More About Green Designs

The word itself stems from the Old English verb growan, meaning 'to grow'. It symbolises hope, immortality and rebirth following the cyclical nature of life.

The first artificial pigment was made by the ancient Greeks and was - you guessed it - green! With advances in chemistry, the late 18th century saw artificial pigments with different shades of green.

Green wallpaper got off to a shaky start in 1778, when it was first commercially printed using copper arsenite. It was believed to have contributed to the death of Napolean Boneparte and ruled illegal in Britain. The arsenic content in green pigments was also believed to have caused Monet's blindness in later life. Don't worry, all of our ink is perfectly safe, and free of arsenic!