Faking a rich mahogany look with Chalk Paint® and Wax

I’ve seen a lot of projects around recently where the surface on a piece of furniture remains natural, and is contrasted by legs, or a bottom section, painted in colour. It’s a popular look and gives a classic yet contemporary flair. Often the natural wood is treated with a stain, to age it a little, add patina – or even change the type of wood altogether, from orange pine to rich mahogany! I couldn’t wait to try and achieve this using my paint, Chalk Paint® and my Dark Soft Wax. This is how I did it.

For this project, a beaten up old kitchen cabinet, I wanted a really deep, rich coloured wood to set off the coolness of the Old White I used to paint the rest of the piece.

To achieve a similar look, take these simple steps:

1. Have a good look at your surface – if there is any wax or varnish, roughly sand it off. You’re using paint to stain here, so it’s important that the colour pigments seep into the grain of the wood.

2. I’ve mixed up a purple colour by using Aubusson Blue with Burgundy (but you could also use Primer Red) to get a rather sumptuous aubergine colour. 

3. Brush the paint on, fairly liberally.

4. Use a wet cloth to wipe back the paint, revealing the grain.

5. Run a dry cloth over it to make sure there is no dampness left before applying the wax.

6. Using a small Annie Sloan Wax Brush, apply a generous amount of Dark Wax, working the brush in different directions as you go, to really make sure it is absorbed into the wood. You may want to do a second coat, but don’t forget to wait until the first coat has dried. Once dry, you can buff it to create a beautiful sheen

7. Paint the bottom section with Chalk Paint®.




If you love this look, I've also just created a video tutorial for you showing you each step in detail. You can watch this here or on my YouTube channel.

The beauty of creating this look yourself is that you can create any colour you like – whatever works best for you! Here are some examples of other colours from the Chalk Paint® palette finished with my Dark Wax to create different effects – I’m rather taken with Greek Blue, which will you choose?

Yours, Annie

Tim Gould's "G Plan" table

The first project from my latest Painter in Residence, Tim Gould, is this fabulously witty table – painted in my paint, Chalk Paint®!

Tim bought this table from a man advertising it as "G Plan". On closer inspection, Tim suspected this may not have been true, which inspired him to write the words on the top. Tim always starts his projects by creating the design for his piece of furniture on Adobe Illustrator. He then prints his designs out on to vinyl – creating the stencils that he'll use on the piece. 

As this is a mid-century style piece of furniture, Tim used a retro palette of Emperor's Silk, Florence, Provence and Arles to create the stripes that run across the table legs and the slats below. The same colours are used on the intersecting geometric pattern that frames the typography on the table top. The typography is Pure White – a crisp white that forms a stark contrast against the wood. Tim finished the piece by applying Clear Soft Wax – the first coat was brushed on before the stencil was removed to avoid any shift in colour. A second coat was applied after the stencil was removed to make the piece really durable.

Have you ever used Chalk Paint® to give your furniture a voice?

Yours, Annie

Follow Tim on Instagram, Facebook, and his website: http://www.objectables.co.uk/

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

From Painter in Residence Tim Gould

"My name is Tim Gould and I work under the name Objectables. A couple of years ago, whilst looking for a new kitchen table I found that it is was impossible to buy anything which hadn't been “improved”. The improvements were usually a slap of paint and what appeared to be a technique of blindfolding yourself, spinning round a few times then attacking the item with a power sander. I was informed by one of the many junktique dealers in the area that these improvements were bringing out the character of the furniture and that character cost quite a lot of money. I felt that maybe I could improve my own table (if I could find an unimproved one) and I wondered what would happen if an unloved bit of furniture really did have it's real character brought out. This led me to develop a technique using homemade vinyl stencils to apply text to the furniture and give it a voice of its own. I also relied heavily on the traditional paint and blindfolding method.

And Annie's paint? 

Through my work as a set builder I had a bit of knowledge on paint techniques but I found a couple of Annie's books really helpful in getting me to a good level and I learned some really good tips. I got a website together showing a few of my first efforts and I was lucky to get mentioned in the Mad About The House blog. Annie saw my pieces and was kind enough to contact me with some nice words about my work which at that early stage was a real incentive to keep going. In the beginning I was just using any old paint left over from various jobs and projects but working with Annie's paint has really developed my style as its unique qualities offer you much more scope than regular paint.

