Home » Events » Talk | Unpicking the Colourful Past in England’s country houses with Edward Bulmer

Talk | Unpicking the Colourful Past in England’s country houses with Edward Bulmer

Edward Bulmer has spent a life in country houses as interior designer, picture hanger and colourist. In his life outside this he cites his achievement as fathering three daughters, agitating for climate action and co-founding the natural paint business, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint.

Edward’s book, The Colourful Past: Edward Bulmer and the English Country House, is a celebration of the country house and a through the keyhole exclusive tour of the craftsmanship and skills used to decorate, restore and remodel some of this country’s finest houses and buildings, some never seen before.

In this talk we will touch on the influences that inform his work and how the history of the English country house has huge relevance today. With country houses, come too, gardens of great beauty, historically prevalent in the Bulmer lineage. Living on farming land today, the force of nature is something that comes into play heavily when Edward is developing colours and ideas for the paint business, and his interior design work. Join us as Edward explores what we can learn and how we should view our Colourful Past.

Why not stay for lunch and treat yourself to our award-winning Garden Café? We recommend pre-booking a table to guarantee your space.

Edward Bulmer Natural Paint is the paint partner for Gardening Bohemia: Bloomsbury Women Outdoors.

  • Edward Bulmer

    Edward Bulmer

    Edward has spent the last 35 years working in some of Britain’s finest buildings.

    He is a leading interior designer, architectural historian and ‘colourman’, renowned for restoring our beautiful heritage buildings, bringing his expert knowledge to conservation at the same time as lending his natural design flair to the creation of new spaces for modern living.

    Having himself been frustrated by the lack of natural paints on the market where one wasn't compromising on colour choice, quality and coverage. Edward set up his natural paint company with his wife Emma a few years ago, with a very particular mission:

    'To produce high quality paints that look beautiful, protect buildings and avoid polluting our environment'.

  • Edward Bulmer Natural Paint

    Edward Bulmer Natural Paint

    Pioneers of plant-based paints, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint are on a campaign to change the paint industry with their award winning, beautiful, and environmentally friendly natural paints. With over 100 exquisite colours, a flagship Pimlico showroom, a suite of colour consultancy services they are leading a new generation of luxury interiors. B Corp certified paint for people and planet.

    “Edward Bulmer Natural Paint has been built from the ground up, driven by a belief that, by making it differently, paint need not be polluting and that we can play our part in leaving a world where our children and grandchildren can thrive in balance with nature.”

    -Edward and Emma Bulmer, founders.

    Unlike any other paint brand their natural paints are designed, created and ‘homemade’ by leading interior designer, architectural historian and ‘colour man, Edward Bulmer. Like a top chef, Edward is passionate about every colour produced, how it has been made and the raw materials used to make it. It not only matters that a paint colour looks beautiful in your home, for Edward and the team, paint must not cost the earth. The paints are made using a groundbreaking plant-based binder and gentle chemistry which make them the kindest, healthiest and safest to use.

    When you decide to use natural paint, you are making more than a colour choice, a paint choice, a fashion choice or even a lifestyle choice, you too are choosing to make a difference.

Image: Courtesy Edward Bulmer