Painter in Residence Jeanie Simpson painted this chest in monochrome palette of Chalk Paint in Graphite and Old White with a statement hand design for added impact.

Jeanie has “always had a thing about hands”, and if you look at Annie’s logo you’ll see that she has too! An unusual but perennial design staple; hands pack artsy, contemporary cool whilst this monochrome palette keeps things accessible.

Jeanie began this project by stripping the top of varnish and bevelling the rounded corners of the drawer fronts. Jeanie then drew the hand shape and blocked in the colours with Chalk Paint in Graphite and Old White. She then added texture by mixing Graphite with Pure White and using the Annie Sloan “Hands” stencil to apply a scattered pattern of smaller hands over the Graphite section of the drawers. She also used a cardobard tool to create different textures in each colour blocks on the chest.

Jeanie’s next step was to replace the original hardware with new brass cup handles. She aged these in the oven and by using a vinegar and salt mixture until the desired oxidation was achieved. Finally, she waxed her piece with Clear Wax, including the bare oak top.