The Ivy Market Grill

The Ivy Market Grill sits within Covent Garden's Market Building, and the design brief called for a 'faded elegance' aesthetic — a refined interior that felt collected over time rather than newly fitted out.

Choice Finishes delivered a full Marmorino polished plaster base across the principal walls, chosen for its smooth, marble-like sheen and its ability to take a wash finish evenly across large surfaces.

Over the cured Marmorino, we applied a bespoke smokey distemper wash, hand-blended and tested on-site to achieve a soft, tonal haze that mutes the plaster's natural sheen and gives the walls their characteristic 'faded' quality.

Layering a distemper wash over polished plaster without disturbing the underlying sheen, or applying it so heavily that it obscured the Marmorino's natural depth, required careful control of wash consistency and application speed.

We tested the wash on full-size sample boards under the venue's actual lighting conditions before committing to the full room, ensuring the 'faded elegance' effect read correctly once furniture and lighting were in place.