residential, Canongate and Lawnmarket period properties across the Old Town EH1 and EH8. Heritage specialism, hand-cut lines, six decades of Edinburgh experience. 175+ verified reviews at 4.9/5 rating.
Medieval spine, listed everything.
The Old Town is Edinburgh’s medieval heart — the Royal Mile spine from Castlehill to Holyrood, the deep tenement closes off the High Street, the Cowgate and Grassmarket below the ridge. Almost the entire postcode sits in the UNESCO World Heritage Site with substantial Grade A and Grade B listing density. Residential stock spans converted tenement flats, mews properties, and the Holyrood-edge modern infill.
Decorating the Old Town is a specialist heritage trade. Period-correct making-good of original substrate, breathable mineral systems for stone elevations, listed-building consents documentation, sympathetic palettes for medieval and Georgian fabric. Borthwick has worked the postcode for decades from our 93 George Street office, ten minutes north along the New Town grid.
AWARD WINNING
2025 Cultural Renovation Project of the Year
2025 Residential Category
2024 Private Domestic (Pre-1919) Project of the Year — Contract Manager 2024
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WHAT WE DO IN OLD TOWN
Our painting and decorating services in Old Town
WALLPAPER
Wallpaper hanging
Feature walls to whole rooms — walls lined first, patterns matched, seams tight. Designer papers and wide-width vinyls hung properly.
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KITCHENS
Hand-painted kitchen cabinet
In-situ cabinetry painting using Farrow & Ball Estate Eggshell or Little Greene Intelligent Eggshell. Brush and roller on-site, no spraying.
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STONE & EXTERIOR
Sandstone & masonry coatings
Lime washes, mineral paint and breathable systems for Edinburgh sandstone elevations. Scaffold or tower hire coordinated.
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COMMUNAL
Tenement common-stair painting
Common-stair redecoration coordinated with factor and stair committee. Phased programmes that keep the close moving.
Learn moreRECENT WORK NEARBY
Recent work in and around Old Town
ABOUT OLD TOWN
Edinburgh's heritage core — Castle to Holyrood.
The Old Town is the most-protected residential character in Edinburgh. Most of the postcode sits in the UNESCO World Heritage Site; substantial Grade A listing density along the Royal Mile and the close network. Property stock is dominated by converted tenement flats, mews properties off the closes, and Holyrood-edge developments.
On the ground that means City of Edinburgh Council Conservation Officer documentation, period-correct making-good of original medieval and Georgian substrate, breathable mineral systems for stone elevations, sympathetic Heritage Colour palettes from Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library. Most Old Town programmes are listed-building-consents work.
EDINBURGH CLIENT FEEDBACK
A small sample from our Edinburgh portfolio.
Excellent job . I cannot recommend this company high enough. Delivered a fantastic finish and were clean and tidy . Thanks again.
Very professional and competent painters and decorators. I’m very pleased with their work and I intend to use this company again. I thoroughly recommend them to anyone considering using painters and decorators.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Working with us in Old Town.
Do you take on listed and Conservation Area work in Old Town?
Yes. Most of Old Town sits in a City of Edinburgh Council Conservation Area with substantial listed-building density. We hold the heritage finishes specialism and the documentation discipline conservation officers expect.
Which streets do you cover?
All of EH1, EH8. Strongest concentration of recent work on Royal Mile, High Street, Canongate and the surrounding tenement closes.
How do you handle occupied tenement flats?
Most Marchmont-style tenement work is occupied. We agree daily start and finish times with the household, dust-protect the working zone, and coordinate with the factor on common-stair access.
What is your lead time for residential work?
Four to six weeks typically. Listed-building consents add six to twelve weeks of pre-work paperwork; we handle that liaison.
Do you work with interior designers and architects?
Regularly. We support sample boards in Farrow & Ball, Little Greene and Paint & Paper Library, attend site meetings as part of the design team, and execute to RIBA briefs.
NEARBY AREAS
Areas near Old Town we work in.
Accreditations & memberships
Public liability insurance to £10 million.
PDA
Painting & Decorating Association
SDF
Scottish Decorators Federation
SSIP
Safety Schemes in Procurement
Trusted Trader
Edinburgh — Trading Standards Vetted
SafeContractor
Independent H&S Verification
CHAS
Contractors Health & Safety
SMAS
Safety Management Advisory
PASMA
Mobile Access Towers
IPAF
Powered Access (PAL)
CONTACT — EDINBURGH
Speak to our Edinburgh team.
Borthwick Decorators Ltd93 George Street
Edinburgh EH2 3ES