Turquoise named Colour of the Year

We are thrilled to announce that our colour ‘Turquoise’ has been named Paint Colour of the Year in the Homes & Gardens Design Awards. This dreamy blue is a head turning vivid colour which lifts any room at the same time as having unrivalled depth and softness. Such softness could not have been created with chemical dyes, it’s all down to the master chef artist and designer that is Edward Bulmer, using only natural earth and mineral pigments and plant-based binders. ‘Turquoise’ is a colour which transports one to crystal waters and happy days, as H&G Design Awards judge Charu Gandhi said “It reminds me of my childhood”.

With a vitality that is hard to beat, Turquoise remains a universally loved colour that we have worked hard to reproduce to great effect. It looks as good in hallways as it does in bedrooms and bathrooms. Read on to discover how to use this colour in your own home and find out which colours Edward would pair it with.

Turkish stone as the French named the gem, was not actually originally from Turkey but the country was no doubt the trade route by which it first came to Europe. It first became popular after the publication of a recipe for the pigment ‘Prussian Blue’ in 1724 which allowed for the colour to be created. We have kept the natural pigment recipe simple to produce a clear, vibrant colour as true to the gem as to the name and which is kind to nature too! We have seen many talented designers and creatives use  ‘Turquoise’ in a variety of different spaces.

Sophie Robinson has used it in her master bedroom. “After five years of staring at a hideous artex ceiling, short curtains and drab walls I’m delighted to reveal our new colour scheme!”. Sophie has paired this Mediterranean sea blue with colourful fabrics and rich furniture, grounding each piece in this scheme, see more @sophierobinsoninteriors 

The Rose Hotel in Deal, Kent is a chic boutique seaside destination with gorgeous rooms and seriously delicious food. Their eight unique bedrooms, designed by Nicola Harding & Co, combine bold colours, luxurious beds and a mix of vintage furnishings. They have used ‘Turquoise’ in two of their bedrooms and bathrooms, pairing this colour with a bright green and pink headboard in one room and a strong pop of orange in another (colours we would definitely recommend with this shade!) and some very cool vintage furniture. Don’t delay, book your stay for the ultimate natural paint ‘seaside’ experience, rooms 3 and 8!

We couldn’t agree more! ‘Turquoise’ reacts well in naturally light spaces, it looks glowing in this gorgeous country reception room in Benji’s own home. Benji is known for his flair and putting character and chic into his projects and is a great advocate of transforming a room with a lick of natural colour see more @benjilewisinteriors

Do you love this colour but not sure how to pair it with other shades and prints? Edward has put together a tonal and colour mood board for you of our winning ‘Turquoise’ paying close attention to the pigments used and how our other colours can complement or contrast with this shade.

‘Turquoise’ is made with blue pigment combined with a hint of yellow and green pigment so the tonal palette relies on colours which share similar pigment combinations such as ‘Verdigris’ or ‘Pea Green’. A small amount of blue pigment is added to ‘Inferior Grey’ which means its tonally consistent with ‘Turquoise’ and ‘Fawn’s’ warmer tone works well alongside the yellow pigment that’s in Turquoise.

‘Turquoise’ works well with the more lightly pigmented ‘Duck Egg’ and the deeper blue ‘Vert de Mer’. As we can see in the images above pink is often a popular choice to pair with this happy blue, Edward recommends looking at ‘Rose’ for a vibrant combination but if you want a more neutral colour try ‘Clove’.

Thank you so much to Homes&Gardens for awarding us with Paint Colour of the year, we couldn’t be more thrilled! Follow the link below for the full list of winners, we are in such great company and its so inspiring to see all the talented creatives out there.