Choosing the right paint is a lot like choosing the right outfit for your home. The colour, the finish, the texture – it all sets the tone for how you’ll feel in the space every day.
The difference between a tin of budget paint and a premium brand isn’t just how it looks fresh on the wall, but how it wears, how it ages, and how it transforms the character of a room.
Premium paints tend to offer richer pigments, more durable finishes, and eco-friendly formulas that make a real difference over time. They’re an investment, but one that pays off in both style and substance.
In Cheshire, there may only be a handful of dedicated premium paint showrooms, but they’re carefully curated, each with something unique to offer.
And if you prefer to order online, there are a couple of brilliant brands we often recommend to clients when we’re specifying finishes – so keep reading for those.
Here are five of our best options if you’re renovating or redecorating in Cheshire (and beyond).
Our quick paint buying guide
Before you head to the showroom or start ordering swatches online, it helps to go in with a plan. A few things we recommend to clients:
- • Take samples home: Colours look different in natural daylight versus showroom lighting, so always test in your own space.
- • Think about finish as well as colour: Matt, eggshell, and gloss all have very different effects and durability.
- • Don’t underestimate neutrals: A perfectly balanced neutral can be just as impactful as a bold accent colour.
- • Consider the feel of the room: Light levels, size, and how you use the space will all affect how a paint appears and performs.
- • Ask about eco-friendly formulas: Many premium brands now offer low-VOC paints that are kinder to your home and the planet.
A little preparation makes paint shopping more enjoyable and ensures you come away with a shade (and finish) that truly suits your home.
Our recommended paint shops in Cheshire
Little Greene – Wilmslow
Little Greene is a family-run British company with over 300 years dealing in paint and wallpaper. Known for its eco-friendly formulas and archive-inspired palettes, it’s a brand that blends history with modern sustainability.
The Wilmslow showroom – their first in the North – offers two floors of colour inspiration, with painted brush-out boards, wallpaper books, and plenty of expert advice on hand.
What’s particularly useful is the in-store tinting machine, so you can walk away with any shade mixed and ready to use the same day.
It’s an ideal stop if you want to explore the full Little Greene collection in person, or if you’re looking for guidance on how to bring together colours and finishes with confidence.
Farrow & Ball – Wilmslow
The Farrow & Ball showroom in Wilmslow is the place to experience the brand’s famous, richly pigmented paints in person. Their palette – which ranges from timeless neutrals to bold contemporary shades – is designed to shift and respond beautifully to changing light, something that’s much easier to appreciate in a showroom setting than on a screen.
Alongside their full paint range, you’ll also find their wallpapers, with patterns and colours that complement the collection perfectly.
The Wilmslow team are on hand to answer questions about finishes, colour schemes, or even those finer details like ceiling paint choices.
Farrow & Ball is also a certified B Corp™, recognising its commitment to high standards of sustainability, transparency, and social responsibility – a quality that sits well alongside its reputation for depth of colour and character.
Fired Earth – Knutsford
Tucked away at Sycamore Farm just outside Knutsford, Fired Earth’s showroom is a laid-back spot to soak up design inspiration. You’ll find their full paint collection alongside tiles and bathrooms, and the space has a welcoming, homely atmosphere.
It’s the kind of place where you can take your time, flick through colour cards, and chat to the friendly team about your project whether that’s a whole-house renovation or simply refreshing a single room.
Fired Earth’s paints have been around for more than 40 years and are all made in the UK. With 120 colours to choose from, spanning soft neutrals, heritage shades, and bolder accents, the range is versatile, durable, and always elegant.
Our recommended online paint brands
COAT Paints
If you like your decorating process to be as smooth as the finish on your walls, COAT Paints is worth a look.
Their paints are mixed to order in the UK using high-grade pigments and resins, which means rich colours, great coverage, and fewer coats. Everything is water-based, vegan, and low in VOCs, so it’s kinder to your home environment as well as the planet.
What makes COAT especially user-friendly are their Peel & Stick sample swatches – no messy tester pots, just real paint on removable sheets you can move around the room to see how it looks in different light.
Argile Paint
Argile brings a distinctly French take on colour to the UK. Inspired by natural landscapes, their palette of 184 shades is designed to feel deep, subtle, and timeless – the kind of colours that shift beautifully with changing light.
What makes Argile stand out is the finish: their paints have a richness and softness that creates a sophisticated backdrop, whether in a heritage property or a contemporary space.
Argile has also been committed to sustainability for decades. Their natural range is formulated with over 95% bio-sourced vegetable oils, making it one of the most ecological options available in the premium paint market.
It’s a brand to explore if you’re looking for something different, luxurious, and rooted in both design and environmental responsibility.
Finding the right finish for your home
Whether you’re walking through a showroom in Wilmslow or Knutsford, or browsing swatches online, the paint you choose will define the atmosphere of your home.
Premium paints don’t just look beautiful on day one – they offer lasting quality and finishes that elevate every detail of your interiors.
At Natalie Holden Interiors, we know that colour is about more than picking a shade card. It’s about creating a sense of harmony across your spaces, understanding how natural light interacts with pigment, and making sure the final finish feels right for your lifestyle.
If you’d like guidance on selecting the right shades, or help seeing how a colour will really work in your space, our team can support you in making confident choices. You can book a free consultation here.
When it comes to paint, it’s not just about colour. It’s about creating a finish that truly feels like home.