What you’ll see from me

The core of my work will still be coming from the furniture and my search for its character but I will be trying to build on that with these pieces. I feel the point of the Painters in Residence projects is to try to stretch the capabilities of Chalk Paint® so I will endeavour to do that in my work. I will be working with some geometric patterns and will try to use some of the brighter colours in the range as I generally work in black (sometimes grey if I am being crazy). I'm really excited about the chance to experiment on some stuff and see what interesting results I can produce."

Follow this blog for exclusive pictures from Tim's residency and follow him on Facebook.

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

Jelena Pticek's Scalloped Cabinet

The first project from my Canadian Painter in Residence Jelena Pticek is this fun, contemporary cabinet painted in my paint, Chalk Paint®.

The cabinet came from a friend of Jelena's, who asked her to give the tired piece of furniture a make-over – the cabinet was scratched and beaten, and didn't suit the style of her house. Jelena was given free-reign to work with any technique or style she wanted, but her friend wanted the cabinet to use green as a base colour.

Jelena chose to work with a traditional and sophisticated palette of Olive, Versailles and Country Grey. She created a gradient colour effect by applying the darkest colour – Olive –  to the top section of the cabinet, working down to Versailles, and then Country Grey. To add a modern touch she used scallop shaped masking tape to create an interesting border where two colours met.

Inside the cabinet Jelena used Graphite, which is both neutral, and dramatic. She then finished the piece with my Clear Soft Wax.

Yours, Annie

Follow Jelena on Instagram, Facebook, and their website:http://www.poppyseedcreativeliving.com/

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

From Painter in Residence Jelena Pticek

"Hi, my name is Jelena and I live in Toronto, Canada but my life story started in Croatia. Growing up, I never thought that I would end up working as an artist and believed that I was destined for an office career. Looking back and thinking of how I used to play as a child suggested otherwise though,  I loved rearranging furniture in my parents' house and once I even painted our front door with my water colours. Once I left school I did indeed work in an office environment – it was a good job but deep down I knew that it was not the right thing for me.

Six years ago I moved into my new home and decided to equip it on a budget with hand-me-down furniture that I would make my own by painting it out. I found the process so relaxing and the end results so rewarding. Soon I started doing it for my friends too and before I knew it I was in business. Quitting my job to pursue this independent career path was the best thing I could have done, and I never looked back.

And Annie's paint?

Before I had been invited to participate in the Painters in Residence program I had only heard about Chalk Paint®. I had considered working with it, but it somehow never came to happen. From everything I had heard and read about it I knew that it was a superior product and that Annie was an extraordinary artist and business woman. When the invitation from Annie's team came to take part in the program, I was a bit surprised and very excited to join in. I regarded this invitation as special kind of acknowledgment of my work that made me very proud.

All my expecations were exceeded when I started using Chalk Paint®. It is smooth and easy to work with. It mixes easily to create new colours and has great coverage and adhesion quality. Because of all these properties a little bit of paint goes a long way, and any mistake can be fixed by simply repainting over it. What I found most fascinating is how the colours really come to life after applying the clear wax and how you can ˝add years˝ to your project by simply applying a thin coat of dark wax. Annie's books were also a great guide and resource as to all the possibilities that working with her products offers.

What you’ll see from me...

As a part of the residency I completed four pieces. Only one of them is painted in a solid colour and straight from the can. The other three feature different colour combinations and patterns. You will see stripes, scalloped edges and triangles. You may like some better than others. With this collaboration, I have tried to stay true to my style but also to push myself a bit outside of my comfort zone. Keeping this project under wraps for a few months was a hard thing to do and I can't wait to share it with the world."

Introducing my latest Painters in Residence

I started my Painters in Residence program a year ago as a way to collaborate with like-minded people who are doing wonderful, creative things with my paints and products. You can see more about the Painters in Residence concept in my introductory post.

Over the last year I've had the absolute pleasure of working with Beau Ford, Alex Russell Flint, Janice Issitt, Abigail & Ryan Bell, Karen Donnelly and Agnieszka Krawczyk. Today I am introducing  you to my latest Painters in Residence: Tim Gould and Jelena Pticek.

I'm very much looking forward to sharing their projects with you over the coming weeks. Keep your eyes peeled for more soon!

Tim Gould

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Jelena Pticek

Website | Facebook | Instagram

Follow the hashtag #PaintersInResidence on Instagram and Facebook to see projects from Tim and Jelena over the coming weeks, and head to my ‘Painters in Residence’ Pinterest board too.