The Top Vegan Paint & Wallpaper Brands
Babies across the world can thank Meghan Markle for the fresh coat of gender-neutral vegan paint on their nursery walls. And when you look under the lid of ‘normal’ paint, you can see why Megan made her choice.
Most of us don’t realise that there are animal products in paints including:
– Casein, the primary protein in milk, which is used for binding paint
– Shellac, a resin secreted by the female lac bug in India and Thailand, which adds shine and durability
– Ox gall, which comes from cows and is used as a wetting agent
On top of all that, the petrochemicals in paint become airborne and are known to contribute to health problems. But it’s not just what’s in the paint, unfortunately quite a few brands are still testing their paints on animals.
Vegan paints contain no animal-derived products, no toxic chemicals to leach into the air, are not tested on animals and are eco-friendly. But don’t assume that means they’re not up to the job – there is no compromising on colour choices or quality.
Our advice is to ask suppliers and manufacturers questions. Don’t be afraid to dig deep to double-check, what might seem vegan-friendly can often contain animal-derived products.
Studio Hooton’s top brands for vegan paint and wallpaper
Here are our favourite suppliers that have either full or part ranges of stunning vegan paints and wallpaper:
A big vegan tick for this company. Meghan is said to have bought Archie’s nursery paint from here. Our guess is she went for our favourite – a dusky blue-grey called ‘Gossamer’ from their nursery range.
Little Greene paint and wallpaper
Little Greene’s paints are all vegan with an impressive range of colours and a high quality finish.
But it’s not just their paints that have eco credentials, they also have an inspiring range of wallpapers sourced from sustainable, FSC-certified forests with non-toxic pigments and solvent-free pastes.
There’s a mixture of classic and contemporary to choose from – we love their Ash Pine wallpaper for it’s cool, calming design. Perfect for a bedroom or study.
Image: Little Greene | Walls: Ambledside & Aquamarine
We love the fact that none of Farrow & Ball’s products have ever been tested on animals and almost all of them are vegan. When we asked about their vegan credentials they gave us an impressively detailed response:
“We can confirm that our most commonly used finishes (Estate Emulsion, Modern Emulsion, Estate Eggshell, Modern Eggshell, Full Gloss, Exterior Eggshell and Exterior Masonry) are vegan friendly and do not contain any animal-derived ingredients.
We do have a range of four specialist, traditional finishes. Two of these, both distempers, do contain animal-derived ingredients – our Soft Distemper contains an ingredient derived from leather off-cuts, whilst Casein Distemper contains an ingredient derived from leather offcuts and acid casein from milk. Our other two specialist finishes, Limewash and Dead Flat, do not contain any animal derived ingredients.”
Image: Farrow & Ball | Wall colour: Railings
Find more vegan-friendly suppliers:
Vegan interior design is firmly on map allowing us to create stylish homes with integrity at their hearts. Read more of our vegan design recommendations here:
Top vegan bedding and soft furnishings
Top vegan interior leathers suppliers
Main Image: Interior by Studio Hooton / Photography martingardner.com
