General Paints Group

General Paints Group is the parent brand to premium paint brand Colourtrend, designer paint brand Curator and light industrial coatings brand Sustain. Our vision is to build a sustainable business with high-performance premium and designer positioned brands for domestic and international markets.

Founded in 1953 by Ronan O’Connor, in Celbridge, County Kildare, General Paints Group is Ireland’s largest, 100% Irish-owned and operated, leading-edge paint company. General Paints Group operates at the forefront of paint technology offering 100% pure acrylic decorative paint that is designed to apply smoother and last longer.

General Paints Group established their premium paint brand, Colourtrend 68 years ago in the 1950s. At the time, like so many others, Ronan O’Connor left Ireland and went to the USA to find work. However, unlike many others, Ronan made it home again. After just a few years he brought home leading-edge paint technology, founded General Paints Group and Colourtrend Paints, revolutionising paint forever. Ronan didn’t just want to put paint in Ireland. He wanted to put Ireland in paint. So, it’s not surprising that the Colourtrend range grew and grew, to include the elusive colours of the Irish landscape: simple and mysterious, every day and precious.

Now in its third generation, the Colourtrend brand continues to take inspiration for the colours derived from the Irish landscape and most recently launched their new Contemporary Collection featuring 28 new shades taking inspiration from elements of modern Ireland; The Irish Landscape, Architectural Ireland, Cultural Ireland, and Nostalgic Ireland.

From the hues of Ireland’s earth and sky and waters to its wild flora and native fauna. Today you’ll find your perfect colour among the vast and ever-growing range of Colourtrend’s Irish-inspired collections. Operating at the forefront of paint technology, Colourtrend offers 100% pure acrylic decorative paint and has over 2,000 colours across four unique collections. Colourtrend collections are available throughout the country in over one hundred and fifty carefully selected independent paint retailers across Ireland and the UK.

In 2018, Ireland’s only designer paint brand, Curator was launched to the Irish market by General Paints Group. Curator is the gatherer and custodian of colours inspired by Ireland’s native Design Community. This Community, featuring artisans from crafts and design to art, have a key commonality; they all quote Ireland as their colour muse.

The brand’s vocation is to celebrate the vibrancy and colour of Irish Design. The collection was developed in collaboration with 29 of Irelands’ talented native designers. Each designer proposed a signature colour that embodies their work and these colours were gathered to form the basis of a carefully curated palette comprising of 144 paint colours, all of which are available in 5 premium quality finishes. Some examples of the Irish designers that Curator collaborated with include; Margaret O’Connor, Bláithín Ennis, Jill De Búrca and Aoife Harrison, to name just a few.

Curator believes a home should have colours that reflect a soul, and a story of something unique to them. That is why each of the 144 colours that make up the palette are personal to our homeland, Ireland, and our expressive Design Community.

Each paint collection is environmentally friendly as it is water based with low odour and low VOCs, as well as featuring other key benefits such as being easy washable and not containing harsh solvents or heavy metals.

Curator was created by Ireland for Ireland and is the only Irish designer paint brand in the market.

Curator is available at all Colourtrend Paint and Wallpaper stores, select stockists nationwide and online via www.curatorpaints.com.

While, Colourtrend’s collection are available from select stockists nationwide and online at www.colourtrend.ie.

To find your local stockist visit colourtrend.ie/pages/our-locations.