Thorndown supply Wood Paint to The Flood Resilient Garden at Chelsea Flower Show

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We are thrilled to be supplying wood paint to The Flood Resilient Garden at the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show!

The garden is being created by prolific garden designer, journalist and author, Naomi Slade (who we named our Slade Green Wood Paint after), and Dr Ed Barsley, founder of The Environmental Design Studio.

Our paint factory is based in Glastonbury, Somerset, the beautiful county reputedly known as ‘Sumersata’, meaning ‘the land of the summer people’ as historically the land was flooded during the winter months so the people only came down from the hills in summer. Flooding is a part of our landscape and something that makes the Somerset Levels and rich wetlands within so unique and stunning, but global warming is affecting Somerset as it is the majority of the world and has led to more frequent, extensive flooding, often not just confined to the winter months.

The Flood Resilient Garden will demonstrate planting and landscaping tricks that can be used to defend against, work with, and tolerate flooding. It is set to be a beautiful natural space, rich in planting and perfect for people and nature.

If you’re heading to Chelsea then this is a garden not to be missed and we can’t wait to see the final design.

 

Price Increase

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As with all companies we have experienced continued price increases on all of our packaging and raw materials.

Our prices have remained the same since April 2022 but we cannot continue to absorb all of the price increases and have to raise our prices.

From Monday 1st April 2024 our prices will be increasing across all paint ranges.

Whilst we appreciate that price increases are never easy, Thorndown Paints are very high performing and compared to the prices of comparable and other big brands, we still offer very good value for money for the quality of raw materials that goes into our paint.

Thank you for your business and support.

Best Selling Wood Paint Colours 2023

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If you’re looking for ideas for what colours to use in the home and garden, then the Best Selling Wood Paint Colours chart for 2023 is a good place to start.

Each year we carry out a review of the top 20 best selling paint colours throughout the previous year, creating a chart for easy analysis and reference. You can review them all since we launched Thorndown in 2018, by visiting the Best Selling Colours page on our website.

Throughout 2023 the heritage colours and natural wood tones were still the most popular, with blues, greens and greys filling the charts. For the first time the top 3 colours in both 2.5 litre and 750ml tins were the same, with UV Clear at the top, followed by the beautiful grey-green tone of Old Sage Green then the stunning rich intensity of Blackdown.

 

Within the chart many colours didn’t change on previous years but jostled for position as constant favourites, such as Bishop Blue, Cavepool Grey and Cow Parsley White.

There were some new additions to the chart with Field Green, Wetlands Green, Axe Blue and Launcherley Blue, all popular colours from the Somerset Heritage Colour Collection.

We all need beautiful colours in our lives to enrich and inspire us. We hope you find these charts helpful but you can continue to explore our ranges and colours in our Shop, and you can request free colour charts by emailing studio@thorndown.co.uk

Thorndown Wood Paint Best Selling Colours 2023

Hand Painted Wood Paint Colour Sample Blocks

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You can now order Thorndown Wood Paint Colour Sample Blocks, delivered direct to your door!

Now available as an alternative to Wood Paint 150ml sample tins are these beautifully hand painted colour sample blocks, so you can see the exact colour of the paints that catch your eye at home.

Two coats (the recommended application) are painted onto FSC wood blocks measuring 41 x 46mm.

Choose the colours you’d like to see and order them as a size option on the website, for example if you like the look of Bishop Blue Wood Paint go to the Bishop Blue product page and on the TIN SIZE drop down menu, select the ‘Wooden painted sample’ option.

You can select up to 12 colours at only £1.50 each, for postage direct to your door via Royal Mail for just £1.99.

 

The blocks are painted with two coats for uniformity with the whole colour range, but we do recommend 2-3 coats for whites, off-whites, creams and semi-opaques for solidity of colour, or Stain Blocking Primer then 2 coats of paint colour. However the third coat is purely for aesthetic purposes so the painted blocks are a great way for you to see what these colours look like with two coats, then you can decide if you’d prefer a third coat and adjust coverage calculations accordingly.

Please note that there may be a slight variation in hue when painted onto substrates other than light or planed softwood, such as dark tropical hardwood or rough sawn timber.

If in any doubt or if you’d like to explore a colour further then you can buy a 150ml sample tin to paint up at home.

Garden Trugs

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I’m slightly addicted to trugs and this obsession has been fuelled recently by Stuart at Taunton Sheds who’s been getting a bit crafty, and one of the pieces he’s been making are some fabulous wooden garden trugs.

Not only are their curvaceous forms aesthetically pleasing they’re also very practical and useful in the garden and around the home.

