Denver Home Living Huettner Capital Summer 2017 | Page 24

CHALK PAINT
with Annie Sloan
B
y leading the decorative painting revolution over the last
twenty-five years, British artist Annie Sloan has become
perhaps the world’s most respected expert in decorative
paint. Alongside her unique and hugely versatile decora-
tive paint, Chalk Paint, Annie has inspired generations with her
open, lively, and creative approach to getting great results. Annie’s
fine art background and contagious enthusiasm for decorative
painting have motivated both home painters and experienced
professionals and unlocked countless creative potentials. She
has travelled Europe and North America, sharing her love for
paint and color and teaching her techniques for home decoration
through sold-out lecture tours and intimate workshops. She has
also published twenty-five books on decorative painting, selling
well over two million copies worldwide.
newest shade of blue. A hue similar to one especially popular in
twentieth-century interiors, Giverny is a bright, cheerful, clean
blue with a green tone. It is perfect for a modern palette and
looks great with warm colors such as Barcelona Orange and
Scandinavian Pink or cool neutrals like Honfleur and Paloma.
• Amsterdam Green was created with the painted shutters
and doors of Amsterdam and Europe in mind. This deep,
rich green is a color that is returning to stylish interior
palettes. It works particularly well with whites, creams, and
botanical imagery as well as with earthy yellows and reds.
It pairs well with Primer Red, Arles, and Old Ochre.
Annie has chosen her palette of colors carefully. It ranges from soft,
pale hues to bright, vivid tones reminiscent of historic European
décor as well as strong twentieth-century colors. The colors have
been expertly chosen to meet every taste. They all mix well to-
gether, making the possibilities endless. And you can add beautiful
patinas to your surfaces with Annie Sloan Soft Wax—available in
clear, dark, white, and black.
“My background is fine art,” says Annie, “so I’m impressed not just
by pretty colors, but by the colors of old painted furniture, which
came from pigments. In the old days, painters made their own
paints by buying pigments, grinding them, and making paints for
themselves. So that’s what I’ve done.…I’ve adapted and changed
them to what people like, and to colors that will mix well.”
NEW CHALK PAINT COLORS
In 2016, Annie introduced new Chalk Paint colors—Giverny,
Amsterdam Green, and Honfleur—for the first time in two years:
• Giverny, once home to Claude Monet’s northern France
manor and garden, is the inspiration behind, and name of, her
• Honfleur, named after a harbor town in Normandy,
reminded Annie of the rich, warm browns found in the
rustic French countryside. This full-bodied, neutral tone
is just what is needed to enrich a palette of brights. It
works brilliantly in mid-century modern spaces, and is a
great match with Scandinavian Pink, Barcelona Orange,
Giverny, Provence, Greek Blue, and Antibes Green. It’s also
elegant and classical with Louis Blue and Antoinette.
As with all Chalk Paint, Giverny, Amsterdam Green,
and Honfleur can be applied with various brushes for a
smooth or textured finish, used with various waxes to create
different looks and patina on top of the paint, painted on
an entire surface or a small space outlined by a stencil, and
mixed with water to dye textiles. Additionally, no sanding
or primer is necessary prior to paint application.
“These colors were some of my earliest inspirations when I
created Chalk Paint twenty-five years ago,” explains Annie. “I
feel we’ve really succeeded in balancing out our entire range
with this collection of hues. They fit right in to the projects I’ve
been working on, and I couldn’t help but experiment with them
for my new book, where you’ll really see them come to life.”
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