Dramatic Christmas Dining

Christmas comes but once a year, so I really love to splash out and create scenes of grandeur and splendour to impress my guests, and to give my dining spaces a cobweb-clear-out. For this look, I used the Chalk Paint® colour Athenian Black as inspiration. A little darker than most Christmas looks, but it's a black Christmas I think you'll really enjoy. 

This moody yet cosy Christmas backdrop was painted by my son, Felix. Felix painted the walls using a large Chalk Paint® Brush and Chalk Paint® in Athenian Black. Once the wall was dry, Felix used a Small Flat Brush to flick Chalk Paint® in Old White in differing increments at the centre of the wall to give the suggestion of a star-studded galaxy. Felix left these walls unwaxed because they are of a porous, lime stone quality in an old house and therefore they need to breathe. If you use Chalk Paint® on a wall in a high-traffic area of your home we recommend a layer of Clear Chalk Paint® Wax or Lacquer to protect from sticky fingers and beyond!

These crackers have been personalised to exactly match the Christmas décor. It’s a brilliant way to tie your scheme together and avoid the plastics associated with mass-produced Christmas crackers. Plain cracker making kits can be easily found at craft stores or online and filled with your own gifts. Then, simply pick your favourite Chalk Paint® colour (or the one which best ties your Christmas theme to your existing interiors scheme) and apply to the what will become the outer surface of your cracker. For a luxurious, festive finish, apply metallic Gilding Wax to the inner tube of the crackers (here I used Dark Silver). Make it your own inside too - write a joke for added bespoke humour, and tailor the cracker gifts to your audience. You'll never look back to mass-produced crackers again. And if you're feeling particularly authentic you can purchase the illusive cracker 'bang' to add too.





The baubles were given a rustic, rusty feel. These I created using my Gilding Waxes. One set I painted first with Chalk Paint® in Emperor's Silk before stippling roughly Warm Gold Gilding Wax and more Emperor's Silk over the top. The others, I painted with Paris Grey and stippled in the same manner with Dark Silver Gilding Wax. These rustic decorations were then hung from a branch at different heights using twine for a dramatic, twist on a Christmas chandelier. The chandelier, you can see above, made its way to the table top instead!

The look was finished off with a matching table cloth and napkins made from my fabric collection Linen Union in Graphite + Old White. I simply hemmed these with a sewing machine but if your not confident sewing you could simply cut them with pinking shears to minimise fraying, or tear the fabric and embrace the rustic look and feel! 

Let me know what you're doing to your Christmas spaces this year! Remember, if in doubt or in stress, a little goes a long way. This looks has been taken to the extreme, but taking small pieces of inspiration from here can help transform your space. 

Yours, 

Annie. 

Agnieszka Krawcyzk's Pretty Pastel Shelves

Today I'm sharing the final project from my wonderful Painter in Residence, Agnieszka Krawczyk. For this project, Agnieszka chose soft, pastel colours from the Chalk Paint® palette to create a delicate and romantic, vintage look.

She began by using one of my Pure Bristle Brushes to paint the whole piece in Paris Grey, and once this was dry, she applied a layer of French Linen. Agnieszka removed areas of paint using sandpaper and a scraper, revealing the paint and wood below. 

To create contrast and depth, Agnieszka left the inside of the piece predominantly in French Linen, but continued to work on the exterior surface – applying a coat of Old White, distressing again with sandpaper, and finishing with a top layer of Antoinette. Agnieszka chipped and sanded in to the edges and corners of the piece even further, revealing the built up layers of paint. She completed the piece with a coat of Clear Soft Wax and a dash of Dark Soft Wax to bring out the texture. The result is a truly vintage look.

I hope you've all enjoyed Agnieszka's work as much as I have and have been inspired to get your sandpaper and scrapers out... and start distressing!

Yours, Annie

Follow Agnieszka on Instagram, Facebook, and her website: www.beforeandafterblog.pl 

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.

Alex Russell Flint's Rustic Entrance Hall

For his second project, Painter in Residence Alex Russell Flint updated his entrance hall using my paint, Chalk Paint®, to transform the furniture, floors and walls in a rustic French style.

Alex scored diamond shapes on to the concrete floor and painted them in Graphite and Original to make them look like black and white tiles. Original is a warm off-white which works beautifully with the purple tones in Old Violet – the colour that Alex has diluted and used on the lime plaster wall. 

He painted the shoe rack in Old White, an off-white with a cooler tone, and finished with a coat of wax to protect the surface.

How have you used Chalk Paint® to revamp your entrance hall?

Yours, Annie

Follow this blog for exclusive pics from Alex's residency and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, and his website:http://www.alexrussellflint.com

And remember to follow #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook, as well as my Painters in Residence board on Pinterest.