Welcome to my latest Painter in Residence, Polly Coulson

Welcome to Polly Coulson, my Painter in Residence for the closing months of the year 2020!

Polly’s love of interiors started young, and though nascent during her early adult life (at which point Polly forged a career as a dancer, travelled the world, and met her husband), it was something she found herself returning to once she began making her own home. The pair undertook renovation projects together, maximising their small budget by undertaking work themselves and making the most of Polly’s talent for redesigning furniture.

In 2013 Polly and her husband moved from the UK to Queensland Australia. Polly tells me, “I was so homesick I needed a project and I quickly started to pick up old pieces to paint and up-cycle. It was hard to find and made it all the more exciting when I did get an old unloved piece to make a new life for it.” 

Another motivation to paint was the environmental aspect of reusing and restoring rather than buying new. “I also feel that if I can save something from going to landfill, I have done a good deed and helped the planet a little in my own way. I try and keep things as sustainable as I can and I love that Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan is low in VOCs as well as having the most beautiful pigment and texture”. 

Polly began sharing her work on Instagram under the name ATTIC Furniture QLD, where she caught my eye with her confident, quirky, playful use of colour. In 2019 we actually used a piece of furniture painted by Polly for an official Annie Sloan advert which appeared in magazines across the US and Europe! Polly was also making a splash in her own community, curing that initial home sickness by connecting with local like-minded creatives, artists and makers. 

What most charmed me about Polly’s work is the joy inherent in each piece. I spoke to Polly about how she achieves that and she told me; “I love using colour and like to have fun with my style, I guess I’m still not wanting to grow up so by using playful colour and patterns I get to feed my inner child”

“Attic Furniture” was a name that for me had a nostalgia of home, the idea of searching around in my Nanny’s or mum’s attic and finding forgotten treasures and giving them new life really appealed to me. Painting furniture is really a part of my soul; something I can do to feel happy and fulfilled and I think most people get that”.

I can’t wait to see what Polly produces during her residency and I’m hoping my own painting will become more childlike and celebratory as I follow her journey! Do make sure you’re following on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter or sign up to my newsletter so you never miss a piece!

Yours, 

Annie. 

International Women's Day 2020: interview with Chloe Kempster

Question 1)
Tell us a bit about yourself, what is your name and your business? 

My name is Chloe Kempster and I started Maisie’s House at the age of 26, shortly after having my second child. Like Annie, I am a qualified artist and professional furniture upcycler. I embrace colour and creativity on a daily basis and create one of a kind pieces from my workshop in South Leicestershire, I like to think of each piece as functional art.

Question 2)
How did you come to create this business?

For so many reasons, Maisie’s House is a perfect fit for me, it enables me to do everything I love doing alongside the people I love! I had completed a Fine Art Degree previously and had worked in retail as a Visual Merchandiser. Interior Design was also another passion and when furnishing our first family home on a tight budget, a necessity. After starting my family, I knew straight away that being around for the kids was something I really wanted, so I took the leap leaving my job in retail at the time and began working from home. Yes, it was a risk and financially it has been difficult at times, but I wouldn’t give up spending the early years with the children for anything.

Question 3)
What inspirational people have you looked to throughout your career?

I am thankful to my mum for surrounding me with creativity as a child, for always providing a good supply of art materials and her eternally positive spirit, not to mention she has a brilliant eye for interior décor! We have just always had so much in common and  I am so grateful that I have someone I can relate to who is a great source of encouragement, she is the first one I call when I have finished a new piece to ask her opinion, love her to bits! Like her I have always encouraged my own children to believe the future is in their hands and I feel like Maisie’s House is a good example of that, I hope to be a positive role model to them like my mum was to me!

Question 4)
What was the single proudest moment you've had in business?

There are a few, I think one of them definitely has to be my role as an Artisan on the BBC1 show Money for Nothing. Television isn’t something that I had thought about before and working on the show has taken me completely out of my comfort zone and also inspired me to push my boundaries creatively. And of course being asked to be Annie Sloan’s Painter in Residence was beyond my imagination, what a privilege, I am so honoured to be a source of inspiration to other people in the industry, I love to encourage people to think outside the box and in particular be brave with colour, this is what really makes me smile.