Posh Trugs

Everything that Taunton Sheds make and sell are all about quality and these trugs are made to the same high standards, with thick good quality softwood, cut and built beautifully.

He’s made a range of sizes and of course I have to go for the full range. The largest Stuart had painted with our Old Sage Green Wood Paint, then painted on leeks to one side and courgettes on the other. We then painted the medium trug in Old Sage Green to match then the small one in Bullrush Green.

Filled with fresh vegetables they’re an attractive and useful solution to storing veggies in the pantry.

Pretty Trugs

I also have a selection of trugs acquired over the years from garden centres, yet I can always find an excuse to buy more, mainly because there are so many pretty colours to paint them.

Painting garden trugs with Thorndown Wood Paint turns them into pretty features that look great in a shed or greenhouse, but is also a practical way of protecting them and making them last longer.

They get bashed around quite a lot, getting wet and dirty, so the protective wood paint coating makes them water-repellent and easy to clean. It takes hardly any time or paint so is a really cheap and quick project, either on new trugs or transforming old ones.

Use up old leftover wood paint or buy our 150ml sample tins for just £5.00 each.

More Murals with Thorndown Wood Paint

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Glastonbury is a wonderful place to live, work and visit, not just for the Glastonbury Festival but for the incredibly vibrant town and everything it has to offer. The Glastonbury Mural Trail celebrates local artists bringing more colour and wonderful creations to the streets of the town and we are very proud to have been involved in it from the start.

Two artists that have used our wood paint for their wall murals have recently added more murals to the ever growing trail.

Frank Harwood

The fabulous Frank Harwood creates another stunning mural just off the High Street of Glastonbury on the corner wall of the Crystals shop. He has now painted three impressive murals for the trail (‘The Waving Woman’ and ‘Adam and Eve’) in the streets of Glastonbury using Thorndown Wood Paint.

His latest ‘Pink Rhino’ is inspired by a piece by the medieval Renaissance artist Durer who created the image of the rhino having never seen one, interpreting descriptions, a sketch, and folklore into a very realistic image of a rhino, bar the extra horn on the neck because in those times, rhinos were believed to be unicorns!

Faye Suzannah

You can see Faye’s work throughout Glastonbury as part of the Glastonbury Mural Trail created and curated by local artist Kim von Coels. Faye’s first piece using Thorndown Wood Paint was a beautiful and uplifting mural of sunflowers  that welcomed visitors from a car park into the High Street.

Glastonbury Town Council commissioned Faye to paint the feature wall of the main Town hall and her beautiful design and palette creates a calming atmosphere of wonder for all occasions. Her murmurations inspired mural in the trail is another gorgeous piece on the outskirts of town.

You can read more about the amazing murals on the Glastonbury Mural Trail painted with our wood paint by following this link.

TV Carpenter Podcast – Season 8

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The TV Carpenter Podcast Season 8 began on Friday 10th March, to coincide with the new series of Interior Design Masterswhich started on BBC 1 at 8pm on Tuesday 7th March.

Wayne Perrey, The TV Carpenter, creator and host of the podcast, is one of the trades on Interior Design Masters, so he is able to share behind the scenes stories from the TV series, and has interviewed some contestants from the show for the podcast. As with season 7 Wayne will also be asking guests for their favourite colour(s) from the Thorndown Wood Paint colour charts and sharing their fascinating answers.

The first episode in season 8 is a repeat of the highly entertaining and fascinating interview with the incredibly talented Jonathan Adler, who was guest judge on episode 1 of Interior Design Masters. Listen to it here.

Dean and Borja from my Tiny Estate on Instagram were the second interview, and this lovable pair shared their journey to social media stardom and becoming stars of the TV series “Saving the Manor”. They fell in love with a dilapidated estate and their hugely successful Instagram account shares stunning photography of their renovation. What’s even more remarkable than their bravery to take on such a huge project is that they’ve had to teach themselves how to do everything with Borja taking on the role of head renovator while Dean concentrates on his day job as an architect.

Wayne asked them for their favourite colour from the Thorndown Wood Paint colour charts and they both selected Ottery Brown, showing just how on trend they are, saying that it is such a lovely shade of brown, and explaining how browns are taking over from greys in the interior design world. We love the soft, warm, truffle chocolate hue of Ottery Brown too.

