Following a nationwide search, six talented decorators from across the UK have been awarded the coveted Dulux Trade Master title.
Launched by the leading professional paint brand to recognise outstanding work within the decorating industry, the Dulux Trade Masters Series revealed the most skillful decorators within the trade in the UK.
Six winners representing towns and cities in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales were chosen, suggesting we are a nation of masterful painters.
Ewa Czapracka, Marketing Manager, Dulux Trade, said, “The Masters Series was created to showcase exceptional individuals from across the decorating industry who display the most advanced level of skill in their everyday work.
"The winners showed a remarkable flair for colour, a considered approach to how they use it and a desire to leave a lasting impact on the people inhabiting the spaces they transformed. It’s these modern masters that we want to celebrate as champions of our industry and it has been a real pleasure to see the variety of projects entered and to be able to reward the incredible talent of decorators, as so many fail to get the recognition they deserve.”
The winning entries range from the complete redecoration and restoration of a Grade II listed house, which was burnt to the ground in the biggest fire in Windsor since the Windsor Castle fire in 1992, to a decorator who is able to mimic the grain of marble using only paint and a feather.
The judging panel took into account the improvement of space, use of techniques and expertise with colour, with further consideration given to entrants who used their knowledge to help their customer achieve their vision, going above and beyond to deliver incredible results. The judges were overwhelmed by the number of entries and the level of skillful work displayed, which made selecting the winning entries a difficult task for the panel of experts.
Two winners were selected each month throughout the series. Mark Ashworth, from Clwyd in North Wales, and David Law from Fareham, Hampshire, were the first Masters to be selected. Judges recognised Mark for his impressive artistic abilities, including his unique “marbling” technique, and David’s bold use of bright colour to bring happiness and fun back to a children’s playground stood out.
Titles were also claimed by Nigel Bennett, from Staines, Surrey, who was recognised for his outstanding work after redecorating a Grade II-listed Georgian town house that had been destroyed in a fire. Craig Hainey, from Troon, Scotland, showed a remarkable and skillful ability to paint an intricate mural at a Children’s Hospital in Glasgow.
The final two Masters to be selected were Darren Whitfield from Sale, Greater Manchester, and David Robinson from Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Darren’s incredible work on a very old cottage in Bowdon, which consisted of transforming a living space through a masterful application of paint, was highly appreciated by the judges. David’s masterful work saw him completely transform the exterior of a farm house using colour and products for masonry and stonework, all the while remaining sympathetic to the house’s surroundings with a stunning finish achieved.
The Dulux Trade Masters Series has provided each winner with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to showcase their hard work and receive a coveted award by Dulux Trade. The six winners will also be taken on an all expenses paid trip for two to Amsterdam, the home of AkzoNobel, and have been invited as one the first groups of professional decorators to visit the brand new Dulux Academy in Slough.
Dulux Trade is dedicated to celebrating masterful work and helping those in the construction, painting and decorating industries to realise the value of highly skilled appliers, with a wide range of products, services and training courses available.
