Crown Paint's Blog » Colour

Consult our experts before you paint

baxendaj — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:13:03 +0000

We’re always keen to share our knowledge and expertise so that you can get the best out of our products, which is why we’ve just launched a new series of ‘How-To’ videos featuring our wonderful Crown decorating and colour experts Mark Bannister and Chrissie Baldwin.

With an abundance of experience between them, they’re both full of decorating know-how and in this set of videos provide some fantastic tips to get you started.

Need some tips for choosing colour? Want to update the look of your kitchen cupboards but can’t afford a whole new set of units? Then check out our new ‘how to’ videos for expert advice on a whole range of decorating projects and Crown products. Visit our YouTube channel and we’ll talk you through every step of the way.

Check out this video which explains the best way to paint a radiator.

Still got a question? Call our Paint Talk team on 08702401127 or send us a tweet @crownpaints

Cosy up for autumn by introducing warm colours at home

baxendaj — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 10:02:51 +0000

As the fresh summer shades fade and warmer autumnal colours begin to appear, walking in the British countryside can be an inspirational experience. If you are a nature lover and enjoy spending time outdoors at this time of year, you can bring that earthy feeling indoors and recreate it at home with our range of earthbalance® paint.

Our greener living earthbalance® matt emulsion range for both walls and ceiling, includes 24 natural soft shades, from the warm and cosy, Rosy Cheeks® and Copper Canyon®, to the dusty brown shade of Toasted Almond®, and the fresh green of Apple Tree®.

The range mimic’s the kind tones of the environment, merging the boundaries of exterior and interior style. As well as being rustically appealing, all paints in the range have 22% lower embodied carbon and are 99% solvent free. We are also working with the Carbon Neutral Company to offset the carbon emissions arising from the manufacture and distribution of every can of earthbalance®. So, if you are looking for a product that is environmentally sound but also stylish, then look no further than Crown earthbalance®.

For more information please visit the Crown Paints website or check out the Carbon Neutral Company website.

Colours of the deep

baxendaj — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:31:38 +0000

To celebrate our stunning new advert ‘Walls Come to Life’ we have been running a fantastic competition that will see one lucky person claim a trip for two to New York City. We are now a few weeks into the contest and the prizes keep getting better as the big draw gets closer.

This week’s prize, which links with our Facebook site, is inspired by the illustrator Graham Carter’s underwater scene and the pink Octopus shown in the advert. Our competition features the chance to win a full makeover for a kid’s bedroom, you could even choose the colours used in the TV ad as part of the prize.

The children’s scene featured in the TV advert presents three fab colours from the Crown Paint collection, which sees the Octopus painted with the vibrant pink of Cheeky Wink® and tones of Soft Berry both from the Crown easyclean range, while the surrounding water is awash with the deep blue shade of Laguna Bay® from our Feature Wall range.

So, to be in with the chance to win big, simply log on to our Facebook site, click on the New York Competition Tab, click like and then enter the multiple choice question. Good Luck!

Prepare for the coming season with Crown easyclean

baxendaj — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 11:14:48 +0000

The long summer holiday is over already and autumn is just around the corner. As the nights draw in and family life reverts back to normal the juggling of full time jobs and school begins. Amidst all of this coming and going the last thing on your mind at this time of year is the upkeep of your home’s interior.

However, if you prepare for the changing of the season your home needn’t lose its shine and you can continue to entertain family and friends without worrying about everyday wear and tear.

Crown has a solution to these common problems in the form of easyclean matt emulsion with stainguard®. Tough, washable and super scrubbable, easyclean helps to combat knocks and accidents helping to prevent your walls from looking tired.

Available in a variety of colours, the easyclean range is as stylish as it is practical and features colours that can be combined to leave your home looking right on trend. Team Soft Berry® and Potato Cake® on walls and woodwork to create a muted contemporary look in your room.

The easyclean range also features fun and bright colours that look great in children’s rooms such as Bubble Bath® or the vibrant Orange Squash®. These colours work really well together and as easyclean can be applied to wood and metal, you can also have fun brightening up their furniture safe in the knowledge that any future marks can simply be wiped away.

So, if you are keen to keep your home looking fresh and would like to feel confident about your walls being protected throughout the winter months, check out the full range on our website here and choose the colours that you love.

