Little Greene—A Cult-Favorite Paint and Wallpaper Brand of British Decorators—Is Heading to the US
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For some time, design-savvy denizens have hightailed it to Greenwich, Connecticut, to patronize a cluster of design showrooms for Oomph, Room, the Shade Store, and Waterworks. Now, Little Greene Paint & Paper—a decorator favorite across the pond—plans to join their ranks, as the brand has announced plans to make its brick-and-mortar US debut this September on the same retail-centered drag as those designer staples.
Tracing its roots back to at least 1773, Little Greene Dye Works supplied pigments and dyes to weaving mills in the Manchester, England, area. Its present-day incarnation, founded by chemist David Mottershead in 1996, is now a family affair, with Mottershead’s son Ben and daughter Ruth serving as operations director and creative director, respectively.
“We love working together, and we have a real passion for what we do. We manufacture all of our paints in our own factory in the UK—in Bethesda, North Wales— meaning we have complete control over ingredients and quality,” Ruth tells AD PRO. “Designers will never be disappointed with the exceptional opacity and pureness of color.”
Come fall, customers will be able to peruse Little Greene’s wall coverings and paint hues (196 of the latter, to be exact). At the end of their showroom visits, guests can head home with A4 wallpaper samples and color cards embedded with “flying” paint chips. (While you’re there, the überdurable, washable Intelligent paint finish is also worth a second look—the company touts it as up to 15 times more resistant than typical paints.)
New colors are slated for spring 2024, but until then fans will have access to Little Greene’s Colour Scales and Colours of England ranges. The first of the two illuminates soft gradients of tones in the same color families for projects that invite a dynamic monochromatic contrast, while Colours of England explores decorative history from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries with a timeless English palette.
Little Greene’s dedication to the roots of British design made it a natural partner for the National Trust, providing paints for National Trust properties, along with the stately 17th-century Kenwood House in London’s Hampstead Heath neighborhood and some hush-hush royal addresses and UK landmarks. “We pride ourselves in the supply of a unique collection of colors based on UK and European historical references made very relevant for the decoration of contemporary interiors,” Ruth points out.
Ruth notes that Little Greene’s arrival stateside “is a natural evolution,” as American designers have already expressed interest in the brand online and at trade shows. In addition to the consumer market, Little Greene will be targeting the design community through its color consultancy services, events and workshops, and collaborations with retailers—Little Greene will also be available at independent paint stores and online nationwide—to provide any help and assistance designers might need during the specification process.
“We are confident,” Ruth adds, “[that] our common heritage will allow us to bring new colors and new perspectives.”
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