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The Tutorialist – Vintage Foxed Mirror

Nov 3, 2019
2 min

The Tutorialist – Vintage Foxed Mirror

You guys, I know I say this with each project but this one is my favorite! It’s such a fun DIY and gives very cool results regardless of your technique. I wanted to wait until after our workshop so I could share some varying photos for it so I am finally able to post the How To. I was inspired by a similar project on YouTube so this was not at all invented by me…I am just the sharing type and wanted you to all have the opportunity to play a little. Here’s what you need: A fra

The Tutorialist – How to paint your stairs using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Oct 16, 2019
2 min

The Tutorialist – How to paint your stairs using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint

Our basement stairs needed a refresh. They were originally painted in a butter yellow latex by the previous family, and I opted not to change them until just recently when they started looking worse for wear. Since they lead to the basement and are only visible to us. I decided to use leftover Chalk Paint at home and create an ombre rainbow effect for fun. Here’s how I did it: Thoroughly clean the stairs. I did this using a mild floor cleaner then rinsed with water and allowe

The Tutorialist – Modern + Masculine

Oct 14, 2019
2 min

The Tutorialist – Modern + Masculine

We found a dated dresser that needed a serious makeover so we chose an oldie but goodie finish to give it a modern masculine aesthetic. Here’s how we did it: wipe down the piece of furniture you are painting. No sanding or priming is required when using Chalk Paint as long as the surface finish isn’t peeling. The original finish was a poorly stained and not very appealing. Once the piece is wiped off, apply Annie Sloan Chalk Paint on the frame only in FRENCH LINEN. Use an Ann

Fan Favorite – Ombre Wall

Sep 7, 2019
1 min

Fan Favorite – Ombre Wall

We love highlighting favorite Annie Sloan Chalk Paint projects here and this gorgeous wall has been in our top 5 for a year+! Annie’s son, Felix Sloan, created this oceanic ombre blend using Chalk Paint® in Provence and Aubusson Blue. Felix started by painting the top third of the wall with Aubusson Blue. He then used a 50/50 mix of Aubusson Blue and Provence to paint the middle third of the wall. Using two brushes (one for each colour) and a water sprayer, he blended the Aub

The Tutorialist – Positano Perfect, a paint finish inspired by the Amalfi Coast

Jul 19, 2019
3 min

The Tutorialist – Positano Perfect, a paint finish inspired by the Amalfi Coast

Those of you following us on Instagram have probably seen our Summer holiday to Greece + Italy. We are traveling to Portugal (next week) before finally heading home to Montclair. We are capturing as much as we can through the lens of our iPhoneX while soaking it all up in person…to provide inspiration for our paint projects, design projects, and our renewed lifestyle. The Amalfi Coast is everything everyone says it is: lush and magical! One of my personal favorite sights on t

Before + After: A DIY Graphite Brick Fireplace Makeover

Mar 29, 2019
2 min

Before + After: A DIY Graphite Brick Fireplace Makeover

We always ask our customers to share their DIY project pics with us and often post them to our Facebook and Instagram pages. Occasionally, the project is so transformative yet so inexpensive and quick and easy that we really want to reach as many potential DIY-ers as possible so we opt to share here on our blog. This is one of those projects! Our lovely customer, Cynthia, traveled from New York to Montclair to purchase the paint for her project and spend some time getting ins

The Tutorialist – Modern Farmhouse finish (Grey Washed Cabinet)

Nov 12, 2018
2 min

The Tutorialist – Modern Farmhouse finish (Grey Washed Cabinet)

When we found this dark wood cabinet, originating from India, we knew exactly what we wanted to do with it! The details were so beautiful but hidden away behind the layers of damaged dark wood stain. We created a lovely Modern Farmhouse finish on it and our client loved the end result! Here’s how we did it: Wipe down the piece of furniture you are painting. No sanding or priming is required when using Chalk Paint as long as the surface finish isn’t peeling. We don’t ever use

Paint Project – Stenciling Wallpaper with Chalk Paint

Aug 30, 2018
1 min

Paint Project – Stenciling Wallpaper with Chalk Paint

Our design firm (fringe) was hired to redesign the signature suites at The Lexington Hotel in NYC. One of the suites, The Godfrey, needed a masculine treatment to a bedroom wall…but we weren’t feeling a new wallpaper so we chose a Royal Design Stencil, mixed Giverny & Napoleonic Blue and created our own! Here are a few shots of the room – it’s not fully “zhuzhed” yet in the photos but you can get a sense of the stenciled wall and how beautifully our Annie Sloan paint perform

The Tutorialist – Layered and Luxe

Jul 24, 2018
4 min

The Tutorialist – Layered and Luxe

A friend of mine (& fellow decorative painter) asked about this finish today and I couldn’t believe I never posted the tutorial! Things have been really busy with {verdigreen} because of all the design work we’ve taken on, and it somehow slipped through the cracks…but this was a fan favorite for sure so here’s the story. I was hired to modernize a dining room for a client. She has a “Z Gallerie” style happening in her home – trading out her old Tuscan pieces for light, modern

Before & After – Marble Top Custom Table Finish

May 29, 2018
1 min

Before & After – Marble Top Custom Table Finish

A dear friend of mine, Jenna, owns a local boutique called Little Black Dress. It’s on Church Street in Montclair and she carries the cutest, feminine clothing. After moving into her new location, she realized her existing table felt too dark and heavy so she asked if I would custom finish it for her. She chose the “gold base, marble top” look that is trending right now as her finish. Here was the “before” — a espresso wood finish: We first painted it entirely in Paris Grey a

