The Bauwerk paint affect

For me paint is a joy. Even the mention of a colour chart and a redecoration project, no matter how big or small, is an exciting proposition. But in honesty I have never delved too deeply into manufacturing processes and chemical makeup of the paints I use and specify. A terrible confession, but an honest one.

“ We believe that what you LEAVE OUT of paint is AS important AS what you put in.” - Bauwerk.

I was in the process of lining up my next interview candidate (tempting to write the word victim here) when I found myself at a design demonstration by Bronwyn Riedel, owner and founder of Bauwerk, a fundamentally brilliant new paint supplier. Why so brilliant? Well, it just makes so much sense. Traditional methods centuries-tested, kind to the environment both immediate and wider, and, in my view, a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing option too. Working with a low impact ethos is at the heart of what Bauwerk do. I interviewed Bronwyn to find out more about her brand.

Image: Bauwerk founder Bronwyn Riedel with Lynda Gardener.

Q1: How did the Bauwerk brand start? Has it been a long standing interest?

A1: We started in 2000 out of our joint interests; restoration of heritage buildings, textile design and colour workshops. We believed there to be a gap in the market for modern limewash, using traditional methods, created in hundreds of colours. I was a textile designer that specialised in one off long length hand painted fabrics for interiors. I always created my own colours and was known for my distinctive use of colour. We also had a family construction /heritage building company, which is where our love of limewash began as we found it on all the historic buildings. Andreas, the other founder of Bauwerk, was originally from East Germany where he worked as restorer in some of Dresden’s oldest buildings.

Image: Chickweed, styled by artist Hana Snow.

Q2: Can you describe the ethos and the drive behind the brand, and what your product does?

A2: We do one thing and we aim to do it well - with integrity, with a deep understanding of the materials and how they work in the built environment. Lime paints are made from Calcium Carbonate, a naturally occurring and one of the worlds most abundant materials. It is created by working with nature utilising the 4 elements; earth, fire, water and air.

Earth - it starts as limestone. Fire - it is then heated. Water - then slaked in water for many months. Air - it turns back to Calcium Carbonate Limestone once it is painted on your wall by taking in Carbon Dioxide from the air, just like trees do.

“Lime paints allow your walls to breathe, are naturally anti bacterial and best of all beautiful, as they refract light in millions of crystals making a paint that is like no other.” - BAUWERK.

Q3: What do you think is the key factor that makes Bauwerk stand out from the rest of the market?

A3: We believe that what you leave out of paint is as important as what you put in. Others have tried to make limewash into a hybrid product, we always believed in the characteristics of the natural materials. Our environmental footprint is very small as we leave only sand as residue in our manufacturing process. We have always used green power in our factory and offices. We are constantly looking for more ways to reduce or improve our packaging. Indeed environmentally sustainability is very important to us personally. It is not something we do simply for our business, it is something we try to live by in all aspects of our life.

Image: Peony, styled by Bauwerk.

Q4: Can you tell us more about the colour palette on offer, and how it has been curated?

A4: Over our 20 years we have created more than 2,000 colours. This comes from my endless fascination of creating colour with the smallest nuances. They are made with a selection of pigments from our collection of over 50 different colours. We currently show around 400 on our website and bring in new colours at least twice a year. Our colours are different as they refract light differently to other paints, they are very nuanced and usually complex. They are made with an artists’ eye, not a chemists. We avoid making some colours altogether, due to the health damaging properties of certain pigments. Colours such as acid yellow and green, and bright red and orange do not feature in our palette, as they are bad for the environment.

Image: Seaweed, styled by Bauwerk.

Q5: What sort of service do you offer for people who need help choosing colour for their home or interiors project?

A5: We are always available via email or phone and often Instagram to help select colours. Next year we will continue to offer more imagery on how to get the look and achieve certain effects and styles. We hope this will help people to understand the colours and how they will look in the home. For large projects we also offer both technical and colour consultation services.

”Our colours are different as they refract light differently to other paints, they are very naunced and usually complex.” - BAUWERK.

Q6: Has there been a standout, or most interesting project, that you have helped a client with?

A6: We have been very lucky to have been part of many interesting projects all over the world. One we are currently working on is for the King of Jordan, they are creating a Heads of State Meeting Place, for reflection and discussions, built from natural materials, we have advised on both the colour selections and substrate materials.

We also worked for many years on conserving the buildings on a small island in the Indian Ocean, Rottnest Island, where the buildings where in a bad state of disrepair after many years of the use of oils and plastic paints over the traditional limestone. This has the effect of eating away at the stone, as the walls could no longer breathe. We recreated the colours that were used traditionally and created a maintenance plan to bring the buildings back which is still in use after 15 years.

One of my personal highlights has been working with another Australian Brand, Aesop Stores.

To discover more about Bauwerk visit the website here.

Feature: Rory Robertson.

Images: Bauwerk.