As the countdown to Design Show Australia 2026 begins, we’re spotlighting exhibitor Dalray. Born from a personal home renovation in Western Sydney, Dalray produces Australian-made, zero-VOC mineral limewash in 21 colours using a unique, natural recipe of lime and pigments. Read on to discover their current design trends, and what you can expect to find at their stand.
Can you give us a brief introduction to your brand?
Dalray started as a renovation project at our home in Kings Langley in Western Sydney. We wanted something more interesting than standard acrylic paint but couldn’t find a quality limewash at a reasonable price in Australia, so we ended up developing our own recipe. That sidetracked us from the actual renovation for quite a while! We now make a powdered mineral limewash in 21 colours, all Australian-made, no added VOCs or synthetic binders, just lime, pigments and natural binders.
Niki Schuch, Melbounre Photographer, Dalray Limewash Paint
What differentiates your brand from other competitors in the market?
Powder format is the big one, long shelf life, ships efficiently, mixes to order. But the colours are what I’m most proud of. We did hundreds of pigment trials to get a palette that works in Australian light, which is quite different to the European light that most limewash colours were originally designed for. And we’re genuinely accessible price-wise, you shouldn’t have to spend a fortune to get a real mineral finish.
The other thing that comes up constantly in our feedback is how easy it is to use. We give really explicit instructions and we’ve deliberately designed the product and the experience around everyday people, not just painters and specialists. Limewash has always been seen as a trade finish but we think that’s unnecessarily limiting, if you can paint a wall you can use Dalray.
Are there any exciting trends that you are seeing in the world of design this year?
Natural materials are everywhere right now and I find it genuinely exciting, not as a trend but as a long-term shift. I love seeing lights made from shells and pottery, patterned and natural wallpaper making a comeback, surfaces that have texture and story to them. People are tired of flat and sealed. Limewash fits into that world really naturally. I also love all of the warm beige colours at the moment. It’s all about spaces that feel lived in and considered, rather than just finished.
What can our visitors expect to see and experience on your stand at Design Show Australia?
The full colour range to see and touch in person, which is really the only way to experience limewash properly. Visitors can pick up their choice of three free colour swatches to take home along with an information pamphlet, all in a Dalray bag. We’re also bringing our Limewash Primer which we didn’t have last time we exhibited, it’s made a real difference to how consistently the paint applies across different surfaces. And we’ll be talking trade pricing for the first time properly, so if you’re a designer or specifier who’s been ordering DTC it’s worth a conversation.
What are you looking forward to the most at Design Show Australia?
Meeting people in person. I’m coming with our new brand and marketing specialist and we’re genuinely excited to connect with designers and specifiers face to face. So much of what we do is online, it’ll be great to just talk paint with people who care about this stuff as much as we do.
You can meet Dalray (Stand #2220) at Design Show Australia 2026 from 11-13 June 2026, at ICC Sydney, register to attend today!
