Fine Lime
For a long-wearing, versatile and fully sustainable paint base, look no further than Bauwerk Colour Lime Wash.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH Bauwerk Colour • STORY Elizabeth Clarke
While decorating trends come and go, one has proven to have serious staying power: Lime wash Paint. Seen on the walls of stylish homes from Perth to Paris, its popularity is borne out by a slew of lime wash-loving designers for its sustainability and health benefits.
Lime wash is essentially stone, a raw material made from limestone that is crushed, burned, and mixed with water to create a lime putty. The putty is stored for as long as possible (like red wine, it gets better with age) and then diluted with water before pure powder pigment is added to give it its colour.
Bauwerk Colour Lime Wash Paint co-founder Bronwyn Riedel describes the process as a “full alchemist's cycle". “It’s a simple elemental cycle of earth, fire, water and air,” she explains. “When applied to walls, the paint absorbs carbon dioxide, just as plants do."
Bronwyn, who hails from country Victoria, started Bauwerk with her husband, Andreas, a German-born stonemason, in the early 2000s. The idea struck the couple when they couldn’t find the right lime wash paint for their Fremantle renovation.
Basing the new business on South Terrace in South Fremantle, they combined Bronwyn’s expertise in textiles and colour theory and Andreas’s in conserving and restoring heritage buildings. It proved the perfect recipe, and two decades later their range of sumptuous, sustainable paints is sold all over Australia, Europe, the UK and North America.
Technique
Lime wash paints have been used since Roman times to impart dimension, depth, and a chalky, nuanced texture to a room. Their timelessly beautiful finish, luminescence and soft texture are created using different brushstrokes, making the painting technique vitally important.
“It is a very simple technique if you allow the product to do its thing,” says Bronwyn. “We always say trust the process, prepare your walls well, then have fun using one of our large natural brushes and apply the paint like clouds in all directions."
Suitable for use on interior and exterior surfaces, lime wash paint's natural ingredients absorb into walls, creating softness, warmth, and a quiet calmness with a moody patina. Bauwerk is coveted by leading creatives, including designers Lynda Gardener and Megan Plowman, and is a go-to for high-end retailers such as Aesop. In Perth, it coats and protects the walls of St Mary's Cathedral and heritage buildings on Rottnest Island.
Colour
The depth of colour in Bauwerk paints creates a unique, sensuous and dynamic patina, making it the perfect choice for every space from the bedroom to the bathroom. Bronwyn says their colour collection, which ranges from Milkweed and Sweetpea to Buttercup and Paprika, is the result of years of research into pigments. "We don’t use tinting machines or industrial processes to create our colours; instead, we draw on years of experience and eye for colour creation,” she says. “Our colours are inspired by what we see in nature."
Pure natural pigments imbue their formations with colour, and their extensive range of whites is popular, too. “Not all lime wash paints are created equal, and we are passionate about what we make and believe what is left out of our lime wash is just as important as what we put in,” Bronwyn says. “Our whites are so incredible, you can even patch your walls and repaint without seeing that it’s a patch!"
Sustainability
Lime wash paint is eco-friendly, which for many, Bronwyn says, is one of its greatest drawcards. “Some acrylic paint products include plastic compounds, forever chemicals, and others even include arsenic, formaldehyde and heavy metals, which are highly toxic for humans and the planet,” she says.
Lime wash paint has zero VOC (volatile organic compounds) and is made from natural renewable resources. With a pH level of 14, it is free from biocides, formaldehyde and preservatives, and has natural antibacterial qualities. "You can paint and sleep in the room on the same day," says Bronwyn.
It’s versatile, too. Combined with Bauwerk Prep Coat, it can be applied to plaster, plasterboard and previously painted interior walls. When painting natural materials such as lime or cement-rendered walls and brickwork, it can be applied directly. “Lime wash paint lends itself to the materiality of classic homes, like stone, rammed earth, mud brick, cement or strawbale, but is equally gorgeous on modern homes too,” she says.
Ready to paint?
Contact Bauwerk's Australian Flagship Store
Unit 1/15 Emplacement Crescent
Hamilton Hill
Tel: +61 8 9433 3860
Email: info@bauwerk.com.au
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