Burcu Garnier knows that the right paint color can do more than elevate an interior—it can improve a client’s quality of life. The co-founder and CEO of Color Atelier pores over natural pigments and materials (and how they interact with light) to create unique shades that foster healthier, more uplifting spaces. “Our mission is to reintroduce mineral-based paints and plasters into contemporary interiors,” she tells Business of Home. “Finishes that are not only beautiful, but also sustainable, breathable and enduring.”
An interior designer at the time, she met her husband, Olivier Garnier, in 2009 while visiting France. Olivier, a former paint chemist who helped develop specialty paints for commercial and residential interiors companies, hails from Paris and comes from a family of artisans that has been crafting decorative finishes for generations. “Together, our combined skills—his technical expertise and my design sensibility—gave us the foundation to create a brand that unites artistry with science, and craftsmanship with modern design,” she says.
The pair—who split their time between San Francisco and New York—launched Color Atelier in 2017, on a mission to revive artisanal lime-based paints and finishes in the United States. The brand’s inaugural palette featured an assortment of soft earth tones and warm neutrals, including bestsellers such as silky off-white Chèvre and creamy terra cotta Pamplemousse. “We wanted hues that felt natural and enduring, equally at home in a Parisian apartment or a California coastal house,” says Garnier.
All of Color Atelier’s paints are handcrafted in small batches in California using naturally aged limestone, clay, marble powder, sand and organic mineral pigments. “Unlike synthetic paints, our limewash and plasters have natural depth, movement, and a velvety matte texture that shifts beautifully with the light,” she says. “They’re also free of harmful toxins and designed to age gracefully over time—setting them apart both aesthetically and environmentally.”
Colors come from a wide range of inspirations, including nature, architecture and travel. Each hue undergoes a vigorous testing process that involves mixing various pigment combinations in lime, then carefully refining the formula over multiple rounds until the right depth, balance and light reflectivity is achieved. “It’s a process that blends artistry and chemistry,” she says. “We never rush it.”
The brand currently offers 76 distinct colors across its limewash and plaster paints, with recent introductions including the smokey Sèpia and the atmospheric Verdigris. “Limewash creates a breathable, cloud-like surface, while plaster can range from matte to polished depending on the technique,” says Garnier. “Both are eco-friendly, durable and naturally antimicrobial—qualities that have made them beloved architectural finishes for centuries.”
Today, Color Atelier has showrooms in both San Francisco and Brooklyn, and its paints have appeared in projects from the likes of Jay Jeffers, Sarah Sherman Samuel, Michael K. Chen Architecture, and Coy & Company. “Over the past eight years, we’ve built a passionate community of homeowners and creators who share our appreciation for natural materials and soulful craftsmanship,” she says.
Last month, the brand collaborated with photographer Douglas Friedman on a curated palette of eight West Texas–inspired limewash paints called Marfa. Standouts from the line include the dusty beige Tumbleweed, the concrete gray Cinder Block, the burnished brown Old Saddle, and the pale pink Rabbit’s Tongue. As Garnier says, “We favor walls that tell a story and that carry the patina of time.”
