WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DECADE MAKES

2009 seems so very long ago.

As a nation back then we were limping out the of the financial crash and our TV’s were full of Susan Boyle’s amazing debut on Britain’s Got Talent, the sudden death of Michael Jackson and how Twilight was breaking box-office records.

Oh and the other big event was Paint the Town Green (PTTG) decorated my daughter’s bedroom.

OK you may not have been so familiar with that last one but I mention it because we’ve just had them back.Back in 2009, Phil the founder was the main contact person but what they lacked in manpower they made up for in passion and enthusiasm. Being eco-friendly may seem like every company’s default position in 2020 but a decade ago it was seriously ahead of the curve!

And boy was Phil enthusiastic.

He explained why eco-friendly paints were so important, why the space where your children sleep should be free of nasty chemicals and irritants and why choosing to go down that route shouldn’t exclude your having access to a beautiful range of colours and finishes.

Unsurprisingly PTTG has benefitted hugely from their ‘first mover’ advantage and the intervening decade has seen explosive growth. They’ve painted over 8,000 rooms! There are more staff, although I’m happy to report they’re just an enthusiastic and professional as Phil. They’ve opened a showroom in SW18, have 42 of their own shades of paint and even brought on celebrity designer Nicky Haslam to expand their range.

When they came back in 2020 the first thing through the door was a Henry Hoover. I remember how pleased I was when they did exactly that all those years ago. I’m a tidy freak and they were quite literally leading from the front with their clearing up credentials. Phil followed Henry through that door and explained that although they’d started with the residential market all those years ago they were now working in the corporate and business world too.

Whilst they worked away on my kitchen walls Phil was joined by the lovely Peter and Terry and the whole job, ceiling included, was finished in one day. Paint the Town Green pride themselves on working to top notch standards and they are so confident of their finish, if you’re not happy with any part of their work, they will redo it for free.

The most popular shades of their own paints are Dream On, Pictures of You and Night Swimming although they will happily use any brand. They’re also totally flexible on the size of the job, PTTG have just painted the communal front door to a block of flats, a one bedroom flat and a six-bedroom heritage house. And it’s not just paint, they also stock a gorgeous range of wallpapers too. Hanging wallpaper is another service they are happy to provide.

So everything has changed for PTTG and yet nothing has changed. Their values are same, evident in the Customer Handbook and their Code of Conduct, the paint really doesn’t smell, it’s still fab for babies and the allergic because it is free from toxic fumes and it still dries incredibly quickly. But they’re bigger, better and have a showroom around the corner where you can go for an in-house colour consultancy and to try out their latest paints.

So if you’re looking for a decorator, a paint supplier, or both then you’ll be absolutely delighted with the results.