A closer look at David Bray’s work

baxendaj — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 13:31:15 +0000

If you have seen our new TV ad you will have noticed that a variety of illustrations appear on the walls throughout. These were created by a number of artists and one of the more notable pieces that depicts a lady dancing across the wall at the start of the ad, was borne in the imagination of the critically acclaimed illustrator and graduate of St Martin’s College, David Bray.

Bray is renowned for employing basic drawing equipment such as pens, pencils and paper when crafting his work. In choosing to rely on these tools, Bray’s creations often take time to piece together resulting in work that is consistently inspiring and thought provoking. Bray’s contribution to our TV ad was created by hand and he chose to use our Scarlet Ribbon® matt emulsion colour for his illustration. In choosing this colour, Bray manages to generate vibrancy on screen that reflects the energy of a Salsa dance. His illustration symbolises how the ad seeks to encourage others to add their own passions, personalities and memories to their walls.

If you fancy getting hold of a signed David Bray print, as seen on the new TV ad, there is still time to enter our Facebook competition to win one. To take part, simply follow this link and answer the question in the Facebook tab. This competition is open until midnight on Sunday 4^th September so make sure you take part soon.

For further information on David Bray head over to his website here.

Afternoon tea with Crown

baxendaj — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 16:26:23 +0000

The Vintage Festival 2011 is nearly upon us and we will be at the event this weekend with the fabulous people from Jam & Tea who are experts at hosting vintage tea parties.

If you are attending the event, make sure you join us for tea and cake at our stand located in the festival’s Vintage Market Place or come and say hello to us at the Horrockses Fashions stand. In addition to serving traditional British refreshments, we will also have our full range of Vintage® paints on display, so make sure you come down to get a look at our latest product range that was created in collaboration with festival curators, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway.

For those of you who are unable to attend the Vintage Festival, we are running a competition that could help you throw your own vintage tea party at home. The main prize is a fantastic vintage tea set for two and a 2.5L tin of paint in the colour of your choice from the new Crown Vintage® range. In addition, there will be four runners-up prizes, each receiving a 2.5L tin of paint from the Crown Vintage® range.

Taking part in the competition is simple. All you have to do is head over to our Facebook page here, like us if you haven’t already, and then tell us the names of the Crown Vintage® colours featured in the 1940’s room set shot in the ‘Crown Vintage® range’ Facebook photo album.

Once you have your answer, simply email it to us with your name, address and choice of colour from the Vintage® range that you would like to win. The email address to send your answer and details to is crownpaintscompetitions@gmail.com.

The competition will be open until 5pm on Monday 1st August 2011. All winners will be picked at random and notified via email.

Good luck and we look forward to receiving your entry!

School’s out for summer!

baxendaj — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 14:16:33 +0000

The school holidays are here and six weeks off with the kids can trigger panic in parents trying to come up with clever, yet cost effective, ways to entertain their little ones for such a long period of time.

Now there's the easy option of plonking them in front of the TV to entertain themselves for the duration, but let's face it that isn't going to get their little creative minds working – especially when most of the shows are repeats!

So if you find yourself searching for ways to encourage the kids to try something different, be creative, and learn new skills, why not get them involved in painting their bedroom? It's great fun, needn't cost the earth, and with the dreary weather so far this summer, brightening up their personal space may be just the tonic for you – and them.

Here at Crown we're bursting with ideas and colours that work brilliantly in children's bedrooms. Every little girl loves pink, so why not bring her passion for pink to life on her walls with Fairy Dust®, Pink Sugar® and a splash of Rodeo Drive®, all from the Breatheasy® (99% solvent free) Matt Emulsion range. And don't worry if her room is on the small side, painting woodwork such as rocking chairs and shelves, with colours like Applemist® will enable you to bring in extra colour without having to move house!

For the boys, what better way to pass on tales from your own childhood than by encouraging him to have 1980 Blue® from the Crown Originals range on his bedroom walls? Inspired by popular culture from 1980, you can share stories about how good Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back the first time it was shown in the cinema.

This lovely aqua blue colour provides the perfect backdrop for all those model aeroplanes and toy spacecraft dangling from the ceiling. Team it with Orange Squash® scrubbable matt emulsion with stainguard® – perfect for walls, ceilings, wood and metal – to add a bright splash of colour and lift even the most tired interiors.

