Last month my mom as well as I satisfied in England to celebrate a extremely special birthday. Although I spent the airplane trip over brushing up on must-see cultural landmarks, it turned out my efforts were in vain. Upon arrival, we swiftly realized we just might refrain from doing it all. So, we streamlined our goals, beelining past galleries, museums as well as cathedrals, as well as instead focused solely on touring stately homes. seems reasonable, right?

Anyway, this blog isn’t about my see to Chatsworth or Castle Howard (Brideshead fans, anyone?) however rather the telling of a serendipitous discovery that, for me, has opened up the world of diy decorating.

While we were buying in Tetbury, a quaint town in the Cotswolds popular for its lots of captivating antique furniture as well as garden stores (including Highgrove, the prince of Wales’ own stunning garden shop) I stumbled upon a store owner repainting a excellent gather table. She was just slapping the paint on without any type of discernible technique, as well as it just looked, well, method as well easy. The surface looks similar to a distressed milk paint however believe me, needs no where near the exact same effort.

The magic paint I’m referring to is chalk-based as well as made by British decorator as well as author Annie Sloan, as well as although it may not be new to some professional DIYers, it’s new to me. influenced that this might be a life-altering product, I jammed a can in my suitcase as well as started dreaming about all the things that might utilize a coat.

Although the paint did leak in flight as well as spoil a new pair of denim (a little cost to pay for such a incredible discovery) a lot of of it was salvageable as well as I was able to transform a ordinary dresser — in no time in any way — into one that befits the quaintest of English cottages.

Here’s the deal: No sanding or priming is required, just apply two coats of paint to your piece of furniture (or mouldings, or walls, or floors — the possibilities are endless), buff it up a bit with sandpaper as well as surface with a coat of paste wax. You don’t requirement to be an artist to make the distressing look authentic; somehow it just comes out looking rustic trendy every time. like I stated — a miracle product.

Here is the dresser before I painted it.

Et voila, the painted dresser looking ideal at house at my parents’ cottage. The colour I utilized is called Old White, however there are really 26 colours to select from!

Oh, as well as the final aha moment of the story: when I got back to the office, there was a press release in my inbox from The Passionate house in Langley, B.C., announcing that they are now bring Annie Sloan paint. exactly how fortuitous!

There are three other Canadian merchants that offer the paint, too.

For a lot more simple diy ideas, try this Veneer dresser or Decoupage Dresser.

Photo credits:1. The Passionate Home2. Dufresne3. Beth Edwards4. Annie Sloan