A Perfect Pairing

A new show at Hastings-based paint bar, Colour-ville, celebrates Sandy Suffield's hand-crafted paper quilts and Simon March's

A new show at Hastings-based paint bar, Colour-ville, celebrates Sandy Suffield's hand-crafted paper quilts and Simon March's hand-blended wall coloursConceptual paintmaker Simon March is best known for his vegan wall paint brand, Color-ville, which has gained a cult following not just for its dreamy gelato-inspired colour palette but also for its satirical paint names that draw from contemporary culture. For instance, 'Hair of Nan', describes a frosty blue; 'He Was Careful to Avoid Meeting Anyone' refers to a rich purple, while a soft shade of putty pink called 'Prosthetic Limb' is a perennial bestseller.

Having studied Philosophy of Language at King's College, it's no surprise that March has a way with words. His tongue-in-cheek paint descriptions have proved so popular that he now offers them on A3- and A5-size colour prints. The Color-ville founder has also designed the paint palette for America Ferrera's house in the first Barbie movie and collaborated with the British eyewear brand, Cubitts, to create quirky product names on an array of stylish specs. As for his bespoke colour consultations, he prefers to leave fussy paint samples and charts behind in favour of getting 'a feel' for the homeowner's personal taste in fashion, art, music and even biscuits.  

March's story begins in the 90s, when he decided to up sticks from London and move to New York. In between painting beach houses on Long Island and travelling into the city to restock at Pearl Paints, he would frequent an ice cream parlour called 'The Lemon Ice King of Corona'. He loved the parlour's aesthetic so much that he decided to keep it in mind for his own paint stores, later down the line.

In the early 2000's, the paintmaker moved to Holland, where he learnt the tricks of the trade from fellow renegade colourman, Hans Luiken. With his help, March created his own paint brand, Siècle. After a brief hiatus, he set up shop in South London before relocating to the East Sussex market town of Lewes, some sixteen years later. His latest paint bar opened at the scrappy end of the Queens Road, Hastings, in January 2026.

March chose the wraparound corner space, which has a hint of New York's Flatiron Building about it, as it brought back memories of his time living in Queens. With his beloved ice-cream shop firmly in mind, he has created a concept paint shop featuring an experimental paint kitchen known as the 'Paint-ry'. Soft-scoop-style serving tubs filled with coloured paint are embedded into the stainless-steel countertop, allowing customers to choose their preferred colour. Says March: "My Alabastine lime paint is soft and variegated, a lighter touch that wears gently, so much so, you can present it like ice cream. It's thick and creamy and doesn’t set like modern 'sticky' paint."

Later this month, designer and paper artist Sandy Suffield will present a striking new series of contemporary paper quilts made with March's paints at the Color-ville store, marking their first creative collaboration. Each piece celebrates vibrant colour play and modular pattern, inviting viewers to experience a fresh perspective on contemporary craft.

The London-based artist repurposes discarded paper packaging for the quilts, mounting each one in old picture frames sourced from local charity shops. This resourceful approach underscores her commitment to reusing existing materials and minimising waste, all of which fits nicely with March’s approach to creating no-nasties paint. Pieces of note include a pair of quilts titled 'Love Me' and 'Love Me Not', which are based on an origami-style fortune teller game made from a square of folded paper that she used to play with her siblings when they were kids.

Says Suffield: ‘I’ve been a set designer since I was five. When it rained, I’d make paper fish to live in the little rock pools that formed in the gravel outside my friend’s house. I’d carefully bob the fish under the water, trying to keep the colour from leaching out of their felt-tipped bodies."

Today, Suffield continues to create "little worlds" as a happy antidote to screen-based work. Her background is in design; starting out at Pentagram, moving to California to work for Apple, then returning to London to work for Wolff Olins as a Creative Director. In hindsight she notes: "This experience underpins my approach to art direction and set design; precise, simple ideas, an understanding of the importance of narrative and photography in building a coherent visual identity and the joy of crafting work well – a happy culmination of everything I’ve learned so far."

Paper Quilts opens at Color-Ville, 130 Queens Road, Hastings, from Saturday, April 25 to Saturday, May 30, 2026.