And it's not just about the paint, get creative by involving them in a mood board packed full of their favourite things to bring their own little personal space to life. Why not use tear outs from magazines, get ideas from places you've been, look at holiday snaps or check out the image gallery on our website. We have a 3D room on the website too so that you can try your chosen colours out.

For more information on the paints featured in this blog visit the Crown website here www.crownpaint.co.uk. Also, keep in touch with what's new from Crown by following us on Twitter or Facebook.

Crown Vintage

baxendaj — Thu, 07 Jul 2011 09:32:46 +0000

We’re excited to announce the arrival of our new range – Crown Vintage – 30 flat matt emulsions for interior walls and ceilings, created in association with renowned British designers, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway.

Crown Vintage® – to be exclusively retailed through selected Homebase stores or online here – is inspired by music, fashion, film, art and design across five decades of British cool.

All colours in the range are Breatheasy – our 99% solvent free formulation, and reflect iconic themes and trends in popular culture from the 1940s, right up to the 1980s.

“The collection was inspired by an enduring love of vintage, timeless design and the Vintage Festival – a pioneering and award winning music, fashion and design event we launched last year. With evocative names like Chelsea Girl, Bell Bottoms® and Free Love®, the collection is aimed to help and inspire consumers to bring an element of 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s vintage cool into their own homes.” (Wayne Hemingway)

Crown Vintage® is a range borne from our enthusiasm for colour and interiors, our love of vintage style and from working closely with Wayne, Gerardine and the Hemingway family. It’s the collaborative result of a shared ethos: a passion for British heritage, we’ve been making paint for over 200 years, and true timeless style.

For anyone looking to bring a touch of classic Brit chic into their home this year, Crown Vintage® is the perfect product to ensure it is done in true iconic style.

Urban Cool for City Dwellers

baxendaj — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:54:11 +0000

Want to give your flat a quick makeover but struggling for time? Why not give your city centre pad a quick uplift with Crown Solo® and make it stand out from the rest with a splash of colour.

Here at Crown we have developed a one coat paint solution that saves time. Crown Solo® Matt Emulsion is an ideal product for those of you looking to freshen up your living space with the best one coat coverage – allowing you to get the job done in less time.

Crown Solo® Matt Emulsion is specially formulated to provide excellent covering power in just one coat and is ideal for use on walls and ceilings in living rooms and bedrooms. Available in a wide range of colours, painting is quicker and easier with Crown Solo®.

A good combination is matching Crown Solo® Matt Emulsion in Smoulder® grey with a Fireside® red. Using these colours together can really help achieve a cool and contemporary look and is ideal for those who like the urban look.

For more information and for details on how to order Pure Paint™ colour samples of our Solo® Matt Emulsion range, visit the Crown Paints website here.

Lavender fields in full bloom – inspiring this year’s home interiors colour trends

baxendaj — Mon, 23 May 2011 08:53:10 +0000

Fields of deep purple and delicate mauve under a deep blue sky – the stunning sight of Lavender fields in full bloom in the glorious spring sunshine are inspiring this year’s latest colour trend.

Stylish purple tones offer a contemporary, modern interior. Choosing shades such as our luxury matt emulsion, Prom Night® from the Fashion for Walls® range and High Society® Crown Period Colours® Traditional Mid Sheen – signify decadent elegance, comfort and luxury. The perfect backdrop for the most imposing bedroom or majestic living room, these purple hues make for an attractive feature wall.

Lavender is synonymous with the scent and colour of Provence, so why not use the forthcoming Bank Holiday as the opportunity to bring a little bit of the Mediterranean into your kitchen, with a splash of our Lola Plum® Matt Emulsion with added Mouldguard™ from the Kitchen & Bathroom range.

Combine deep purples with neutral creams, such as a whisper of Liqueur, our Whispers Matt Emulsion or light greys, such as Soft Steel® Kitchen & Bathroom Matt Emulsion. And to finish the look, team with dark golden or sand, deep red or pink, sky blue, citrus yellow or light green accessories to create a warm and personal, modern French kitchen feel.

To help inspire you to paint over the Bank Holiday weekend, our stockists have some great offers to get you started.

For information on your nearest Crown Paints stockist, click here.

Happy Bank Holiday decorating!