#25Project Transformation 3: Athens, Greece!

The finished #25Project transformations are coming in thick and fast, and a few weeks ago I was lucky enough to visit one of the selected spaces in Athens, Greece. This was the first project that I've actually been to visit, and seeing first hand just how vital the space is to people and the impact that my paint could make was quite overwhelming.

I was a little daunted as to what to expect, and truth be told, I was a little unprepared for my visit. What I found there and what I came with after the experience was nothing short of incredible.

The location was in an old theatre-turned-community-centre is situated in the heart of Athens. It receives around 400 visitors a month, mainly people who have been affected by the recent economic crisis. With a focus on art therapy, the day centre allows people to participate in art, drama and music, and gain general life skills.

What was needed was a quiet, serene place where the people who use the centre could come and relax. First, the basement was selected as a suitable location and my distributor in Greece, the incredibly dynamic and wonderful Elsa, along with an army of volunteers, began clearing the space.

They then, with amazing determination and organisation, designed a perfectly calm space full of soothing colours and a simple design perfect for the members of this day centre. They chose a light colour palette of Duck Egg Blue, Antoinette, Versailles, Olive and Old Violet which you can see in their designs laid out in the moodboard at the start of this post.

I love the way that my stencils were used around the venue, as borders and to create interesting detail to the edge of shelves. Take a look at these gorgeous details below.

With my paint and products – and the incredible work of local stockists and volunteers – the dark, cluttered space became a tranquil escape, just what the community needed. I hope that my photos and words do this place justice!

I'll be revealing more transformations from the #25Project soon. Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date!

Yours, 

Annie 

#25Project Transformation 2: Ottawa, Canada!

This time last year we were busy planning the #25Project, so it's incredibly rewarding to see it all come together a year later!

Today I'm sharing the transformation of the lounge and kitchen of 215 Wurtemburg Street in Ottawa, Canada - one of the buildings that Ottawa Community House (OCH) operate to home 120 people. OCH is Ottawa's largest social housing provider and provides homes to over 32,000 people with special needs in the city. As a large non-profit organisation they often have to prioritise structural repairs and renovations over aesthetic changes to the building, so the space had been left looking very tired and dated, with scratched and damaged furniture.

Katrina Barclay, my Stockist at Malenka Orginals in Ottawa lead the project along with volunteers from OCH and 11 of her regular customers. (Two of these actually participated in Katrina's first ever Annie Sloan workshop, 4 years ago!)

Initial ideas were brought together at a meeting between Katrina and OCH, discussing the wants and needs of the people who use the space, and then, on 8th September the transformation began!

They kicked off the transformation with words of thanks and support from the Mayor of Ottawa, Jim Watson, who stressed the importance of giving back to, and caring for the community. After the speeches were done, the work got underway. One team started by painting the main area in Paris Grey, and another smaller team worked on painting the walls of the kitchen in Duck Egg Blue. Others painted the furniture which included an old radio cabinet, a book shelf and 3 small side tables, which were all a mis-match of brown woods. Don't they look brilliant now that they've been brought together with Aubusson Blue?

Before and after of the lounge

Before and after of the kitchen

They finished the transformation by hanging a couple of new additions to the wall which had been donated by Malenka Originals. The map of Ottawa-Gatineau from a local shop who specialises in handmade goods now takes the pride position above the newly painted radio cabinet.

Katrina wrote to me after the event to let me know that everyone that took part had a fulfilling and fun day, albeit quite tiring! And I'm glad to hear that everyone loves the new contemporary looking space. Haven't they done a fabulous job?

This is the second of 25 transformations, so watch this space to see further transformations as and when they come in. Follow the #25Project on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to watch the projects come together.

Yours, Annie

Revealing my new book!

Over the past couple of months there has been excitement in the air as my book, ‘Annie Sloan Paints Everything’ – once just a little idea in my head – has been transformed into a reality. From the moment I picked up a brush to start the first project right through to holding a physical copy in my hands, I’ve been waiting for this day. Finally my 26th book is here and exclusively available through Annie Sloan Stockists before landing in all good book stores from November.

If you’ve already pre-ordered your copy from your local Annie Sloan Stockist or you just want to know more about how this book came about, let me tell you how my most personal book to date came to be. Over the past year, as I’ve opened up my Facebook and Instagram accounts, I’ve seen a noticeable change in people's confidence with colour. As you may know, to me, colour is everything, so seeing a brighter and bolder colour palette rather than the restrained and mutes tones of the past inspired me greatly. With this book, I wanted to showcase just how easy it is to invite colour into your home.

‘Annie Sloan Paints Everything’ has 40 step-by-step projects, covering everything from walls, floors, lampshades, and curtains, to footstools, cabinets and even fruit bowls. As you can image, every single surface is different! In this book, you'll find me painting metal, plastic, glass, burlap, linen, veneer, canvas, dust sheets, even rope, like this shelf unit below. I want my book to clearly and precisely give you the tools and confidence to easily recreate or adapt each project to suit you.

I feel very proud of this book and the pictures, taken by my wonderful photographer Christopher Drake, who I’ve been working with for nearly ten years! Together with my team, we strived to make a book that hopefully shows you just how easy and enjoyable it is to fill your house with colour!

