Natural paint brand Atelier Ellis, loved by health-conscious renovators and interior designers, has returned to London after a stint in Bath. Its airy new home in Bermondsey officially opened this week at The Bottle Factory — a handsome, Victorian-era former ginger beer factory.
A gin distillery, coffee roastery and the furniture showroom Espasso are also in residence.
It’s part headquarters, part creative studio, and founder Cassandra Ellis is keen to stress that: “Everyone is welcome. I want people to come in and see how we make things because we have nothing to hide.”
Ellis is fiercely proud that every tin is hand-mixed on-site using natural ingredients sourced in the UK (aside from the binding agent, currently available only from Germany).
In a market where the term “sustainable” is bandied around far too liberally, the proof of Ellis’s mission to offer a more conscientious product is her paint’s slow drying time: because no accelerants are used, you have to wait between six to eight hours between coats.
A quick job for a decorator on a cheap day rate this is not. “I think people have got used to a lot of fast convenient tools to make jobs quicker, but it means it makes jobs more toxic,” says Ellis of cheap products which expel dubious odours. “I’m worried for a lot of decorators in another 20 years.”
She also worries about the craft: “It devalues the skill … a good painter-decorator is an amazing thing — they won’t be rushed. So it devalues the industry, which then makes people not want to train to be a master decorator.”
Ellis, from New Zealand, founded the brand in Battersea in 2018, after she switched from designing furniture to paint in a quest to be more democratic.
“The great thing about paint is that you can make a really amazing product,” she says. “Ours starts at £44, so almost anyone who has some disposable income can repaint their front door.”
Uns Hobbs, a House & Garden Rising Star designer, rates Atelier Ellis for when she’s working on a historic property. “The colours aren’t bright or overly vivid, but they have real depth and complexity,” she says.
“The palette feels incredibly earthy and natural, perfect for homes where you want a lived-in, organic feel.”
The brand’s 126 colours come with memorable names such as Tea and Toast — a cosy mid-brown — and Bread and Butter, a warm neutral rich in tones of yellow, ochre and umber.
The brand has also collaborated with art institutions such as the Whitechapel Gallery, and its new headquarters is near Camberwell College of Arts and Goldsmiths, creating mutually beneficial opportunities.
Freelance graduates work on curations and students help with paint charts — all paid the London Living Wage. “We get their great skills and when they graduate, they’ve got experience working in a creative environment, which hurtles them ahead of 400 applicants,” says Ellis.
Waste is Ellis’s pet peeve. The fact that every tin is made to order means there are no pots straying past their sell-by date. It also means everything is always in stock.
When a decorator popped by this week the team made him a coffee while he waited for his tins to be mixed. “The whole thing took half an hour,” she says. “It’s like making a sandwich!”
The Bottle Factory, Ossory Road, SE1. Open by appointment, Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm
And breathe: four more toxin-free paint brands
Edward Bulmer
Photopia Photography
A favourite with interior designers for children’s nurseries and more. This brand, which has a boutique off Pimlico Road, claims to be the only paint company which uses a plant-based binder. Look up its Invisible Green for a killer shade.
Francesca’s Paints
FRANCESCA’s PAINTS
From a business centre south of the river, Francesca Wezel — aka The Colourwoman — and her team mix tins of limewash and her signature eco emulsion using bases from Italy. The range is available across 247 colours.
Earthborn paint in Flora’s Tail
Earthborn
“Free from any nasties” is Earthborn’s tagline. It’s best known for its Claypaint, which offers a breathable and ultra-matt finish. Virtually VOC-free, you won’t experience any unpleasant odours.
Graphenstone paint in White Tea
Graphenstone
The brand chosen by interior designer Rose Uniacke for her eponymous paint collection uses graphene, a non-toxic pure carbon which results in coatings that actively contribute to air purification and CO2 absorption.