The House Warmings is a Chalk Paint™ hobbyist turned professional painter based in Ohio, USA. And as of October 2022, she’s our brand-spanking-new Painter in Residence! This Chalk Paint™ dresser is the first of five furniture makeovers she’s created for us. Read on for a step-by-step of Aztec-inspired furniture painting!

This bold Aztec pattern has been inspired by Mexican textiles, specifically rugs. The House Warmings wanted to suggest the ancient cultural clout of the Central Americas, and we think she’s done so fabulously!

Step 1: Chalk Paint™

First, she painted a base coat of Chalk Paint™ in Graphite, using a thickly-bristled Chalk Paint™ Brush to create texture. These brushes are designed to apply paint thickly, and applying paint thickly is how you create an authentically aged, rustic textured look on furniture.

The House Warmings then taped off the edges of her furniture to create a frame before painting a coat of Chalk Paint™ in French Linen all over the rest of her piece. She added further texture with random brush strokes of Chalk Paint™ in Graphite, blended using misted water and a clean wet brush. Whilst still wet, she pressed burlap fabric onto the paint to give even further texture. The result is a kind of soft industrial concrete look. Use these steps to paint a concrete effect on any of your furniture, floors or flooring!

Step 2: Detail

Next, The House Warmings outlined her Aztec-inspired pattern using a pencil and a spirit level. Once satisfied with the design, she traced over her lines using Chalk Paint™ in Graphite and one of the smallest Annie Sloan Detail Brushes. She filled in the outlines with two custom mixes:

• Chalk Paint™ in Arles (2:3) and Honfleur (1:3)
• Chalk Paint™ in French Linen and Honfleur (2:2)

and Old White Chalk Paint™ (which contrasts with and emphasises the grunginess of this otherwise earthy, subdued, industrial colour palette). She then left for a few hours to dry.

Step 3: Sanding

Next, The House Warmings lightly sanded the whole thing using the finest Annie Sloan Sanding Pad to further distress. This also brought out those foundational layers of Graphite and French Linen. Once totally happy with how everything looked, she sealed and protected her work with a finishing coat of Clear Chalk Paint™ Wax.

We hope you love this Chalk Paint™ dresser as much as we do! Please tag us @anniesloanhome on social media if you try this one at home. We love to see your work!