Lick

Lick is a UK-based home decor brand that sells paint, wallpaper and decorating supplies directly to consumers online, and also distributes its paint through B&Q stores. The range is organised around a curated, numbered colour palette (for example White 05, Green 02, Red 03) sold in finishes such as eggshell, with low-cost peel-and-stick colour samples priced at £2 and full products such as a limited-edition Green 170 at £48. The company positions itself as a home decor brand rather than a paint company, describing its products as durable, low-odour paints, artisan wallpaper, decorating tools and true-to-colour stick-on samples delivered to the customer's door.

Alongside products, Lick offers colour-selection services intended to reduce the difficulty of choosing shades, including an online colour quiz and one-to-one video consultations with colour specialists. The company has collaborated with artists and designers including Yinka Ilori, Jessica Russel Flint and Kelly Hoppen, and has produced a limited-edition colour developed with reference to Hunter's Original Tall Boot rubber. It also runs Lick Pro, a trade offering aimed at professional decorators, with features such as instant reordering by SMS.

Founding story

Co-founders Lucas London and Sam Bradley met while working at the Australian online services marketplace Airtasker, where London had launched the business in Europe as VP International after starting his career in finance. Through decorators using the platform they were exposed to the home decor category, which at the time had roughly 4% online adoption, and identified a user journey they considered frustrating: decorators felt unsupported in colour selection and lacked confidence to decide because of complex product ranges and a disjointed experience. They set out to build a direct-to-consumer home decor brand addressing what London described as a $93 billion paint and wallpaper industry.

Business model

Direct-to-consumer sale of paint, wallpaper and decorating supplies through its own website, supplemented by physical retail distribution through B&Q and a trade channel, Lick Pro, for professional decorators.

Product sales, including low-priced £2 stick-on colour samples that act as an entry point to full-size paint and wallpaper purchases (for example a £48 limited-edition eggshell paint).

Traction

The founders reported strong early trading volumes in the first months after the March 2020 launch and a decorating community exceeding 300,000 across social platforms; the company said it returned to growth after rebuilding its supply chain.

Latest developments

The company is promoting a seasonal colour edit and a 2026 Colour Edit range, sells a limited-edition Green 170 eggshell created in connection with Hunter's Original Tall Boot, and markets its paint as available both online and in-store at B&Q.