Nursery: Kiwi duo making natural paint for nursery and home

After hearing that conventional paint can create indoor air quality that’s up to five times more toxic than outdoor air, James Mount and Grace Glass made it their mission to shake up the paint industry. They did so by cofounding Natural Paint Co., bringing healthier, more sustainable paint products to all New Zealanders.

What was the drive behind bringing natural paint into people’s homes?

In 2015 at just 22 years old, we quit our career paths as a psychology student and a registered nurse respectively, to pursue a passion for wellness in an industry that had barely changed for seven decades. We are really passionate about reducing chemicals in people’s homes and environment – because healthier homes make for happier people, and a happier planet too!

James Mount and Grace Glass, Founders of Natural Paint Co

We started Natural Paint Co. and set out to create New Zealand-made natural paint and oil that’s free of harmful chemicals, and utilises natural ingredients and renewable resources. We’re not only driven by helping families live in a low- or no-toxic sanctuary, but it’s important to us to ensure sustainability is at the forefront of every aspect of production – from the ingredients used (where they come from and how they are sourced) through to running a carbon- neutral business and ensuring leftover paint is reused, recycled, or composted.

A big contributor to poor indoor air quality is paint. Chemicals in paint can contribute to smog and pollution, and something which is little-known is that they can leach toxins into homes for up to 10 years. Sadly, this can affect asthma, allergies, chronic fatigue, or cause a range of other health issues.

How do you come up with colours?

This is always one of our favourite projects, because we get to be playful and creative whilst also bringing in colour theory and chemistry. We’ve curated our colour range to be timeless, evoking feelings of natural beauty to be in line with our ethos – that paint is luxurious; it’s meant to be exciting, it’s colour, it’s fun; it’s the environment we spend time in.

What colours are most popular for a baby’s room?

We love the soft, warm, natural, earthy tones right now. “Low Tide”, “Smoke”, “Ginger Beer”, or “Jester House” for a pop of earthy colour.

And what about tones for the overall home?

Egyptian Cotton is our most popular colour, found in our Naturally Timeless palette; it is the perfect mix of modern yet warm, timeless yet homely. All varieties of green are coveted right now, too. Green is a great choice to add a subtle touch of colour or go with something bold or moody to change a space. It pairs so beautifully with the greenery of house plants, which is such a vibe right now. Look at our “A Gathering of Green” palette on our website.

“PAINT IS LUXURIOUS; IT’S MEANT TO BE EXCITING, IT’S COLOUR, FUN; IT’S THE ENVIRONMENT WE SPEND TIME IN.”

~ Grace Class

Natural Paint Co has a beautiful range of colours for the nursery. Earthy tones are popular right now including Ginger Beer, Egyptian Cotton and Low Tide. Add a pop of orange with Jester, or check out the Gathering of Green collection to pair with the greenery of house plants.

Got some time on your hands before pēpi arrives?

Get crafty, and personalise your own wall art and milestone cards, using Natural Paint Co. testpots (available from $6). If you’ve got this magazine as part of your BUMP&baby PeekaBox, you’ll find your Natural Paint Co. test pot in there.

1. Using a very fine paintbrush, use hues you love to colour your nursery and exclusive milestone templates by KYX Creative (@kyxcreative) from the pages inserted into BUMP&baby magazine. You can water down colours to create a watercolour effect, however if you water down paint, the solids (titanium dioxide) will settle and separate, so it is best to water down the paints on a palette rather than putting water directly into your testpot.

2. Cut out your milestone cards or frame your illustration – and don’t forget to tag us in your pictures on social media @bumpandbabynz @naturalpaintco @kyxcreative

The November 21 issue of BUMP&baby has a set of milestone cards and wall art inserted for you to personalise. Perfect to paint with your Natural Paint Co colours, and if you sign up for a BUMP&baby PeekaBox, you will receive a test pot to try.

Create gorgeous artwork for your baby and enjoy a mindfulness activity in the process – a win-win!

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BUMP & baby is New Zealand’s only magazine for pregnancy and early babyhood. Our team of mums and mums-to-be understand what it’s like to be pregnant in this connected age, and that’s why BUMP & Baby online is geared toward what pregnant women and new mums really want to know.

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