About Rosie Russell – founder of Rose & Black
In 2001 I was at college studying art and design, when something happened that made my focus more niche. It was while I was housebound with an illness – living alone with my two young boys – that I decided to paint my attic bedroom red. I loved how the colour changed the feel of the whole room and that I’d done this by physically painting it myself. I had to follow this thread. So I looked into painting and decorated courses, and switched colleges. I was the only woman there, but I wanted a solid trade behind me: one that, with my neurodivergent eye for detail, I knew I could be exceptionally good at.
New beginnings
In 2010 I moved to Bristol and set up business as a female painter and decorator, my young daughter and I posting leaflets through doors. I had one sentence in my mind: to provide the best for every job, and to put respect for my clients’ property at the heart of everything I do.
In 2021 we moved house to improve our daughter’s health, and that’s when I realised I could decorate in a way not only to make our environment nicer but actually improve her health and wellbeing. Early on I’d switched from using oil-based to water-based paints. My own asthma improved drastically, and I realised that if my health improved so would my clients’, and that nontoxic eco paints would help protect the health of the planet as well. Switching to safer products had been a no-brainer. But now I knew that decorating had the ability to positively affect us mentally and emotionally as well as physically.
Rose & Black was born
The rose symbolises love; black symbolises new beginnings. Together they represent the love of the new beginning after a space has been transformed. I’ve poured all my research and passion into my business, which is constantly evolving to improve the health and happiness of my clients in every way that I can. My team and I create spaces that have been carefully considered from all angles to be the best they can be, making you feel better each time you step into them. Whether you work from home, have a busy family life, or have extra needs or sensitivities, we'll work around you, making sure you're comfortable throughout and disruption is kept to a minimum
“I wanted my values to run throughout my business from top to bottom: health for the wider environment, my clients’ homes, their businesses, families, and children.”
— Rosie Russell