In the first of the live records on the main stage at the Ideal Home Show in London, Wayne interviewed architect James Furzer of JFD Architecture. He’s a truly inspirational man who specialises in creating spaces that are inclusive and put the environment first. Early on in his training and career he began questioning hostile architecture and how there is so much of it hidden in plain sight, from benches that are designed to slope so that they’re uncomfortable, meaning people can’t sit on them for too long and can’t sleep on them, to designs that don’t consider trip hazards for the blind and impossible stairs for the disabled.

This is an interview not to be missed and his Thorndown Wood Paint colour selections were fascinating. James chose Cow Parsley White and Whey White saying that he found them very calming. He then went on to explain how he discusses the importance of colour choice with clients and their impact on the quality and feel of a space, saying that these two warmer whites would also work well with all of the heritage tones. He even made a special mention of the fact they are virtually VOC free and how important that is to people and the environment!

Next at the Ideal Home Show were brother and sister TV presenters and property experts, Scarlette & Stuart Douglas, and infectious pair that share fascinating stories of their professional lives and how they came to be successful TV presenters. It’s a very entertaining interview and you won’t be able to stop yourself falling a little bit in love with them. Scarlette chose our Foxwhelp Red as her favourite Thorndown colour as she loves bright colours and feels this one can accent and bring vibrancy, saying sh’ed like to use it o her kitchen units. Stuart chose Cavepool Grey, another popular colour choice, saying he found it dark, sultry and moody, and that a lot of people are afraid of using dark colours but if you’re brave and bold it would make a real statement.

Karen Walker, Editor of Good Homes Magazine,shared a fascinating insight into her career, the work of print magazines and how the role of an editor has changed radically to a modern digital world and one that encompasses a huge array of responsibilities including putting on and managing the Ideal Home Show! The interview includes some really good advice for people wanting to become an interior stylist and is a great listen. Karen chose the warm colours and sunset shades of Ginger Gold and Sundowner Orange, along with Cavepool Grey as her favourite Thorndown paint colours.

Architect, Feng Shui expert and social media hit, Cliff Tan was next up, discussing the principles of Feng Shui and how to use them in interior design, and how the application of these principles is different for the home and business environments, and how flow and energy of spaces influence how you feel about and in them. Cliff takes colour inspiration from intriguing places choosing Dulcote Stone as his favourite paint colour because it’s a natural tone, like the colour of the inside of a toilet roll, a natural material with no bleach or processed colours!

The lovely Amy Davies and Fran Lee, runners up on series 3 of Interior Design Masters joined Wayne to chat about their careers leading up to being on the TV show and what they’re up to now. Their already successful careers are now even more so with private interior design practices seeing Amy working with Alan Carr on remodelling his home and collaborations with Banjo (winner of the series), and Fran collaborating with guest judge Matthew Williamson on designing the interior of the members bar at the Design Museum. In the last season of the podcast Amy chose Rhyne Green, Wetlands Green and Sedge Green as her favourite colours, and Fran chose Foxwhelp Red and Purple Divine.

Interiors specialist, stylist and author, Joanna Thornhill. chatted to Wayne about her journey from falling in love with interiors TV shows like Changing Rooms and Property Ladder in her youth, to getting a job as a runner on Changing Rooms, her path to becoming a stylist, journalist, consultant on emerging trends and author of 4 books. Her latest on “Interior Design Masters” looks at trends and designs over all four series, with quotes from contestants and guest judges, design tips and case studies on how contestants created a space and the design ideas behind it, to practical guides on how to create your own features such as wood paneling.

Years ago Joanna used a selection of greys from Thorndown’s Wood Paint range to paint her garden office ‘shedio’, then during the pandemic felt inspired to move from a grey world into colours that inspired and invigorated, changing the exterior colour of her garden office to our Field Green. When Wayne asked Joanna for her favourite colour she chose Field Green explaining the back story and describing it as a dark, warm, rich green. She said how much she likes our paints and the way that you can see the natural grain of the wood underneath, the quality, and also commenting on how well the paint lasts.

Garden Designer, Presenter and Horticulturalist, Mark Lane, joined Wayne for a fascinating chat about his journey from editor to garden designer and TV presenter. Mark’s life radically changed following a serious car accident that injured his spine, paralysing his legs and feet. His long recovery and move to life in a wheelchair gave him the opportunity to change his career to one that has brought him a lot of happiness and seen him become a popular TV presenter after being interviewed by Monty Don at Chelsea Flower Show.

When Wayne showed Mark our colour charts he loved the colour names and was drawn to Whortleberry, Ebbor Stone and Tree Lichen being quite earthy and natural colours, but for “the flip side for a garden to really enliven me, I really love Rowan Berry Red, the Foxwhelp Red, Sundowner Orange and Purple Divine, and if you put colour like that in your garden it will put a smile on your face and lift your mood”. What a fabulous combination for a jewel like garden.

