How to Combine and Contrast Little Greene Black Paints

National Trust and Little Greene.

Little Greene Paint and Paper follows 300 years of decorative history throughout the key periods of interior design since the 17^th Century. Little Greene has collaborated with the National Trust, with over 500 buildings in their care, including some of the finest and most significant historic properties in the UK. Since 2018 in collaboration with their curators and conservators, an extensive paint research project has been undertaken in National Trust houses and gardens to find original colours and to tell the stories of the people who first enjoyed them.

Little Greene paints and wallpapers are amongst the highest quality available as they utilize only the finest natural organic and safe synthetic pigments, environmentally friendly and child safe. These pigments also provide sumptuous depth of colour, high coverage rates and excellent durability for your home.

 

New Little Greene Showroom opened in Brierley Hill

A state-of-the-art colour consultancy showroom has now been opened by AVACE at its production facility in Brierly Hill. If you are planning a complete home makeover, a seasonal refresh or simply seeking reassurance with your own colour schemes, visit our showroom and our advisors will guide you through the best colour combinations, finishes and wallpapers to bring beauty and personality to your home or project.

Our showroom exhibits beautiful wallpaper designs from the past which have been redrawn, injecting subtle combinations of Little Greene's best colours. A variety of print processes are used to create an eclectic, yet easy to use, range of papers that seamlessly transcends old and new.

 

 

 

 

 

Free Colours of England and Colours Scales Cards

Choosing colours is a process that beings with our colour cards, the Colours of England is a collection of 128 timeless, unique and distinct colours including authentic shades from the key periods in our architectural history.

Colour scales are based on six tonal families. Colours in each column produce harmonious schemes, colours in each row across the card create schemes with a balanced contrast. Lighter and darker tones are designed to help colour coordinate individual shades within similar contrasting colours, making colour combinations as easy as possible.

Our showroom displays all the Little Greene colours in varying light sources with a colour album that contains larger samples of each of the colours, this is an essential tool for interior designers and home decorators alike.

On the AVACE website, the colours are demonstrated in eight bespoke colour palettes, each colour palette contains similar and contrasting colour combinations based on colour scales. Each colour can be selected to view information on product availability and recommended colour combinations and wallpapers.

 

Feature Finishes

Absolute Matt Emulsion is a beautiful sublime chalky dead matt 3% finish which exudes character. It produces a fast drying, easy clean finish which is wipeable with a damp cloth or moist sponge. Absolute Matts chalky appearance makes it an ideal choice for walls, ceilings, plaster and lining paper in living rooms, bedrooms, studies and dining rooms.

This finish is an odourless, low in VOCs, child safe and environmentally compliant decorative paint complying with toy paint regulation EN 71-3:2019. Available in 1lt, 2.5lt and 5lt packs in the full Little Greene Colour palette. 60ml colour sample pots are also available to test your selected colours on the walls in your home.

 

Intelligent Matt is a hard wearing 5% matt finish that is quick drying and washable making it specifically designed for walls in high traffic areas such as hallways, kitchens, nurseries and open plan living spaces as it is 15 times more durable than ordinary matt emulsions. Intelligent Matt combines beautiful deep sumptuous colour with a practical washable finish for the modern family home.

Intelligent Matt is odourless, stain resistant, child safe and environmentally compliant. It has been certified by the toy paint regulations under BS EN 71-3:2019 , containing no harmful ingredients. It is available for free delivery in 1lt, 2.5lt and 5lt packs in all of the Little Greene Colours of England.

 

Intelligent Satinwood is an ultra-tough low maintenance 25% satin finish that is quick drying and completely washable. It is suitable for all interior joinery, particularly kitchen cabinets, skirting, doors, windows and wooden furniture.  It is odourless, stain resistant, child safe and environmentally compliant.

This finish has been specially formulated to withstand the many knocks delivered to kitchen cabinets and items of wooden furniture, it is a resilient interior wood paint that is available in all of the Little Greene colours in 1lt and 2.5lt packs for free delivery.

 

Black Colour Combinations

Historically dark colours would have only been used on walls in very large rooms, as a backdrop to fine artworks, tapestries and wall hangings. Recently  contemporary interior designers have embraced the same concepts for the modern home environment.

These Little Greene black paints provide a stunning backdrop to white picture frames or joinery and can easily be complimented with a flash of a brighter accent colour. For a luxurious feel, choose dark tones that are warm with either red, brown or yellow tones like Chocolate Colour or Elysian Ground. Frederick Handel and Benjamin Franklin both had their London front doors painted in this rich almost edible Chocolate Colour (124). Elysian Ground (320) was first used by the architect William Kent in 1738 on a Chinoiserie feature wall in Stowe. For an excellent contrast with blacks try Dock Blue and Dark Brunswick Green. Dock Blue (252) is a generous indulgent colour a little warmer than its greener sister shade Royal Navy (257). Dark Brunswick Green (88) is a smart confident shade used extensively on the front doors and entrances of period homes and town houses.

Alternatively, cooler blacks like Basalt and Lamp Black have a particular standout impact when used in large modern open plan kitchens contrasting with the bright silver appliances. Basalt (221) is a timeless blue black, Lamp Black (228) can be classically paired with Urbane Grey, Heat or Ashes of Roses.

Blacks like Jack Black draw attention being totally absorbent of light, the pigments are produced from the soot from burning oil, ideal on front doors and entrances as a bold statement. Jack Black (119) can be perfectly coordinated with Hicks' Blue and Tivoli bringing life to any room by adding subtle depth and nuance. David Hicks was one of the most important designers of the 60s and 70s, he used this blue in the restaurant at the top of the London Telecom Tower in 1962. Tivoli (206) is a variation on Tropez blue and being cleaner was a successful foil to darker true blues.

 

 

 

Black tones in Combination with Wallpapers

One of the easiest ways of pairing your chosen little greene black paint with wallpaper is to use complementary shades or colours from the same part of the colour wheel, this creates a more cohesive and well-matched appearance in your living areas.

For a colour such as Jack Black, pairing it with Little Greene Wallpaper like Upper Brook Street Minuit or Achillea Aurora can create a more interesting feel to your space. Upper Brook Street  Minuit mostly has a Stoney grey look, pairing it with Jack Black will give your room a monochromic look but with a subtle rich finish.

Jack Black and Achillea Aurora can feel similar in both intensity and impact, so when you are paring the two, it's about setting a moody scene. First create a sense of infinite depth with a blackout wall of paint then add in the wallpaper to bring charm and a little bit of texture to the area.

 

 

 

Inspirational Colours

You can order your complimentary Little Greene colour cards here, the range includes 128 Colours of England and 75 Colour Scale colours.

Once you have selected your preferred colours, simply order any number of 60ml sample pots to try out your colours in your chosen rooms. Delivery is free next day when you order three or more pots. The sample pots are for colour selection only and based on Absolute Matt, they may not exhibit the properties of your final choice of paint.

For inspiration on the latest colour trends visit avacedesign on Instagram. Finally order the paints for your interior design online and receive free delivery throughout the UK.