We have all become sensitive to the issue of plastic ending up in the oceans, thanks to Blue Planet.

What might not be so immediately apparent is the plastic we’re putting on our walls in the form of paint and, when the job’s done, washing our excess water-based paints down the drain.

But it doesn’t have to be that way and Hereford-based interior designer Edward Bulmer is at the forefront of changing the way we decorate our homes.

Edward Bulmer Natural Paints are, as the name suggests, natural and chemical free, using an entirely natural base and 12 natural pigments to create the recently expanded range of 94 stunning shades.

As one of the country’s leading interior designers – among his current projects is the Foreign Secretary’s country residence in Kent – Edward is more attuned to the quality of paint than most, and it was a commission in the early 2000s that provided the catalyst for Edward Bulmer Natural Paints.

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“I had a project at Goodwood where the emphasis was on being environmentally friendly and non-allergenic because one of the children was badly affected by eczema and his mother watched everything that came into the house very carefully.

“As an interior designer I did not want to feel that my choices could lead to long term health implications for my painters or give rise to asthma or other health problems for my clients.”

And so he committed to creating a paint company that focused on eliminating those chemical impacts.

Reflecting on that decision now, he says: "What I have learned is huge respect for anyone who starts a product business. Success is very expensive and breaking into the market when we are all so sophisticated is a challenge – it’s a big task and we couldn’t have done it without social media,” he says.

But successful is what the company has become, creating a buzz in the national press and magazines.

“Only two years ago we were mixing paint in a little room, but then we outgrew that," says Edward.

Happily, at that point, a timely Marches Building Investment grant enabled the conversion of a barn at Court of Noke to accommodate both the mixing and packing elements of the business.

“Basically, says Edward’s wife Emma, “it was to convert part of our barn into a production area.

“Ours is an artisanal business,” she adds. “We’re not high tech at all. Our main aim has been to establish our brand, which in the first instance is Edward Bulmer Interiors.”

There is a parallel to be found perhaps in the creation of fragrances by the leading fashion houses, allowing everyone's life to be touched by haute couture.

With Edward Bulmer Natural Paints, homeowners can experience something of the sense of having their interiors painted by a leading name in the field.

“The environmental aspect has always been the most important thing for us,” says Emma, observing that it is only relatively recently – post Blue Planet possibly – that the paints’ eco credentials have come to the fore for customers.

“But we started out not wanting to use chemicals or plastics.” An aim that the rest of us are rapidly catching up with.

Natural paints are not without their challenges, which is where the skill and artisan craft comes in, because, says Emma. “We learned that there were all sorts of issues with paint making, most of all consistency of colour.

"Edward basically sat down one weekend and created a palette of 100 colours and we then picked the ones we thought were good."

That first edition, then called Pots of Paint, featured 72 shades. “We are different in that we only use natural pigments and it’s all about how you suspend those pigments in paint.

"We don’t make our paint. We mix the colours, and we’ve searched far and wide for the right base paint, which is made in Germany by Auro.

"What we are good at is marketing – having the idea, having the taste, and providing a great service.

"And the other challenge for us, Emma continues, is that it’s a very busy market. What we quickly realised was that you cannot really sell paint on the environmental ticket.”

One suspects, however, that that might be on the verge of changing, with the ever increasing clamour for action on climate change and our realisation that so much of what we have taken for granted for so long is damaging the planet.

Paint, a by product of the oil industry, is completely unregulated, with no legal requirement for any declaration of what’s in it.

By contrast, Edward Bulmer Natural Paints come with a complete list of everything you’ll find in them … and all of it is natural, 90% of it water, and the oil-based paints made with natural linseed oil.

"We had to establish ourselves as a premium brand," says Emma.

"Edward is an interior designer who’s worked for 30 years in beautiful houses so he’s effectively giving you an interior designer in the tin, and his experience and expertise mean that all the paints work incredibly well together.

"We realised it was all about Edward the interior designer who could design a range of paint."

That range has now increased to 90 shades, including the recently introduced nursery shades, so pretty they look good enough to eat.

"People are beginning to understand what the benefits of our paints are, not just in terms of the ocean but in terms of breathability.

"We began with beautiful colours and our plastic-free message is now becoming much stronger … and increasingly heard."

Their online business is booming, with a local courier arriving every afternoon – if you ring to order before noon, you'll have your paint the following day – and hundreds of sample pots fly out every day too, while the new branding of Edward Bulmer Natural Paints manages to tell the entire story on a tin – from Edward’s heritage and obvious association with apples to its Herefordshire connections and, above all, its natural ingredients.

“The apple came from an old brand that Edward found and we’ve taken it throughout everything we do in a range of different guises.”

Help with the new design came from Orphans Press in Leominster.

“We’re delighted,” says Emma. "We’ve had so many compliments on our website and marketing and they are a massively creative team but also very techy!”

The most recent chapter in the Edward Bulmer Natural Paints story is their collaboration with OKA, luxury furniture and home accessories, who already sell the paint online, but will now offer it in their showrooms in Chelsea, Guildford and Knutsford.

“As a pioneer in natural paints and mindful interiors, working with brands who are equally ethically minded is very important to us.

"We are honoured to be teaming up with OKA who put design, quality and craftsmanship at the forefront of their offering," says Edward on the OKA website.

"We have been painting their stores for a couple of years," adds Emma.

"They liked our paint, and our ethos – that we are natural, and transparent and helpful."

In truth Edward Bulmer Natural Paints are a bit like that delicious meal that somehow manages to feel totally indulgent but utterly healthy.

"Here you’re getting a glorious colour palette with the added benefit of knowing that you’re creating a healthier environment for your family at the same time as eliminating just some of the plastic waste we’ve finally woken up to."

"At Edward Bulmer Natural Paint we have designed the best range of natural paint colours available today because they work," says Edward, who was commissioned by Charles Spencer to turn Althrop (the family estate of Princess Diana) back into a quietly aristocratic home, undoing the highly decorated style favoured by Raine Spencer, Diana's stepmother.

"Interior design is about creating an atmosphere in our homes and we want this to be comforting, safe and beautiful.

"So we have mixed colours that give tonal harmony to make the best backdrops for fabrics and furnishings.

"Our paint has a living finish, that is why it is not dead to the eye like acrylic paints which just form a film over a surface.

"To create beautiful colours you need to use natural pigments. We mix our paints simply using the 12 natural earth and mineral pigments which have been used by artists for centuries, yet we can achieve the vivid boldness of Vert de Mar or Rose Pink alongside the calm, comforting feel of the earth pigments in Granite Green or Clay.

"We are confident these pigments are all we need to bring the richest hues to our colour palette. By using natural pigments we achieve a constantly varied colour palette but one that has complete tonal harmony.

“Essentially it’s an artist’s palette,” says Edward. “I am making the paints that go on walls behind paintings that use the same pigments, so we get a reliable tonal relationship.

"These paints are great with polished woods and other traditional materials. It’s kind of like conducting music.

"What we are adding doesn’t have discordant notes. When mixing with natural pigments it is impossible to make a nasty colour.”