Last month, to celebrate ‘Paint of the Decade’ and as part of our campaign to bring transparency to the paint market and to tell you how our paint is made we launched our pigment of the month. Amazingly Edward has created our collection of over 100 colours from just 12 natural earth and mineral pigments. We thought you would be fascinated to learn about these pigments, their history and which colours they create. This month it’s all about the blues, introducing you to the pigment Prussian Blue. Hallway in Cerullian Blue styled by Oka While blue is said to be the world’s most popular colour it is fair to say that many people also find it cold when used for decorating rooms. We asked the ‘Colour man’ himself, Edward Bulmer, to explain the difference with his range of blues and how to use them. “Our perception of colours is often a strong determinant in our liking, or disliking, of them. These perceptions are sometimes ‘received’ rather than evidenced, but most of us are susceptible to a ‘cold’ blue or a ‘warm’ blue. Using earth pigment alongside mineral blues helps to warm them up as well as reducing their cost, particularly in the days when lapis lazuli was the most reliable blue pigment available. The C18th discovery of Prussian Blue gave us, not only a more cost effective blue, but also a pigment with a warmer tonality. Once mixed with yellow ochre or raw umber it will give beautiful deep aqua shades like our Sea Green or Aquatic, but cooled off with white and black you get Cerullian or Navy Blue. Colours based on this pigment respond particularly well to natural wood floors and oak furniture.” Pigment makes up a maximum of 8% of a well formulated paint and as natural paint makers we are alone in only using natural earth and mineral pigments to create our tonally consistent colour range. At Edward Bulmer Natural Paint, we believe you can see the difference in colours made this way. When you use powdered pigment the light is reflected in many directions; giving you a much more subtle effect than the reflection from single wavelength dyes used in synthetic paints. True to your blues? As well as Sea Green and Aquatic, as you would expect you will find Prussian Blue in many of our other blues; Aerial Tint, Ethereal Blue (above left), Cerullian Blue (top image), French Blue (above right), Navy Blue, new Indigo and Welmish Blue (pictured below). Sea Green Aquatic Ethereal Blue Indigo Welmish Blew Sitting room in Welmish Blew at Brunswick House Can you guess which other colours this beautiful blue pigment is used in? You may be surprised to learn that you will find it in Lavender (below left), Inferior Grey (below right), Laylock and even Brunswick Green Deep. Lavender Inferior Grey Laylock Brunswick Green Deep Don’t miss the March ‘Pigment of the month’ with more colour stories. Why compromise? Painting the future with plastic free paint #nonasties #lovepaint#therevivalofnaturalcolour #paintsmadefromplants Follow us on instagram @eb_naturalpaint and @edward_bulmer
A Greener Christmas with Edward Bulmer Natural Paint Make it a Chic Christmas with timeless colours that last beyond the festivities. Check out some of our favourite rooms decorated for the season.
Our new conscious colours: ‘Palette Blenders’ It is not often Edward Bulmer creates new colours, these seven smart and sophisticated ‘Palette Blenders’ transcend style and architecture and are made with absolute resonance and relevance.. Read more about our new colours and which other colours in our natural collection to pair with.
Christmas pop-up with Louise Roe & Sharland England at our London Showroom This festive season we are delighted to welcome Sharland England to our showroom on the Pimlico Road. Do pop in to browse Sharland England’s gorgeous rattan furniture and tabletop collection; from best-selling vases and trays to exquisite and unique ceramics and linens, whether you are gifting or creating your own beautiful Christmas table there is something for everyone.
What are microplastics and how can we reduce them in mainstream paints? Microplastics, microbeads and nano particles are so tiny (measuring 0.006 to 1 millimetre, but they can be up to 5mm) that they are now everywhere! We are probably all inadvertently responsible for this as it is not mandatory to be told when they are used in a product and only a small number of their uses has been outlawed. Furthermore, plastics that are dumped in soils or water are being broken down to become microplastics.
The ubiquity of plastic in our houses and why we need to cut down Avoiding single use plastic is now accepted as common sense (though it is still not mandatory), but it is just the tip of the ‘plastic iceberg’ when it comes to our plastic addiction. So much of the plastic we buy now is unavoidable. Often this is because it makes up the packaging used to wrap and transport the goods we buy, and just as often it IS the goods we buy.
In Conversation with Seedlip & EBNP Watch the full interview with Ben Branson (founder of Seedlip) and Edward Bulmer as they discuss all things nature, flavour, design and sustainability!
