46 Carnaby Street

London, W1F 9PS – June 2025

Styles Façade Solutions (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) completed a comprehensive commercial facade restoration project at 46 Carnaby Street, transforming a heavily painted brick façade ahead of the opening of a flagship retail store. The works included the careful removal of multiple paint layers, masonry repairs, and extensive preparation to restore the building’s original character while ensuring a high-quality finish.

As part of the wider commercial façade refurbishment, specialist stripping techniques and low-pressure steam cleaning were used to safely reveal the underlying brickwork. Damaged concrete patch repairs were removed and replaced with suitable materials to improve breathability and protect the building’s structural integrity. The entire façade was then repointed with a materially appropriate mortar to create a clean, uniform appearance.

The project also incorporated commercial façade painting works to timber sash windows, including repairs to decayed woodwork, repainting of window reveals, and restoration of decorative elements. Additional exterior painting was carried out to metal planters, completing the refreshed and modernised appearance of the property.

Solutions provided

Façade Repairs & Restoration Façade Painting Window Painting

Styles Façade Solutions (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) was commissioned to restore the façade of 46 Carnaby Street, London, Prior to works commencing, with the original Victorian brickwork entirely concealed beneath thick layers of paint across the upper three storeys.

A BOLD NEW LOOK DOWN CARNABY STREET

With over 400 years of history, Carnaby Street has evolved to become one of the premier shopping destinations in London for global fashionistas. When a major makeover was needed for a prominent store front, Styles Façade Solutions® was on hand to lead the delicate restoration and repairs necessary to get the building looking its best.

Carnaby Street has been a must-visit Soho destination since the early 1960s, but its origins date back to the 1680s when Karnaby House was built (giving the street its name). Within 50 years, Karnaby House had been demolished, and today, the name is all that remains of the original estate.

After the Second World War, Carnaby Street was a shabby Soho backstreet – a mixture of sweatshops, locksmiths and tailors on one side, and a depot for the Central Electricity Board on the other. It wasn’t until John Stephen (later known as the ‘King of Carnaby Street’) opened the boutique ’His Clothes’ in 1957 that the street became known for its cutting-edge fashion.

A close-up view of the façade of 46 Carnaby Street, London, photographed during restoration works from scaffolding level. The brickwork is mid-process, with layers of light blue and red paint partially stripped to reveal the underlying brick beneath. Sash windows are protected with clear plastic sheeting. Debris and paint flakes are visible on the scaffolding platform, with yellow scaffold poles and equipment visible to the right.

COMMERCIAL FAÇADE CLEANING AND RESTORATION

Styles Façade Solutions® was tasked with stripping and restoring a heavily painted brick façade at 46 Carnaby Street, as well as repairing and repainting several wooden sash windows, ahead of the opening of a new internationally renowned makeup store. This commercial facade restoration also required full repointing of the three-story exposed brick façade prior to the grand opening.

While we are best known for our scaffold-free approach, the specific methods required to strip decades of thick paint from the brickwork necessitated the use of traditional scaffolding for this project. To ensure environmental safety and protect the busy street below, a bespoke gully system was built into the scaffolding to channel all waste liquids into a secure storage container for off-site disposal.

After — Styles Façade Solutions® was commissioned to restore the façade of 46 Carnaby Street, London. Prior to works commencing, the original Victorian brickwork completely concealed beneath thick layers of paint. The original Victorian brickwork has now been fully revealed and with the mortar repointed, and sash windows refinished with elegant dark olive green surrounds restoring the building back to its former glory.

Before — Styles Façade Solutions® was commissioned to restore the façade of 46 Carnaby Street, London. Prior to works commencing, the original Victorian brickwork completely concealed beneath thick layers of paint. The original Victorian brickwork has now been fully revealed and with the mortar repointed, and sash windows refinished with elegant dark olive green surrounds restoring the building back to its former glory.

COMMERCIAL BUILDING PAINT STRIPPING

Once the scaffolding was secure, a generous coating of specialist paint stripper was applied to break down the multiple layers of thick paint – our team counted over nine different colours of varying thicknesses. Once the paint began to bubble and soften, our experts manually scraped the layers from the brickwork to reveal…. yet more paint.

A second application of stripper was followed by a low- pressure, high-temperature steam wash to remove any stubborn excess residue. As before, all waste liquids were captured in our gully system to ensure no run-off reached the public pavement before being removed from the site.

During the process, the team identified and removed previous patch repairs that had used concrete. These were replaced with a more suitable material to protect the building’s structural integrity and breathability.

Styles Façade Solutions® completed the full façade restoration of 46 Carnaby Street, London, stripping all paint to reveal the original Victorian brickwork, repointing mortar joints, restoring decorative gauged brick arches, and repainting all timber sash window surrounds.

TIMBER WINDOW PAINTING

Once the brickwork was clean, we began the stripping, repair and repainting of the timber sash windows. This allowed for the replacement of damaged and rotted woodwork within the frames and the professional painting of the window reveals.

Prior to the removal of the scaffolding, the old brick mortar was raked out and replaced with a fresh, materially appropriate mortar, giving the façade a crisp, clean and uniform appearance. As with any commercial facade restoration project of this scale, attention to detail at every stage was essential to achieving a finish that would stand the test of time.

The final task was the reinstallation of the metal planters that had been removed prior to the scaffolding being erected for the duration of the works. These were stripped and repainted to complement the fresh, new modern aesthetic of 46 Carnaby Street.

“We are delighted with the transformation we have delivered at 46 Carnaby Street. For such a prestigious shopping area, ensuring this façade to its original brick finish and delivering it on time for its new custodians was a priority. This project allowed our team to demonstrate the level of precision and specialist care we bring to every commercial building façade renovation project.”
Mark Styles, Managing Director, Styles Façade Solutions

See the links below for more examples of the results Styles Façade Solutions® (formerly Thomann-Hanry®) can deliver for your business.

Call our team TODAY on +44 (0) 20 8453 1494, alternatively use the contact us form for a FREE project quote or for more information on how Styles Façade Solutions® can help your commercial or heritage property.