About this Event
The Art of Painted Furniture
A full-day workshop with Julia Headland of The Post Room & Danielle Neale
Bring along a small piece of vintage furniture and spend the day learning how to transform it using colour, patina and an authentic aged paint finish.
Led by furniture painter and restorer Julia Headland and decorative painter Danielle Neale, this hands-on workshop brings together decades of experience working with chalk paint, old furniture and decorative finishes.
Julia has spent 30 years professionally restoring and painting furniture, developing her signature subtle, authentic finishes using chalk paint, distressing and tinted waxes. Julia's work has taken her to clients across the UK and in the USA. Julia runs a very successful workshop and her shop, The Post Room, on Upper St Giles.
Danielle has also spent decades working creatively with chalk paint, painting, ageing and distressing surfaces as part of her work as a decorative artist. Her own painted furniture combines time-worn finishes with a love of colour, pattern, folk art and hand-painted decorative detail.
Together, we'll show you how to work with the age and character of your furniture rather than simply covering it up, creating a finish that looks as though it belongs to the piece.
What you'll learn
The focus of the day will be learning how to create an authentic aged and timeworn painted finish.
We'll guide you through the whole process, including:
- How to prepare old furniture correctly for painting
- Choosing and using chalk paint, brushes and tools
- Applying paint and building layers of colour
- Creating different degrees of natural-looking distressing
- Using waxes to protect, age and add patina
- How to work with the quirks, imperfections and occasional surprises that come with older furniture
- How to protect and care for your finished piece
Between us, we'll share the techniques and little tricks we've gathered through years of working with paint and old furniture.
No previous furniture-painting experience is needed.
The furniture you'll bring
To get the most from the day, we recommend bringing one small, vintage and unpainted piece of furniture.
An old brown solid-wood or plywood piece is ideal — perhaps a bedside cabinet, chair, stool, small occasional table or something of a similar size.
Your piece should be manageable enough to work on comfortably within your individual workspace and take home at the end of the day.
After booking, we'll ask you to send us a photograph of the piece you're planning to bring. This gives us a chance to check that it's suitable and advise you if any preparation is needed beforehand.
If you have something in mind that doesn't quite fit the description above, don't worry — send us a photograph and we'll happily have a look.
Paint, materials & equipment
We'll be working primarily with our extensive collection of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint, together with waxes and the tools and equipment needed to create a beautifully aged finish.
If you have a particular colour you'd love to use to complement your home, you're very welcome to bring your own chalk paint or flat matt emulsion. Please don't bring vinyl matt, eggshell or gloss paint, as these won't give you the finish we'll be creating during the workshop.
All other workshop materials and equipment are included and aprons will be provided.
You'll also receive Julia's useful handout listing the equipment, materials and products used during the process, and you're very welcome to take your own notes throughout the day.
Bringing your furniture to us
There is a loading bay directly outside The Old Piano Shop, making it easy to unload your furniture before moving your car to one of the nearby car parks.
If it's more convenient, you can also drop your furniture off at The Old Piano Shop during the week before the workshop by prior arrangement.
A relaxed day of painting and making
This is deliberately a small-group workshop, giving us plenty of time to offer individual advice and guidance as your furniture develops.
Come on your own or with a friend. We'll spend the day painting, talking, experimenting and sharing the knowledge we've gathered through many years of working with paint and furniture.
A light lunch and refreshments are included, so we'll keep you fed, watered and suitably caffeinated along the way.
You'll leave with your transformed piece of furniture and, more importantly, the knowledge and confidence to start experimenting with painted furniture at home.
Friday 20 November
10am–4pm
The Old Piano Shop, 19 St Benedicts Street, Norwich NR2 4PE
£145 per person
All materials, use of paints and equipment, handout, light lunch and refreshments included.
Event venue & nearby stays
19 St Benedicts St, 19 Saint Benedicts Street, Norwich, United Kingdom
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