Little Greene has recently become the Gallery’s Official Paint Sponsor, providing paint for our galleries and public spaces. Jo Beggs, our Head of Development spoke to Ruth Mottershead, the company’s Creative Director about all things colour.
Can you tell me a little about Little Greene’s history and relationship to Manchester?
“The name ‘Little Greene’ originates from a tiny 18th-century hamlet just to the east of Manchester, which can be seen on ancient maps of the area – the same ones that feature on all our paint tins. Records dating from 1773 show a small company operating on the bank of the rivers Irk and Irwell, called The Little Greene Dye Works.
Here, its entrepreneurial owner, Joshua Rowlands, oversaw the supply of pigments and dyes to local weaving mills, as the area was central to the boom in the cotton trade during the Industrial Revolution.
The Little Greene Paint Company, as it is today, was established very close to the original site in Manchester. Our current headquarters are located a little further down the road, standing proudly in the heart of an area with a rich and envied manufacturing pedigree.”
What makes Little Greene different from other paints on the market?
“As a family-run company with our own factory tucked away in the foothills of Snowdonia, we know exactly what goes into our paints. Our dedicated team uses only the highest quality ingredients to produce eco-friendly paints in a beautiful palette of colours. Our paints contain high pigment levels, with over 40% more pigment than many ordinary paints. This gives our paints an unequalled depth of colour and means that they often require less coats for full coverage.
Our range of Intelligent paints is up to 15 times tougher than ordinary household paints and is completely safe to use in all areas of the family home. We recently upgraded this range with groundbreaking new Intelligent GripTM technology, which means you can prime and paint any surface in your home using a single tin.”
What makes the company want to work with museums and galleries and how does using colour as a backdrop for art and objects in this way differ from home decorating?
“We are always proud to form collaborations with museums and galleries across the UK, and especially those that serve our local community in Manchester. As proud custodians of historic decoration, we know that museums and galleries have such an important role in preserving beautiful artefacts from the past, and then being able to showcase them in new, thought-provoking ways.
Working with museums and galleries to select paint colours for their exhibitions follows a very similar process to that of home decorating. Our professionally trained Colour Consultants can provide advice about shades that will work well in the space and coordinate with the colours in the artwork, just as they would when helping someone choose colours for their home. But in both cases, it’s mostly about selecting a shade that will create the atmosphere you want to achieve and one that will inspire you as soon as you walk into the space.”
Our Curators are very excited about the range of colours you offer. What are your top tips for selecting colours?
“When selecting colours for your home, it’s always important to consider the function and orientation of each room. Consider how you use each space and the atmosphere you want to create.
The colours you choose to surround yourself with are key to determining how the space will make you feel. Focus on choosing specific colours for the atmosphere you wish to create in a room rather than current trends, then relate these tones subtly from room to room.
Once you have an idea about which colours you want to use, it’s always a good idea to order sample pots and paint out large swatches onto A4 paper. Place the swatches on different walls in your space and see the effect of the varying light as it changes throughout the day.”
What are your predictions for the top colours of 2025? And what’s your current favourite?
“It’s always fascinating to see how colour confidence and the use of colour changes over time. 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.
For 2025, we’re seeing another progression, as people gain more confidence in the colours they choose to surround themselves with. We introduced ‘Double Drenching’ as a new approach to confidently embrace and combine colours that might not typically be seen and used alongside one another in a single scheme.
‘Double Drenching’ offers the chance to embrace a stronger palette in your home, adding an unexpected feature colour on furniture, upholstery and accessories. This style of decorating is all about embracing the power of colour with vibrant, bold and impactful hues.”
What’s next for Little Greene?
“We recently launched our fifth wallpaper collection created in partnership with the National Trust, called ‘Storybook Papers’. It’s been a wonderful experience sharing these whimsical new wallpaper designs with our customers around the world.
Each one is inspired by charming historic artefacts and original artworks found in cherished historic houses cared for by the National Trust. We’re very excited to see how customers use these wallpapers in their homes, pairing them with our paint colours to create beautiful, personality-filled spaces that will inspire the whole family!”
