In London's Pimlico sits Edward Bulmer Natural Paint's showroom. Of course, the space showcases the brand's selection of paints – made from a combination of 12 natural pigments and a pioneering bio-based binder – but its mission is not limited to selling wall wares. The showroom is a hub that offers creative interior design suggestions, as well as showcasing brands that share Edward Bulmer Natural Paint's values and educating clients on the environmental impact of the paint industry.
Learn a little more about our latest addition to the Walpole collective in our interview with the Founder of these "pioneering paint pirates", Edward Bulmer...
Walpole: Tell us about the history of your brand…
Edward Bulmer: I have had the pleasure of spending some 35 years working in some of Britain’s finest buildings. As a leading interior designer, architectural historian and ‘colourman’, I work to restore our beautiful heritage buildings, bring knowledge to conservation and lend my design flair to the creation of new spaces for modern living.
I was frustrated by the lack of natural paints on the market where one wasn't compromising on colour choice, quality and coverage. I set up my natural paint company with my wife, Emma, a few years ago with a very particular mission: to produce high quality paints that look beautiful, protect buildings and avoid polluting our environment.
What is your brand best known for?
The paint colours Invisible Green or Jonquil. These are some of our cult colours, but we hope to be known for being the most ecological paint. We are known for colour, for paints with unrivalled finish and depth of colour. It just happens that they are the healthiest and most environmentally friendly paint available.
We are one of the only paint companies that still actually uses natural earth and mineral pigments to make our beautiful colours. We use only 12 pigments which have been used by artists for centuries. These pigment bases guarantee a sophistication and complexity of colour which cannot be replicated by acrylic paint coloured with azo dyes. We are unique in using plant-based ingredients to make our paint with our ground-breaking bio-based binder.
Above all, we are proud to declare all our ingredients – what's in our tins is on our tins. We think of ourselves as ‘Paint Pirates’; disrupting an industry monopolised by chemical giants making products with ingredients derived from nasty fossil fuels.
What has been a significant achievement in your company’s timeline?
Opening our beautiful showroom on Ebury St in the heart of Pimlico, creating a hub for ourselves and like-minded brands. Achieving our B Corp certification with a high score of 98.8 was also a fantastic moment for us. Our Grosvenor Sustainability Award 2023 and our House & Garden Top 100 and Responsible Design Award 2022 are also rewarding recognition of our efforts.
Why do you love the brand?
Our intention is to create plant-based paint based on the protection of both people and planet – what’s not to love about a product that is truly beautiful inside and out?
Why does your brand represent the very best in British luxury?
Our brand represents a new league of luxury, with legacy, longevity and sustainability at its core. The future of luxury has to be sustainable; aside from creating a superior interior and unrivalled colours, our paints are the most ecologically minded available with the least impact on the planet. Paint may not have previously been seen as a luxury purchase, but we believe beautiful natural paint created by a leading designer is a new breed of luxury item. Luxury speaks to innovation, doing something better – the best, even. This is what we aim for at Edward Bulmer Natural Paint.
What attracted you to becoming a Walpole member?
We were fortunate to be selected for the 2023 Brands of Tomorrow programme, which really was an inspiring experience for our whole team, from guidance to connections to support from the Walpole team and our fellow brands. Walpole’s reputation and commitment to the luxury sector through mentoring smaller brands like ours to become successful is something we value immensely.
We do believe that the future of luxury is sustainability and this responsibility lies with all brands. We believe in our brand; our team is committed to cleaning up the paint industry and educating consumers, and Walpole offers us a platform to do this. We are a brand of today with a product for tomorrow, cleaning up and pioneering the paint industry one tin at a time.
If you could collaborate with another Walpole member, which one would you choose?
Aside from seeing our paint adorning the walls of some of London’s best hotels and shops and offices, we would love to create natural bespoke colours for some of the world’s most recognised and leading brands. We have already created the duskiest pink for Anna Mason, called ‘Mason Pink'.
It goes without saying we would like to work with like-minded brands that share a vision and similar values to ours. Equally, if we can help other brands struggling to reach sustainability targets, we would welcome such a positive collaboration. Together we can make a change and the sum of all the small steps will add to a powerful movement for change for the better. In this respect, we are huge admirers of Neal’s Yard Remedies, from its pioneering organic skincare to Anabel Kindersley’s Stand By Bees campaign. We would love to collaborate with any Walpole members who prioritise responsibility and sustainability in their deliverance of beautiful products and services.
Tell us about an exciting development or new launch for your brand in the coming months?
Bespoke by Bulmer, a service which will allow us to create any colour you would like, completely naturally – your own signature brand shade. There is also huge demand for our natural paints in the US, so we hope to launch there by the end of the year.
> Visit Edward Bulmer Natural Paint's member profile
Founder photography by Anna Batchelor
