Introducing ‘Double Drenching’
Over the past couple of years, Little Greene has seen the Colour Drenching design trend being used to transform spaces, radically changing the way in which colour is used in the home.
For some, Colour Drenching has been a big step change, moving away from a more typical, traditional use of colour in a design scheme. This use of ‘drenching’ or enveloping a room with a single colour across walls, ceiling, woodwork and skirting has proven to be a real confidence booster, opening the door to new ways of using colour in the home.
Perhaps a bold but relatively easy step to take, Colour Drenching simply requires the choice of a colour you like, and the confidence to paint it everywhere. Occupying a more sophisticated space is a more nuanced approach, offering both a creative opportunity and a point of difference which is a natural progression, evolving the colour drench aesthetic and taking it further.
‘Double Drenching’ is the name Little Greene has given to dramatically transforming a space by painting two or more related colours on all available surfaces to achieve an even more accomplished ‘wow factor’ in a room. This new approach is a way to confidently embrace and combine colours that might not typically be seen and used alongside one another in a single scheme. Traditionally, tonal variations of a single colour are used to achieve a harmonious look, perhaps three strengths of a neutral shade being used across walls, woodwork and ceilings. With ‘Double Drenching’, the variation is in hue rather than strength, so the colours might be as bold as each other and from the same family, but they carry different undertones. Greens at different ends of the spectrum, such as a bluish green used alongside a yellowish green on different planes within a space, for example.
Taking reference from colours that are near or next to one another on the Little Greene Colours of England Colour Card (rather than the tonal shades above or below), we see colours: ‘Hopper’ juxtaposed with ‘Citrine’, ‘Mid Azure Green’ alongside ‘Deep Space Blue’, and ‘Tivoli’ with ‘Blue Verditer’ and ‘Woad’.
Because these new double-drenched schemes are built on strong shades, they offer the chance to embrace a stronger palette in other elements of the room, adding an unexpected feature colour on furniture, upholstery and accessories. This style of decorating is all about embracing the power of colour, there is no room for white ceilings or skirting here!
With Little Greene’s Intelligent Paints now being truly multi-surface finishes, ‘Colour Drenching’ and ‘Double Drenching’ are now even easier, and more economical, as it is now possible to paint almost any surface from a single tin without the need for primer.
“It’s always fascinating to see how colour confidence and the use of colour changes over time. The understanding of the effect of colour on the atmosphere of a space is something that has grown exponentially over the past few years. Since first introducing the ‘Colour Drenching’ approach back in 2021, we have seen customers move away from traditional schemes to embrace deep and mid-tone hues from floor to ceiling and everything in between, creating really engaging, inviting spaces. ‘Double Drenching’ is an expansion of this colour confidence, taking the concept into a highly creative, sophisticated and nuanced approach to decoration.”
– Ruth Mottershead, Creative Director Little Greene.
Little Greene
With a small factory in the foothills of Snowdonia and a Head Office based in Manchester, Little Greene is an independent, family-run business and the only manufacturer still producing a complete range of traditional and modern decorative paints for all areas of the home.
Little Greene’s environmentally-friendly paints include child-safe, water-based paints and oil-based paints made using naturally occurring vegetable oils, available in finishes for walls, ceilings, floors and even exteriors. They are designed to complement an unrivalled collection of authentic archive wallpaper designs, adapted and re-coloured for the contemporary interior.
Little Greene’s water-based paints contain zero added VOCs, so don’t contribute to atmospheric pollution. But VOCs are not the total picture In talking about a ‘green’ paint. Little Greene also maintains its low carbon footprint by manufacturing at their own factory in Snowdonia and through the fact that the paint’s excellent coverage means a room can be painted in significantly fewer coats, the knock-on effect of which is fewer tins to be delivered and reduced transport pollution.
Little Greene’s complex and profound colour formulations are created using traditional and contemporary pigments. The company’s paints contain 40% more pigment than many ordinary paints, which results in unequalled depth of colour and undertones that subtly change in different lights, providing real character.
Little Greene’s beautiful finishes are designed to last. Thanks to carefully chosen ingredients, the paints are easy to apply and boast better coverage than any other. The excellent coverage of the paints means fewer precious raw materials are required and their longevity means repainting is a less frequent task.
Paints are routinely tested to international performance specifications, namely BS EN 13300. By ensuring the highest performance to this standard, Little Greene ensures that product performance is not compromised but remains environmentally friendly.
Little Greene produces one of the most environmentally-friendly ranges of finishes for every application, ethically manufactured in the UK, with no compromise on quality or performance. The water-based paints far exceed all legislation on VOCs and the oil-based paints have been formulated to use naturally occurring vegetable oils.
Little Greene’s packaging, including the metal cans, contains over 50% of recycled materials and can be recycled again upon disposal.
The pigments used in the paints and to print the wallpapers are completely non-toxic and sourced inside the EU, thereby ensuring they have both environmental certification and are free from any chance to be associated with slavery or child labour.
All Little Greene wallpapers are printed using water-based inks and the paper used comes from FSC or PEFC certificated sustainable forests.
Little Greene wallpapers are produced in the UK using ‘paste-the-wall’ technology making them both hard-wearing and easy to apply. All wallcovering products comply with the European Product Standard EN 15102:2007+A1:2011.
The company has committed to a dedicated programme of recycling and uses sustainably-sourced packaging and paperwork for its administration and distribution.
There is Greene-thinking at all operational levels, including a continual waste reduction programme, increased recycling and ongoing work to minimise the impact of emissions & transportation.
Visit www.littlegreene.com for more information and inspiration.