Painting a Brighter Future: Emma Bestley on Grapheme Colour Synesthesia, YesColours, and the Power of Intentional Colour

In the vibrant world of design and wellness, few individuals bring a perspective as unique as Emma Bestley’s. As the co-founder of YesColours, Emma combines her experience with Grapheme Colour Synesthesia—a rare ability to see colour in words, numbers, and emotions—with a passion for creating palettes that inspire joy and well-being.

From launching a sustainable paint brand during the challenges of the UK’s first lockdown to reimagining colour consultancy as a tool for personal expression, Emma’s journey is as inspiring as the colours she curates. In this interview, Emma shares how YesColours stands apart in a crowded industry, tackling sustainability while encouraging people to embrace the transformative power of colour in their everyday lives.

Nicolle: Emma, your unique experience with Grapheme Colour Synesthesia gives you a distinct perspective on colour. How does this ability shape the creation of the YesColours palette, and how does it inspire your work within the company?

Emma: Grapheme Colour Synesthesia means my brain merges senses, so I see colour and emotions in words, numbers and even days of the week. I see colour all the time and have gained a deeper understanding of the psychology of colour and how this can impact our overall well-being.

My Synesthesia and our team’s strong knowledge of colour theory enabled us to launch our colour consultancy service on the YesColours website, which we are proud of - guiding our customers to make the perfect colour choice for them brings us pure joy! I'm incredibly lucky that my job is my passion. It allows me to work with colour every day in some shape or form. I enjoy the process of analysing, researching and curating - it's always a thing of bliss and aliveness. We are all surrounded by colour and have so much to learn about it in return.

Nicolle: Launching YesColours during the first UK lockdown must have been incredibly challenging. How did you and John navigate those early days with limited resources, and what kept you motivated to push forward?

Emma: As well as putting people and the planet first, YesColours aims to inspire joy and optimism through colour. Through a palette of feelgood shades – channelling joy, passion, electricity, freshness, friendship, calm, love and serenity – YesColours’ aim is to encourage freedom of expression, experimentation and imagination. This ethos is what has motivated us to continue pushing forward and navigating those early days of the business.

Nicolle: YesColours is known for its mission to inspire people to be confident in their colour choices. Can you share more about how you developed your palette and how it aims to empower customers beyond typical trends and seasonal colours? 

Emma: The YesColours palette is born out of our love of travel and the world around us. We’re less trend-focused and more about the personal connection to colour; think real-life experiences, food and music. We have created collections grouped by feeling and style. We encourage our customers to make personal choices and consider their well-being and what makes them happy, creating their own narrative.

Nicolle. Sustainability is a key focus for YesColours, especially with your emphasis on UK-based issues like waste and recycling. What are some of the innovative technologies you’ve adopted, and how do they align with your vision for a more sustainable future in the paint industry? 

Emma: We were inspired to create a paint brand that changes the way we decorate for the better, one that is steered not by trends, but by what is happening in the world around us. With 55 million litres of paint waste generated each year in the UK, we were looking to shake things up. Our fully recyclable pouch was designed to cut consumer waste and stop tricky-to-recycle paint tins from ending up in landfills.

Wading through the greenwashing within our industry can pose quite a challenge, as can finding real solutions which reduce our carbon footprint. We strive to improve the manufacturing process, tackle recycling issues and encourage more local production here in the UK.

Nicolle: As a homegrown UK brand, YesColours has attracted attention from influencers, stylists, and creative partners. What do you think sets YesColours apart from traditional paint brands, and how have these partnerships helped shape your brand identity? 

Emma: We choose to work with creative partners who align with our key messages, creating meaningful partnerships with those who genuinely feel the same way we do; which I think helps to set us apart from our competitors. Our MyColours campaign, for example, has allowed us to give back to a selection of charities. Working with creators from many different disciplines, including musicians, chefs and gardeners to create paint shades that reflect their own story around wellness and mental health.

Nicolle: With the shift towards homeworking and the importance of private space since the pandemic, how do you see YesColours playing a role in improving wellbeing and creating environments that enhance people’s everyday lives? 

Emma: We love inspiring our customers to view their homes not just as places they inhabit but as places that fuel their happiness, productivity, and personal growth. Since the pandemic, personal spaces have become multifaceted, and creating a comfortable, uplifting environment is more essential than ever. We want to help people express their individuality and meet their emotional needs through colour.

Our palettes are designed with wellness in mind, each thoughtfully curated to enhance mood and harmonise with natural light, creating spaces that support our evolving lifestyles. By encouraging people to bring more intentional colour into their homes, we’re giving them the tools to craft spaces that feel like a true extension of themselves, which is so important for mental and emotional well-being

Emma Bestley’s journey with YesColours is a testament to the profound impact of colour on our emotions, spaces, and the world around us. With an ethos rooted in sustainability, well-being, and creativity, YesColours isn’t just about paint—it’s about creating stories, sparking joy, and reshaping the way we connect with our environments. Whether through their thoughtful palettes or innovative packaging, Emma and her team invite us to see colour not as a trend, but as a reflection of who we are and who we aspire to be.

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Nicolle Knapova is a little bit of everything. She is a freelance translator, content creator and social media executive for The C Word Mag. She loves indie music and is always browsing through Spotify to find the next amazing artist to obsess over. Her love for storytelling means she’s always writing something and she’s not afraid of any genre. Her biggest dream is to be a published author. If she’s not writing her fan fiction, she’s writing her poetry and sharing it on her Instagram @elisecaverly.