For a while I’ve been aware of this growing craze and suspected I might enjoy being let loose on an old chair with a tin of chalk paint, and now was the perfect time. Buying my first house in December and being without a stick to sit on meant my parents finally had cause to empty the garage of all their junk, including a LOT of theirs and my grandparents’ old furniture. As such, I’m now the owner of some dubious 70s effects, which could certainly do with some tasteful upcycling.
Babs Baxter runs regular chalk paint classes from her fantastic shop, Little Vintage Studio, in St Neots. It’s her second premises – she also owns shabby-chic emporium Beautiful Swagger down the road, selling homeware, gifts and a selection of furniture. As it proved so popular but didn’t provide the necessary workshop space, she had to expand, getting the keys to her new place on Christmas Eve.
“I worked in marketing before that but the hours were long and there was a lot of travelling involved – it was exhausting,” she admits. “I got another job to pay the bills and started selling furniture from my house. Soon I was making more money doing that so I made it my full-time job. Now I do something I really love.”
Armed with my first cup of tea of the day, I take my seat with five other amateur decorators as Babs fills us in on the wonders of chalk paint. There’s minimal sanding and priming required (hurrah!) and it works on pretty much any surface, from all kinds of wood to plastic, glass and leather. Even mahogany (gasp) is fair game, she says, if it means you’ll get more use out of it.
“It gives pieces a new lease of life. This table,” she says, indicating a lovely cream painted bedside unit with elegantly distressed edges, “was destined for the dump. With a fresh coat of paint and a new drawer knob you can really bring something back to life.”
The paint we’re using today is Grand Illusions Vintage Paint. It comes in a variety of French and Nordic-inspired colours, mainly dusty pastels. I select the grey-blue Fjord for my practice piece, a plain board of plywood which we prime with shellac (optional, but good for shiny surfaces), paint then seal with wax.
“What’s nice about the colour range is that they all go really well together,” says Babs.
Next, we paint a lighter colour on top then grab the sandpaper and scrub away to expose the colour underneath, creating a perfect, rustic French provincial effect. After that Babs gives us a wooden tray to customise and take home. I go a bit overboard on the wax, and some of the first layer of paint rubs away altogether – luckily it’s the distressed look we’re going for.
In fact, because you don’t need to be perfect and precise, and thanks to the quick- drying nature of the paint, chalk furniture painting is one craft that gets you effective results, fast. I can’t wait to get home and attack all my 70s furniture with it.
:: Babs’s next vintage chalk paint workshop is on 7 March, priced at £49.50 including materials. She’s also running beginners’ crochet classes throughout the month, plus Upholstery for Beginners on 18 and 25 March.
