From fresh spring greens to the warm ochres of Italy, Edward Bulmer shares why the colours that surround us have shaped the way we decorate homes.
There are few people who speak about colour quite like Edward Bulmer.
Painter, architectural historian and founder of Edward Bulmer Natural Paint, he has spent decades studying the relationship between pigments, landscape and the homes we live in. For Bulmer, colour isn’t simply decorative; it’s something woven into history, nature and the changing rhythm of the seasons.
As summer reaches its height, we caught up with Edward to discuss the colours that define an English summer, the gardens that continue to inspire him and why bringing the outside in is often the simplest way to refresh a home.
The Colour of Summer
Ask Edward to describe an English summer in a single colour and the answer comes without hesitation.
“Green,” he says.
“The fresh colours of early summer, before the plants turn their thoughts to making seeds for the next year and take on the golden hues that morph into autumn colour.”
It’s a green that feels alive rather than overpowering. While the countryside is filled with vibrant leaves under bright daylight, Edward explains that those colours rarely translate directly indoors.
“In our colour range we have so many good greens for this purpose,” he explains. “They actually do need to be toned down from the vibrant shades of summer leaves to still give the same effect”.
Rather than replicating nature exactly, it’s about capturing the feeling it creates.
Pea Green
Design by Nels Eyre Interiors
Inspiration Close to Home
While Edward’s travels have introduced him to extraordinary palettes across Europe and beyond, some of his greatest inspiration begins much closer to home.
“Our own garden is mostly green,” he says. “The blue greens of yew dialogue with the yellower greens of hornbeam in the topiary hedges and shapes we have created to frame the early eighteenth-century water garden that we have rescued from oblivion”.
As the seasons progress, the garden shifts almost imperceptibly.
“Spring brings some amazing purples in the first flush of Copper Beech and lilac, and our herbaceous border seems to orchestrate what anywhere else would be called a ‘riot’ of colour with calm and harmonious fluidity.”
It’s a reminder that some of the most successful colour palettes already exist outside our windows.
Design by @victorianterracechronicles
Design by Pollyanna Wilkinson
Colour Without Borders
Travelling, too, continues to shape Edward’s eye.
“It’s often the colour of the building materials that strikes me most,” he says. “The soft creamy limestone of France, or the sun-soaked ochres of Italian stucco.”
Some places have remained with him for decades.
“Italy- from Venice, via Rome, to Naples, you might say- the colours of the interiors, the works of art, the buildings.”
“India- where colour is universal. In the south it is in the temperate landscape, in the north in the cloth and decoration. Before synthetics, these colours were all natural and extremely beautiful.”
These are places where colour feels inseparable from culture, architecture and everyday life.
Design by Lorfords Antiques
Design by Lorfords Antiques
More than Paint
Edward admits his own relationship with colour has dramatically changed over the years.
“Too right,” he laughs. “I co-founded a paint company and it has consumed me!”
Yet his philosophy extends well beyond decorating.
“With the right colours, made in the right way, we can help people create beautiful interiors, healthier homes and a liveable planet.”
Rather than following trends, Edward describes colour as having its own language.
“I approach colour as a grammar,” he explains. “That ‘grammar’ is essentially the pigments we began to prepare 100,000 years ago. I have no desire to change it- I embrace it,… not colour fads.”
It’s an approach rooted in longevity, where carefully considered palettes outlast passing fashions.
Design by Pollyanna Wilkinson
Bringing Summer Indoors
For anyone wanting to capture the feeling of late summer at home, Edward’s advice isn’t to rush out and repaint every room.
Instead, start by reconnecting with what’s already outside.
“Open the windows and make them ‘doors’ to the outside world.”
As flowers begin to fade, he encourages bringing indoors whatever is at its seasonal best.
“Bring in whatever is looking beautiful- in petal, flower or seedhead.”
Even simple changes can shift the atmosphere.
“We have winter and summer guise for some of our sofas and armchairs- a simple swap of loose covers and cushions and the seasonal mood is easily changed. Look how nature does it!”
As the evenings slowly lengthen and summer begins its gentle transition towards autumn, Edward’s approach offers a timely reminder: the most enduring colour inspiration isn’t found in trend forecasts or mood boards, but in the changing landscapes that surround us every day.
