Long Island City has changed a lot over the past decade. What used to be a quiet industrial neighborhood tucked along the East River has become one of the most sought-after places to live in all of New York City. And honestly — it makes sense. You’ve got stunning Manhattan skyline views, easy subway access, a growing food and arts scene, and a real neighborhood feel that a lot of people don’t expect to find this close to Midtown.
People are putting real money into their apartments out here. And they should. When you’re living in one of the most exciting neighborhoods in Queens, your space should feel like it.
That’s exactly the mindset behind this project.
We got a call from a homeowner in Long Island City — ZIP code 11101 — who had just finished renovating her apartment and wanted the interior to feel finished, warm, and a little bit special. The space already had great bones. Beautiful natural light pouring in through the skylights, clean architectural ceiling details, light wood flooring, and a layout that felt open and calm.
But the walls and doors were still plain. And plain wasn’t what she was going for.
She came to us knowing exactly the direction she wanted — limewash on the walls and Farrow & Ball on the doors. She had done her research, she knew what she liked, and she wanted painters who could actually execute it properly.
We were the right call.
If you haven’t heard much about limewash paint yet, you will. It’s having a serious moment right now — and for good reason.
Limewash is one of the oldest painting techniques in the world. It’s been used on walls for centuries across Europe and the Mediterranean, and what’s bringing it back into modern interiors is exactly what made it popular in the first place. The finish is unlike anything you get from standard paint. It’s soft, layered, and slightly translucent — with a natural variation in tone that gives walls genuine depth and character. No two walls look exactly alike. The texture catches light differently throughout the day, shifting subtly from morning to afternoon, making the space feel alive in a way that flat paint simply cannot replicate.
In a Long Island City apartment with skylights above and light wood floors below, limewash was a perfect fit. The warm, earthy tone we applied brought softness and warmth to the space without making it feel heavy or dark. It felt organic. Effortless. Like the walls had always looked that way.
If you haven’t heard much about limewash paint yet, you will. It’s having a serious moment right now — and for good reason.
Limewash is one of the oldest painting techniques in the world. It’s been used on walls for centuries across Europe and the Mediterranean, and what’s bringing it back into modern interiors is exactly what made it popular in the first place. The finish is unlike anything you get from standard paint. It’s soft, layered, and slightly translucent — with a natural variation in tone that gives walls genuine depth and character. No two walls look exactly alike. The texture catches light differently throughout the day, shifting subtly from morning to afternoon, making the space feel alive in a way that flat paint simply cannot replicate.
In a Long Island City apartment with skylights above and light wood floors below, limewash was a perfect fit. The warm, earthy tone we applied brought softness and warmth to the space without making it feel heavy or dark. It felt organic. Effortless. Like the walls had always looked that way.
For the doors, the homeowner chose Farrow & Ball — and if you know paint, you know why.
Farrow & Ball is a British paint company with a reputation built entirely on the quality and depth of their colors. Their whites aren’t just white. Their neutrals aren’t just neutral. Every color in their range has a complexity to it — an undertone, a richness — that makes it look different from anything else on the market. The pigments they use are denser and more carefully formulated than standard paint, which is why Farrow & Ball colors photograph so beautifully and look so intentional in person.
For this project the doors were painted in a clean, sophisticated Farrow & Ball shade that complemented the limewash walls perfectly. Against the warm, textured backdrop of the limewash, the doors looked crisp and refined — grounding the whole space and giving it a finished, considered quality that you feel the moment you walk in.
Painting Farrow & Ball properly takes care. The paint has its own personality and it rewards a slow, methodical approach. We applied it carefully — proper prep, the right number of coats, and attention to every edge and panel — so the finish came out exactly as smooth and clean as it should.
Here’s something worth knowing — both limewash and Farrow & Ball are beautiful products, but neither one forgives a sloppy application. If the prep isn’t right, if the technique isn’t there, if someone rushes — it shows. These aren’t the kind of finishes you want an inexperienced crew attempting.
We’ve worked with both products enough to know exactly what they need.
For the limewash walls, we started with thorough surface prep — making sure every wall was clean, smooth, and properly ready to accept the finish. Limewash is applied in thin, overlapping layers with a wide brush, working the material while it’s still wet to build the natural variation and depth that makes the finish so distinctive. It’s a technique that takes patience and a feel for the material. You’re not just covering a surface — you’re building something that looks like it has history.
For the Farrow & Ball doors, we sanded every surface smooth, applied the appropriate primer, and painted carefully in the direction of the grain with the right brush for the product. Farrow & Ball paint levels out beautifully when it’s applied correctly — the finish we achieved was smooth, even, and exactly as refined as the color deserved.
The contrast between the two — the soft, organic texture of the limewash walls and the clean, polished finish of the Farrow & Ball doors — is what makes the space work so well. They complement each other in a way that feels intentional and sophisticated without being overdone.
When we stepped back and looked at the finished apartment, it was one of those jobs where you feel genuinely proud of the work.
The limewash walls have exactly the warmth and depth the homeowner was looking for. The light from the skylights moves across the texture throughout the day — softer and more golden in the morning, richer and more layered in the afternoon. The Farrow & Ball doors are crisp and clean against the textured backdrop, giving the whole room a quiet elegance that feels expensive without being loud about it.
And the large rattan mandala wall piece the homeowner had — hung right in the center between the two doors — looks like it was always meant to be there. Against the limewash finish, it’s stunning.
She walked in when we were done, looked around slowly, and smiled.
That’s what we work for.
Long Island City sits at the western edge of Queens, right across the East River from Midtown Manhattan. It’s one of the best-connected neighborhoods in the entire city — the E, M, N, W, 7, and G trains all run through the area, putting you minutes from almost anywhere in New York.
The neighborhood is a genuine mix of old and new. Former warehouses and industrial buildings converted into beautiful loft apartments sit alongside sleek new residential towers with East River views. The arts scene is serious — MoMA PS1 has been a cultural anchor here for years, and the streets are full of murals, galleries, and creative energy.
People who live in Long Island City tend to care about design. They pay attention to how their spaces look and feel. They’re not looking for standard — they’re looking for something that reflects their taste and their life.
Limewash walls and Farrow & Ball doors fit that neighborhood perfectly.
We’ve done a lot of work in Long Island City apartments over the years and we always enjoy it. The buildings are interesting, the homeowners have vision, and the results — when everything comes together — are genuinely something to be proud of.
If this project caught your eye and you’re thinking about doing something similar in your own space — we’d love to talk.
Limewash finishes and Farrow & Ball painting are things we do throughout Queens and all of New York City. They work beautifully in Long Island City apartments, Brooklyn brownstones, Manhattan co-ops, and any space where the homeowner wants a finish that feels considered and special.
We’ll come to your space, look at the light and the layout, talk through what you’re going for, and give you an honest recommendation on what will work best. No pressure, no sales pitch — just real conversation about your space and what we can do with it.
Outstanding Painting LLC is based in Queens, , and we work throughout the borough and all five boroughs of New York City. Interior painting, exterior painting, commercial painting, limewash finishes, Farrow & Ball specialist painting, cabinet refinishing — whatever your space needs, we handle it with care.
Call us today for a free estimate. Serving Long Island City, Queens, and all of NYC — licensed, insured, and proud of every project we put our name on.
