up cycled furniture – The Interiors Addict

Chalk Paint project: how to create an ombre sunset cabinet

We just loved this Sunset Chalk Paint Ombre Cabinet by Annie Sloan and we had to ask her for the step-by-step guide to creating it so you can have some upcycling fun too!

You will need:

1 x 1L Chalk Paint in Capri Pink
1 x 1L Chalk Paint in Barcelona orange
1 x 1L Chalk Paint in Florence
2 x Large Chalk Paint Brushes
2 x Large Flat Detail Brushes
1 x 500ml Clear Chalk Paint Wax
1 x Small Chalk Paint Wax Brush
1 x lint free cloth

How to

To recreate this ombre at home, begin by painting the bottom of your furniture with a thin first coat in Capri Pink Chalk Paint. Brush in all directions. Then do the same with Barcelona Orange Chalk Paint to cover the top half of your piece. Repeat the process to give full coverage of each colour. There will be a distinct line between the Capri Pink and Barcelona Orange halves.

It’s blending time!

You’ll need two brushes for best results. Annie prefers Chalk Paint Brushes because they hold a lot of paint in their densely packed bristles and allow a lot of control. Starting with your Capri Pink brush, paint over where the two colours meet. Whilst the paint is still wet, take the other brush and work Barcelona Orange into the Capri Pink.

The trick here is not to overload your brushes; allow the bristles to pick up excess paint and mix small amounts of each colour together with each brush stroke rather than trying to deposit more paint with every movement. You should always work so one colour is painted on in one direction (i.e., upwards or left to right) and the other colour is painted in the opposite direction (downwards or right to left), so they blend together to make a new colour. A light touch is most effective.

Once your ombre is dried, channel Annie’s colour-clashing expertise by adding some Chalk Paint in Florence (as seen on the inside of this cabinet). The turquoise waters of this blue-green colour will contrast magnificently with the tropicana warm tones outside and add to the holiday feel. Finish by protecting the whole thing with Clear Chalk Paint Wax. Ta da!

For more details and stockists.

Chalk paint by Annie Sloan, from $54.95 RRP for 1L.

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Chalk paint ideas to brighten your kids’ room

You can even let your kids help you with a perfectly imperfect chalk paint project! Depending, of course, on how much of a control freak parent you are! Here, we’ve rounded up other people’s masterpieces to give you some ideas!

*Chalk Paint mural by @lucytiffney in Athenian Black, Barcelona Orange, English Yellow, Florence and Giverny. Blackboard, crafting station and chair painted in Antibes.*

“Introduce little ones to the world of colour with practical projects from painting old tins to any Ikea pieces you might have hanging about,” suggests Annie Sloan, creator of the original chalk paint. “The easiest and most cost-effective transformer, updating nursery furniture is a simple weekend activity that even the smallest hands can help with. Use up leftover tins of Chalk Paint for larger projects and don’t be fussy about the palette. Let the kids go wild with their choices, it’s their space after all!”

Tamsyn Morgans wanted to add a cooler, more industrial touch to her son’s room and up cycled these drawers using Florence as the base colour, with Paris Grey as the top colour. She gave the chest two standard coats of Florence, before decanting some into a tub, and leaving the lid off so it could thicken up a little. In order to create texture, she then dabbed the paint on in a criss cross fashion to build up colour wherever she wanted it to show through. She did two coats like this then applied two coats of Paris Grey. When it came to sanding, she used a small mouse sander with very fine paper on it, with a very light touch, as she didn’t want to remove the Florence, just to let it show through. She finished it with clear wax and used a big brush to really dab the wax into all the texture before buffing to a sheen.

You could even create your kids their very own mural, filled with favourite patterns and motifs – a wall full of colour and imagination that will inspire bedtime stories for years to come!

*Mural painted by Brand Director Felix, Annie Sloan’s son, using Detail Brushes and Chalk Paint. Bed painted in Giverny, desk and stool in English Yellow.*

Available in 44 mixable colours, Chalk Paint can be applied to almost any surface without any priming or sanding. This kind of ease of use is music to our ears!

Water-based, odour-free and low in volatile compounds, Chalk Paint has even been independently tested and certified as toy-safe according to regulations.

*Chloe Kempster from @masieshouse used Chalk Paint by Annie Sloan in Pure and her gloss lacquer on the Mid-Century drawers with a Neon Pink mix for the handles.*

For more information on Annie Sloan Chalk Paint and to find a local stockist

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