Wayne met Sophie Brown on Lanzarote when he was trying to redecorate and refurbish the family apartment and discovered that things aren’t simple on an island, so enlisted the help of Sophie, the Lanzarote Interior Designer. Brought up on Lanzarote, Sophie was a star academic who moved to London to take a degree in architecture at the age of 17 and graduated at 19. She then had a fascinating career as a photographer and stylist at Foxton’s before working with a friend styling prestigious homes for sale. Her journey saw her travelling around the world and spending time in Australia and New Zealand before popping back to Lanzarote where a brief visit saw her getting married, starting a family, and a business specialising in refurbishing holiday and residential homes with a complete service that even includes buying the bed linen, making the beds and filling kitchen cupboards with crockery and cutlery so the home is totally ready to go. She also deals with all the complexities of sourcing and importing goods and materials, juggling often huge lead times and the reality of what can be imported into the island.

Sophie chose Brue Blue and Avalon Blue from the Somerset Heritage Colour Collection saying she thought they were a beautiful colour and would match together as well, probably using them in a bedroom. She then went on to lament the lack of colour cards and how such a simple thing just isn’t available or offered on the island!

 

We are delighted to be sponsoring the podcast again and hope you enjoy it as much as we do! Click on the link to catch-up on previous seasons.

Wayne will be returning in 2024 with Season 9 of the TV Carpenter Podcast, with more brilliant guests and thoroughly entertaining interviews.

You can subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss out, or look out for social media on Wayne Perrey’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for announcements of new episodes, or you can look out for updates on our Facebook and Instagram.

Easter Deliveries, Decorating and Discount

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The Easter bunny is gearing up and getting its bounce in step for the Easter weekend.

If you want to get decorating and crafting for Easter then our Peelable Glass Paint Easter Stencil Craft Pack is perfect for you. It comes with 4 x 40ml tins of Peelable Glass Paint, 6 Easter themed stencils made with durable acetate that you can use time and again, and an art brush.

DECORATING IDEAS

You can use the Easter pack to create an Easter window, full of the joys of spring with lambs and bunnies cavorting through the fields. You could also use it to make Easter gifts, re-using old glass jars, decorating them then filling them with Easter treats.

Old jars or bottles can also be painted to create attractive vases, or you can decorate old lanterns and other household items. Once Easter is over you can peel off the Peelable Glass Paint or if you like it, leave it on as it will create a hard-wearing coating that will last for years.

Head over to our Projects area – Arts & Crafts to get some great ideas and inspiration for Easter decorating.

DISCOUNT CODE

We’re giving you a fabulous 25% off the Easter Stencil Craft Pack bringing it down to just £15.00! Enter code ‘TDBunny’ in the ‘Apply Coupon’ box in your basket to get £5.00 off. Coupon valid to the end of April and cannot be used in conjunction with other vouchers.

DELIVERIES

The office and factory will be closed throughout Good Friday 7th April to Easter Monday 10th April, re-opening from Tuesday 11th April at 9am.

Couriers won’t be delivering on these dates either so if you’d like something for Easter, please place orders by 12pm Monday 3rd April to give plenty of time for postal deliveries.

Larger paint tins can be ordered up to Wednesday 5th April by midday for next day courier delivery.

Happy Easter! 🐣

Feel the Love

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Love isn’t just for Valentine’s Day but is here to be celebrated all year round. With the Thorndown Peelable Glass Paint Love Stencil Craft Pack you get 5 stencils made with durable and reusable acetate material, themed with hearts, cupid, LOVE and a romantic rose.

The pack also includes an art brush and 4 x 40ml tins of Peelable Glass Paint in Bath Cream, Dragon Red, Purple Puffin and Wispy Willow, so you can paint and upcycle to your heart’s content.

Peelable Glass Paint is made with a 100% recycled plastics resin, is virtually VOC free, low in odour, and contains VOC free exterior grade colour pigments. The unique resin allows you to peel off the coating once you have finished with the design, or leave it on and it will create a hard-wearing, long-lasting coating.

To find out more about the pack click on the link to Arts & Crafts – Love Stencil Craft Pack and if you’d like to buy one, enter discount code cupid25 in the coupon box in your basket for a lovely 25% off, bringing the box down to just £15.00 💕

Best-Selling Colours 2022

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The Best Selling Colours charts for Thorndown’s Wood Paint and Peelable Glass Paint during 2022 show trends and fashions throughout the year and time.