Question 5)
What advice do you have to anyone starting out?

Stay true to what you are passionate about, It is so important that your work really represents you and the things you love and believe in, if you believe in what you are doing, then other people will, and of course a bit of hard work and determination also helps!

Question 6)
And finally if you were a Chalk Paint colour, what colour would you be and why?

If I was a Chalk Paint® colour, I would definitely be Florence. Not only is this my favourite Annie Sloan shade, I feel it can take on different personalities and represents my eclectic taste! It can be fun and bright, yet also sophisticated and mysterious!!

Welcome to my latest Painter in Residence, Chloe Kempster of Maisie's House

Chloe Kempster is the Chalk Paint® maestro behind Maisie’s House. Chloe is a UK based furniture painter who I first discovered through her stunning Instagram account, where she shares regular updates of her experiments in style and colour.

Chloe’s signature look is hard to pin down; always beautiful, always innovative, and always original this is a painter who isn’t afraid to explore new avenues, channel unusual inspiration and have fun! That said, I can recognise a Maisie’s House piece from fifty yards – something in the flair, the expert execution of an idea, and the artistry is just so immediately recognisable as Chloe’s work. As well as being a stalwart in the furniture painting scene, Chloe has also leant her talents to BBC1s Money for Nothing demonstrating how easily Chalk Paint® can be used to upgrade your furniture and your home. An inspiring lady indeed.

Maisie’s House is named after Chloe’s grandmother, Nannie Maisie. Chloe fondly remembers Nannie Maisie’s bright yellow Formica kitchen, complete with lifesize palm tree mural (bold now but even more impressive when you consider this was the décor she chose for her council flat way back in the 1960s!). This and the eccentric William Morris touches in the parental home enthused a young Chloe with a lifelong passion for interior design. Formative years spent in boldly, joyfully curated interiors is evident in Chloe’s passion for bright colours, playful designs, and witty styling touches.

Similar to myself, Chloe studied Fine Art at University. Her style became more expressive and she embraced pattern, colour and texture over figurative painting. After University she moved into Retail where she nourished her flair for aesthetics and creativity through visual merchandising – a period of study in staging which is evident through her simple, impactful furniture photography.

It was when Chloe and her husband bought their first home, which they renovated themselves due to budget restrictions, that Chloe was really able to explore her gifts. “After starting a family fairly young, we couldn't afford brand new pieces to furnish the place and wanted a unique look so I used to scour auctions, charity shops and antique centres for interesting pieces that I could restore or paint and put my own stamp on. I guess this is where painting furniture really started! Not only was it a great way to save money it also helped me to stay creative. We all know as parents, that sometimes it's hard to find a space for ourselves amongst all the chaos but painting has certainly done that for me.”

Maisie’s House is the result of Chloe realising, retaining and nurturing that creative spark of hers. Her painting style produces functional art, through a myriad of different paint techniques, expert use of colour, and an empathy for the furniture she is upcycling. Not afraid to restore and refresh unloved furniture from any era, Maisie’s House designs are notable for the way each makeover complements the innate character of the furniture in a way which is modern, painterly, expressive and endlessly gorgeous to look at. Chloe loves bringing new life to old furniture (which she values as usually being better made than flat pack quick fix options) not only because of the creative process itself but because in bringing something old new life she feels as though she is “holding hands with the planet”.

When I spoke to Maisie’s House about becoming a Painter in Residence and sharing her enthusiasm, her talent, and her incredible imagination for new looks for old pieces she was so quick to agree, “every time I use a brush I feel like a little bit of Chloe is coming out into the world and I would hope to inspire others to pick up a paintbrush and do the same. Art is more of a journey rather than a final destination and there is no right answer, best just to try it and see where it takes you!”

I can’t wait to see where this Painter in Residence journey takes us all and what one-of-a-kind pieces we see on the way. Stay tuned!

Yours,


Annie.