Venture paints perfect picture

Deb Preston (left) and Kate Manning have joined forces to cover any eco-friendly environment plans in any healthy free designed home.

JAY CRONAN

ABOUT a year ago Deb Preston's eco-friendly paints and finishes business - Painted Earth - outgrew her home base and she moved to the Byron Bay Industrial Estate, into one of the incubator units available for small businesses just starting up.

“It was perfect because there is no lease, you pay week-to-week, it's very reasonable and there are some great shops here with lots of energy,” Ms Preston said.

Not long after opening, sustainable interior designer Kate Manning became a regular, popping in to see what Deb had in stock and chat. Now Ms Manning has opened a shop next door to Painted Earth.

She specialises in all natural floor coverings, carpets, woods and fabrics - all the requirements for a healthy home free of allergens and toxic finishes. It seemed a natural progression for businesses which complement each other so well.

“It's easy for anyone wanting to live in an eco-friendly environment to come to us and between the two of us we've got eco-friendly paints, finishes and homewares covered,” Ms Preston said.

They are also planning a hemp pillow range for chairs and bean bags, and are keen to develop a resource centre for others giving handy services.

“We support what local people are doing and if they make something that fits in with sustainable homewares, they can bring it to us. One guy makes furniture out of old fence palings and another uses old wine barrels. If someone does rammed earth construction, we will take their cards and promote their work,” Ms Preston said.

Painted Earth also has floor sanders and finishers for hire or will come and paint finishes in the home or on furniture as required.

The shops also offer contemporary and rustic style wooden furniture.

Both raised in the country, the women love natural paints, fabrics and hemp.

“I'm drawn to that, and apart from it being healthy, I like the look and wanted to specialise in that rather than doing bits of everything every- where. I'd actually like to see log cabins on the beach,” laughed Ms Manning.

She has just completed the interiors on a 32-apartment building in town, kitchens through to furniture and decor, using her colleague to put on the finishes.

But are eco-friendly finishes expensive?

“They're actually not any more expensive because of the sustainability. The longevity is there and brings the price to a reasonable level when you think how long it will last. And price-wise Deb's paints are very competitive,” Ms Manning explained.

Painted Earth carries a range of paints with a range of prices.

“The natural products are generally more expensive than the synthetic ones, that's why I carry both to give people that option, but even the clay paint you can get away with one less coat than the synthetic ones, so there are ways of balancing them out,” Ms Preston said.