The Tutorialist – Graphite with White Wax for a Luxe Patina

Mar 11, 2018
2 min

The Tutorialist – Graphite with White Wax for a Luxe Patina

We were hired to create a custom finish for a client’s new dining room design. She was modernizing a once-traditional styled room with more transitional pieces and colors. The original finish her sideboard was an Asian red so we proposed Graphite (a soft charcoal) with a White Wax finish (to bring up the blue) to compliment her wall covering. Here’s how we did it: Wipe down the piece of furniture you are painting. Paint the piece using Graphite and an Annie Sloan Natural Bris

The Tutorialist – Wood Top Table using Annie Sloan Honfleur

Feb 3, 2018
3 min

The Tutorialist – Wood Top Table using Annie Sloan Honfleur

We have customers in regularly who want a “wood look” top to their dresser or table, but they’d prefer not to strip and sand the existing finish. I don’t blame them! Aside from the tedious process, using stripper is messy and sometimes toxic plus who knows what kind of finish is on it to begin with. Enter Annie Sloan’s Honfleur: a milk-chocolatey brown that, when directly waxed with Black & Dark waxes, mimics the look of wood grain. This particular table was hand-painted 20+

The Tutorialist – Golden Nude

Jan 7, 2018
3 min

The Tutorialist – Golden Nude

We are so thrilled with the response this particular finish has gotten this weekend on our FB & IG. I took a screen shot below but here is the IG post of the video showing me waxing the piece…almost 1500 views and 300 likes! Wow. That’s a lot of attention (by our little shop’s standards) and I love when something resonates with you all. I am personally so happy you all love it as much as I do. I was inspired to create this look because, of all things, a lip color! I wanted a

The Tutorialist – Custom Blue Buffet

Dec 20, 2017
2 min

The Tutorialist – Custom Blue Buffet

We love a good statement finish! Today’s Tutorial is a simple one…we show you how to achieve this beautiful bespoke blue: Here’s how we did it: Wipe down the piece of furniture you are painting. Mix the custom blue by pouring equal parts of Giverny Chalk Paint®* and Aubusson Blue Chalk Paint® into a mason jar and stirring well. (For this project we mixed 8 ounces although if you are not an experienced painter we recommend mixing 10-12 for something this size just in case.) Us

Mercury Glass Bombé Chest | Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan

Nov 11, 2017
1 min

Mercury Glass Bombé Chest | Chalk Paint® by Annie Sloan

DIY your own piece into a faux Mercury Glass look, you can simply use Chalk Paint! Here’s how we did it: To prep your surface, wipe down the piece of furniture you are painting. No sanding or priming is required when using Chalk Paint as long as the surface finish isn’t peeling. 1. To begin, paint the base of your piece with two thin coats of Graphite. 2. Mix Pewter Paint by Artisan Enhancements with Scumble and glaze over the coats of Graphite. Let dry. 3. Mix two parts wate

The Tutorialist – a Mercury Glass inspired finish

Mar 7, 2017
2 min

The Tutorialist – a Mercury Glass inspired finish

We recently purchased a sweet antique Depression Era petite dresser (chest of drawers) and wanted to experiment with a finish specific to the era it was built in. We were inspired by one of our favorite collectibles, Mercury Glass: Here is our final result: This is what we did to achieve the look: Prep your piece (dust, wipe down, vacuum out, etc) – no sanding or priming needed with Chalk Paint® Base coat it with Graphite by Annie Sloan – 2 light coats for full coverage – wit

Subtle Finishes

Feb 13, 2017
1 min

Subtle Finishes

We are working on a custom painted desk for our client’s daughter and she chose a really lovely light yellow blend of English Yellow, Pure White, and Old White Chalk Paint®. After our two light coats of the custom Chalk Paint® mix was dry, we felt it was a bit bold for the soft lavender on our client’s walls. After considering options, we decided using Annie Sloan’s White Wax would give it a subtle aging and would kick the color back a notch. Here’s a 5 minute video showing h

The Tutorialist – Classic Finish: Old White & Aged

Jan 29, 2017
3 min

The Tutorialist – Classic Finish: Old White & Aged

Every so often, a piece of furniture calls for a classic aged look without any bells or whistles or special techniques…and if done well, it looks authentic and charming! We are going to tell you how to achieve that look by using a simple method. Read on! In this scenario, our client had antique ladder back chairs she needed painted for her dining room. Someone had painted them in the most horrid butter yellow latex (glossy and goopy and gross!) so we lightly sanded some of th

Malachite Dreams

Jan 24, 2017
1 min

Malachite Dreams

We are feeling grateful for our newest interior design client because her commercial space project is right up our aesthetic alley! Her vision for the space is “Enchanted Forest” which could not be more our jam. Since she is an Energy Healer (Shaman) we proposed a Malachite finish on the ceiling of her healing nook – and naturally she was all about it! We documented the process, step by step, below: Her new space: Mixing the base coat – Duck Egg & Florence: Base coat painted

How to DIY (ahem, DYE) a faux Sheepskin rug with Chalk Paint – IKEA HACK

Sep 27, 2016
1 min

How to DIY (ahem, DYE) a faux Sheepskin rug with Chalk Paint – IKEA HACK

You guys know I love a good dye job. I have been playing a LOT at the studio (aka my Wonderland) with different textiles and decor items…and last week’s experiment was by far my fave thus far. Here’s what you will need: 1 IKEA faux sheepskin rug (Tejn $14.99) 1 or more Annie Sloan Chalk Paint® hues…I chose Graphite & Arles for one rug and a mix of Burgundy + Pure White and Florence + Pure White on the other rug Bucket or tub Warm water Sunlight 10 minutes How to: Fill a tub h