Make sure you join me as I go "on the road" with ‘Annie Sloan Paints Everything’ across the UK. On Thursday, I will be at my wonderful stockist shop The Marmalade House in Bath for a book singing, and then Saturday, I'll be popping in to The Painted Chair in Liverpool (a city that I think is in the middle of an interesting cultural explosion). On the 27th October, I will be back in Oxford at my own shop on the Cowley Road for a book signing. If you can make it to any of these places do come and say hello!

Have you got your copy of the book yet? Which project are you excited to tackle? Please let me know as I cannot wait to hear your feedback! Tag me using @anniesloanhome or #anniesloan so I can see your thoughts!

Yours, Annie

Annie Sloan Paints Everything is published by CICO Books (£14.99). Photography by Christopher Drake © CICO Books

Simon Olsson's Provence Cabinet.

Blue in all of its beautiful manifestations is dominating interiors at the moment. From dazzling sapphire shades, to subtle sky blues, right down to more moody, inky tones, this versatile shade seems to be everywhere. I love that people are embracing this multi-faceted colour right now. I think one of the reasons is because its so adaptable to almost any style and mood.

My Painter in Residence, Simon Olsson, has adopted one of the blues in my Colour Palette, Provence, as his signature colour. It makes sense that he would have chosen one of my brightest tones as his style is so influenced by the bold jewel-like colours of India.

Simon uses Provence often in his work and one of the greatest examples is this cabinet. Simon chose to create a rustic, chippy finish to create a sense of history.

                        

When Simon first came across this cabinet, he wanted to lighten the dark wood and yet still keep it close to its Indian roots – and so Provence was the perfect colour choice. To create texture he used my Pure Bristle Brush, moving in all directions and applying the paint thickly. When the paint had dried he used coarse sandpaper to chip away at the paint work, creating that beautiful worn away patina. To finish the look, he covered the whole piece in a fine coat of clear Chalk Paint® Wax.

What do you think of this look? Have you used Provence in a similar way? Show me by tagging me on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #anniesloan or @anniesloanhome.

Yours, Annie

#25Project Transformation 1: Germany!

I'm thrilled to share with you the first transformation from the #25Project! I have eagerly been  waiting for photos and stories to roll in from community centres and spaces that we have helped transform around the world, and this one from Germany is just fantastic. I feel very proud of my Stockist Vanessa Metz from Simply Vintage and my German Distributors Ulrike and Sonja for the hard work, expertise and dedication that they put in to create this wonderful transformation – and what a privilege for my paint and products!

Below are before pictures of the‘2gether’ Community Centre located in Ubstadt-Weiher, South Germany. The centre hosts many activities and events for all generations, including ‘Mother and Baby’ groups, breakdancing lessons and team afternoons for the elderly. Over the years, the interior of the space – although loved – became neglected and deteriorated. When it was nominated for a transformation, I knew that it would really benefit from a lick of paint or two!

Before

I have to mention the fantastic work that Vanessa did in organising this transformation. Vanessa is wonderfully kooky and colourful (you never know what colour her hair is going to be next!) and she did an incredible job rallying the troops (in this case volunteers and other local stockists including Ulrike, Sonja and Horst). I can only imagine how exhausting it must have been painting away in that 32 degree heat! However, Vanessa’s buoyant smile, the sandwiches and snacks sponsored by a local baker, the lunch prepared by Ivonne who works at the centre and the fact that this was all for a good cause meant that the weekend long transformation flew by!

After

I love the way my stencils and fabrics are used in the space - and how great does the snooker table look painted? A palette of French Linen, Country Grey and Graphite with pops of warm colour has been used to create a sophisticated but welcoming space. Check out that brilliant skyline too, painted 5 years ago by local children, it was given a loving restoration.

This is the very first of 25 transformations – watch this space and I will share each and every transformation with you as they come in. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this project, and can’t wait to share the next one with you very, very soon!

Follow #25Project on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to watch the projects come together.

Yours, Annie

Floral Furniture Headdresses!

Let me share with you the second project from my unique Painter in Residence, Hanayuishi Takaya, another set of stunning headdresses that, in my opinion, are truly works of art.

What I love about Mr. Takaya’s work is that it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. The response from his previous work, ‘Man with Koi’ was fascinating. When I started the Painters in Residence programme my aim was to share inspiring images which start a discussion, and all use my paints and products, of course. With Mr. Takaya’s work, it may not be something that is easily recreated at home, but it definitely makes me smile; his whimsical artistry and joyous creations fill me with a new sense of wonder.

For these pieces Mr Takaya has cleverly used doll’s house table's and chairs - a cheeky response to the fact that Chalk Paint® is predominantly used on furniture. For the table and chairs, Hanayuishi chose many of the brighter colours in my Colour Palette, such as Emperor’s Silk, Antibes Green and Provence, building the layers of paint before sanding back to create a distressed, rustic finish. The boldness of colour contrasts beautifully with the arrangement of flowers chosen, such as hydrangeas and pink scabious.
Mr Takaya is always conscious of the models he uses for his work, and with this he chose two children which really marries perfectly the theme of the whole piece.

What do you think of this latest work? I would again be intrigued to hear your thoughts.

It may not be to everyone’s taste, but then again what a boring old world it would be if it was?

Yours, Annie