Perth based Bronwyn Riedel from Bauwerk Colour has truly made a global business artform of reimagining both the chemical content of paint and also working with others. Riedel's modern take on lime paints is now sold across Australia and around the world - and her collaborations with multi disciplinary designers is legendary.
The thing about most commercial paint is that it is a kind of surround sound environmental noise maker. The way it is made, what it's made of, the residual everyday chemical intake through it's existence, and on to the fact that you can't even toss it out because it's considered a bio hazard. Strangely though, many of us just keep on buying it anyway.
BAUWERK COLOUR PAINT IS A MINERAL PAINT - LIMESTONE (CALCIUM CARBONATE) BASED AND WHILE YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T EAT IT, IT IS CERTAINLY SO LOW HAZARD THAT YOU CAN DISPOSE OF IT IN EXACTLY THE SAME WAY YOU DISPOSE OF OTHER NON TOXIC MATERIALS.
Bauwerk Colour Paint is made with clay, minerals and beautiful natural pigments. You can paint without fumes, wash-up and disposal is safe and non-polluting. Absolutely no toxic chemicals remain in the environment in the production of Bauwerk paints.
Bronwyn Riedel isn't just a eco paint warrior. She has collaborated with different designers to develop & showcase ranges of natural, contemporary colours. And the results are amazing. Beautiful colours, easy paints to use that stand the test of time and toxicity. One range is below (Styled by Bec Sheppard and photographed by Derek Swalwell)
Lime paints work best on masonry surfaces like brick, concrete, fibro-cement, render, stone and such like. The liquid in the lime wash reacts chemically with carbon dioxide in the air, forming a bond with the masonry as it cures. This is the reason the paint goes on dark and lightens as it calcifies.
Bauwerk Inside Paint works best on all unsealed interior masonry surfaces such as render or brick, but it can also be used on plaster, gyprock or previously painted walls with Bauwerk Unter, low VOC sealer undercoat.
Bauwerk Outside Paint is for unsealed exterior masonry surfaces where it is absorbed into the wall leaving it breathable and protected by the natural properties of the paint, but it can also be used over the top of previously painted masonry.
Bauwerk have an incredible website full of beautifully styled rooms for most of their colour palettes so it's worth spending some time on it if you are looking for paint. You can also order large card size colour samplers - 10.5 cm x 15 cm to test on your walls.
Images: Notes: The pillow by pool pic was photographed by Lulu Cavenagh at outdoor designer, Mon Palmer's pool. Bauwerk Colour collaborated with Mon Palmer on this colour collection. (The image on our Shop Home Page was also taken by Lulu and is in the same collection.)