Little Greene paint colours in real homes
Trying to extrapolate a colour from a tiny paint chart onto your walls using only your imagination can be an almighty task. Lighting, aspect, function and taste all need to be taken into account, so it's unsurprising that many of us feel overwhelmed when choosing paint colours.
It's all well and good selecting a lovely looking colour, but we can't stress enough how important it is to try and test the colours in situ first. North-facing rooms can be particularly cruel to pale colours and windowless bathrooms need a whole different approach. If you don't do your research properly, picking the wrong paint can be an expensive and time consuming mistake to cover up.
One of the easiest ways to narrow down the hundreds and thousands of paints available, is to decide which company best suits the project you are approaching. Farrow and Ball are best known for their elegant finish, Edward Bulmer paints are known for their eco credentials, and Little Greene? Well, think of them as the ‘line of best fit’ between the two. The family-run company have been mixing paints since 1773 and have partnerships with The National Trust and the Imperial War Museum under their belts.
To aide you in said research, we've found examples of Little Greene paints, used by interior designers in real houses (with a few decorating schemes sprinkled in) to give you a better idea of which shades to choose.
The most popular Little Greene paint colours
- Hopper
- Olive Colour
- Invisible Green
- Hicks's Blue
- Slaked Lime
- Deep Space Blue
- Masquerade
- Sage Green
- White Lead
- Mambo
How to use and choose Little Greene paints, according to the experts
Little Greene has long been popular with interior designers, but which shades are their favourites?
“I have a soft spot for ‘Deep Space Blue’ by Little Greene. I first used it on the ceiling, walls and doors in a basement utility room for a client whose favourite colour is ‘Yves Klein’ blue. It has real punch and works perfectly when neutralised with earthy brown tones (‘Light Bronze Green’ by Little Greene in particular). I’m using it again to give a bit of impact to a large kitchen dresser in a current project in the Cotswolds." - Tom Morris
“When choosing white paint, ‘Slaked Lime’ from Little Greene is a lovely white and can have a similar effect as Farrow and Ball's 'Lime White' in that it’s particularly good when the fabric in the room has a yellow ground colour."- Nicole Salvesen
“I’m a big fan of the Little Greene paint colour family called ‘White Lead’, which comes in a scale of different depths.”- Brandon Schubert
On pairing colours, “‘Bone China Blue’ and ‘China Clay’ from Little Greene complement each other well." - Suzy Hoodless
It's not just interior designers who have a soft spot for Little Greene paints, but the House & Garden team too. One of former creative director Gabby Deeming's favourite colour combinations is "a Harebell blue with red. ‘Mambo’ from Little Greene is the blue for this – think Eighties Habitat and stick a bright red Anglepoise with it. Heaven.”
Best neutral paint from Little Greene
House & Garden's decoration editor, Ruth Sleightholme says, “'Acorn' by Little Greene is lovely and fresh, for a kitchen, breakfast room or the bedroom of a ‘morning person’, and looks good when paired with ‘Starling’s Egg’ for the woodwork. ‘Celestial Light’, also by Little Greene, has a similarly wakeful effect, but perhaps should be avoided for small living rooms."