Colours influence our moods and everyday lives, uplifting our spirits, increasing creativity, or helping to create a sense of calm and spaces to relax in.

The paint colours we choose are very personal to our selves and are influenced by the spaces and objects we use the paint on. A colour that looks great in the bathroom may be unsuitable for the bedroom, and our favourite colour may not work so well on a summerhouse in the garden.

Thorndown’s Best-Selling Colours charts show favourite colours within the paint ranges and across different pack sizes. For a full review and to see the charts across the years follow this link to the Colours and Best Selling Colours section of the website.

 

Christmas Opening and Deliveries

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Please find below details of Christmas opening hours and recommendations for Christmas deliveries

Christmas Opening Dates

The factory and office will be closing at 1pm on Friday 23rd December for the Christmas period and re-opening on Tuesday 3rd January 2023 at the usual times of 9am to 5pm.

However, a Christmas elf will be popping into the factory on Thursday 29th December from 10am to 2pm to get out urgent orders, with couriers delivering on Friday 30th December.

If you need anything for the New Year weekend then please add a note to your order instructions saying ‘urgent order’ then the elf can prioritise you. You can also contact us via email on studio@thorndown.co.uk.

Please note that postal orders will most likely be backed up and there will be delays in delivery so all sample orders and Craft Packs that normally go out via Royal Mail will be affected. If you need samples or craft packs urgently please contact the office on 01458 258588 or email studio@thorndown.co.uk so we can arrange an express delivery option with you.

Christmas Deliveries

Made-By-Michele-Christmas-crateAs usual couriers will be pretty busy and the postal service swimming in packages so to ensure delivery of Christmas orders we would recommend that you place your order by 12pm on Monday 19th December.

We will still be processing orders on Thursday 22nd December and couriers will be delivering Friday 23rd December so you may still get your package, but any orders being delivered by Royal Mail (150ml sample pots, 40ml Peelable Glass Paint craft tins, and Stencil Craft Packs) will be subject to longer delays and delivery lead times.

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas and a peaceful festive period 🎄🤶🎅👼

Hutton Log Store Autumn Giveaway Competition

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THIS COMPETITION IS CLOSED

Win a Log Store and 2.5l tin of Wood Paint

We have teamed up with our friends at Hutton Garden Products again to giveaway this beautifully designed and built Log Store.

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This Hutton Log Store is made of high quality pressure-treated timber in a very attractive design with a handy shelf for kindling or smaller items. The design allows plenty of space to store a long-lasting supply of wood to season then pop in a log burner to keep you warm all winter.

We’ll also give you a free 2.5 litre tin of Wood Paint to paint it in with a choice of 72 colours and a UV Clear from our colour charts, or 1800 RAL Classic and Design colours!

All of Hutton’s products are made from pressure-treated timber which protects it against rot for many years, but you will still need to paint it to protect it against the elements.

Two coats of our wood paint gives you full exterior protection and will keep it looking fabulous for years.

Thorndown Wood Paint is low in odour and made with VOC free colour pigments of the highest quality, and a high-performing resin made from 100% recycled plastics.

It is safe to use around animals, plants and insects, and goes on smoothly for a long-lasting protective coating.

COMPETITION DETAILS

COMPETITION DATES:

The competition will run on our Facebook and Instagram pages and runs from Thursday 13th October to midnight on Thursday 27th October 2022.

How to Enter:

  1. Click on the button on social media posts or on our website to sign-up to our monthly newsletter, brimming with inspiration and special offers. If you are already a subscriber then skip to step 2
  2. Make sure you follow @ThorndownPaints on Instagram, Facebook or both to keep up with entry details and news on the competition. If you already do then skip to steps 3 & 4
  3. Like the competition post and in comments say what colour from the Thorndown colour charts or RAL options on the website shop you’d choose to paint your Hutton Log Store
  4. Tag a friend in comments if you think they’d like to enter too

Competition Terms:

  • Competition run by Thorndown Ltd.
  • The competition runs from Thursday 13th October to midnight on Thursday 27th October 2022
  • Competition closes at midnight on Thursday 27th October 2022
  • You must be 18 years old or above and live in the UK
  • Winner will be chosen at random and announced on Friday 28th October 2022 with delivery arranged for after that date
  • Prizes will be delivered FREE to 1 UK mainland address
  • This competition is not affiliated with Instagram or Facebook

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Hutton Garden Products manufacture a wonderful range of timber garden products. They are available from garden centres and timber merchants in the south west of England. You can view their full range on their website and call them on 01452 760994 to find out where your nearest stockist is.