I think from what you say that you will have an a light grey wall color from the high railing down, darker grey above the rail, and white on the ceiling? You would paint the fireplace surround the light grey color (Cornforth white) but paint the remainder of that wall darker grey (so below the rail as well), with white built-in cupboards on each side...is this correct? If so, it seems there would be a "stripe" of the darker grey around the room on the upper wall, not sure how this would look (a photoshop mock up would help, but I don't have that skill). I like the Cornworth color and think it looks great with white. I would use only the two colors - white for the trim/rail, the fireplace surround, and the ceiling, and light grey for the rest of the walls.

Hello Satkinso, I would say they are at the higher end of the paint market which I would use along with others such as Zoffany, Little Greene, Fired Earth etc etc that produce beautiful colours as they do finishes and I look for the best and unique. It could be perhaps poor execution on behalf of your decorator.. In the kindest possible way, but I have seen newly painted works from a previous clients decorator that was shockingly bad in terms of quality... I would be inclined to say it is this rather than the paint. I do though have a very good eye for snagging and I would suggest one more coat with a careful hand... See how you go to be sure before taking any other steps.. You also need a dry environment which makes for a good finish and best drying environment... If it's neither the application nor the paint, it could be the tools used... Paint roller or inferior bristle brush.. I like the softest brush for a superior finish and roller need to be very good quality and preferably shaggy looking I find works best.. : ))

I have used lots of paints and had a chat with the people at the Brewers near us recently as I'm helping a relative choose colours for a Georgian house overhaul. My own opinion on Paint and Paper library was already that the quality was amazing but the guy at Brewers confirmed it. He also confirmed that (sorry) but F&B is generally awful, watery thin and poor quality. Paint and Paper is easliy at the top of the pile when it comes to quality, Little Greene a possible second. I was tyring to find a really good neutral for my Auntie's House and Stone came out tops, not too yellow, not too green, a perfect neutral. The Stone 1 or 2 was good for woodwork the Stone 3 perfect for walls. I can't comment on the suitablitity for how practical it is, it possibly comes in a wipeable version.

I can recommend Mylands Marble Matt - it’s very matt and scrubbable. It has amazing reviews and my decorator said it was a dream to work with. It’s pricey - same, if not a tad more than Farrow and Ball - but you can buy testers in Brewers and then buy online from somewhere like Paint Depot that tends to be a bit cheaper and always seems to have an extra 10% off!