#4. How to select luxury wall coverings.

You would think that choosing a wall covering would be a straightforward process.  Pick a pattern, colour, texture & material at an acceptable price, then have it installed. But there are more detailed considerations to address when it to comes to circulation spaces & rooms accessible to the public, such as in luxury retail stores, boutiques or hotels.

For instance, for Van Cleef & Arpels in the above pictured boutique at Harrods, multiple wall coverings had to be assessed differently according to their size & location. The classifications for wall linings in the UK Building Regulations mean that rooms must achieve a Euroclass standard for internal fire spread of C-s3-d2.  This refers to its performance in: Combustibility, smoke intensity & burning droplets.  An even higher rating is required for circulation spaces.

This doesn’t mean however, that selection is limited to robust, synthetic wall coverings.  As an example, Dedar Milano, a leading supplier of luxury wall coverings, supply elegant silk wall coverings that incorporate fire retardancy in order to maintain an excellent selection of acceptable designs.  In our experience with Dedar, they are quick to provide us with relevant test certificates required by UK building control or by the buildings landlord in the ‘License to Alter’ application.

So the first step is to evaluate the size & location of the wall or ceiling that is to be covered. Then ensure a product is selected that meets the requirements for that location. If you need to know more about the specific requirements for your space, or you are not sure if your selection meets the right standards,  contact us & we’d be happy to advise you further.  We can even advise you on how to proceed if your desired wall covering has no tested certification. Either way, your wall can still be beautiful.