This is an exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join Annie Sloan in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India for five nights and six days at our totally one-of-a-kind Annie Sloan Furniture Painting Retreat from 20thFebruary 2025 to 25th February 2025. The stunning venue, Bujera Fort, has been carefully chosen for its inspiring beauty, splendour, and comfort – as well as its proximity to world famous cultural landmarks.
The Furniture Painting Retreat will be hosted by Chalk Paint inventor and colour queen, Annie Sloan herself alongside Tristan Merriam, owner of Doghead Designs & an Annie Sloan Brand Ambassador. Throughout the Furniture Painting Retreat you will benefit from one-on-one guidance from Annie and Tristan and enjoy the camaraderie and joy of creative collaboration with your fellow painters in India’s “jewel in the crown”. Our Furniture Painting Retreats are the ultimate immersive experience for furniture painting beginners and experts alike.
Furniture Painting Retreats are also an opportunity to enjoy delicious food and drink prepared by local chefs, and take part in additional activities, such as yoga and cookery, designed to enhance the sense of restful escapism. You’ll also meet supportive, like-minded individuals over the course of the six days.
The first Furniture Painting Retreat at Bujera Fort was held in 2024 and was such a resounding success that the decision was made to repeat the event in 2025.
This 6-day Furniture Painting Retreat includes:
• Lots of time painting, with hands-on opportunities to learn from Annie and Tristan about many Chalk Paint techniques.
• Annie Sloan Techniques Workshops such as basic principles of Chalk Paint; How to Wax; How to Create Texture; Annie’s Signature Two Step Distressing Technique etc.
• You will learn about beautiful, historical decorative techniques to enhance your painting (such as Gilding, Stencilling, Decoupaging, Frottage, Craquelure, Smooth Finishes, Fabric Dyeing, Ombré/Blending, Pattern Making, Sgraffito and Mark Making).
• A Painting on Fabric Workshop: each guest will receive a rug and we will spend time designing and painting using traditional Indian block prints. We will also experiment with Shibori – using Chalk Paint to dye fabric.
• Learning will be delivered through a combination of expert demonstrations and hands-on workshops, a highly effective way to learn and refine your skills.
• Annie will be present for the duration of the Furniture Painting Retreat with plenty of opportunities for conversation, socialising and photographs.
• You’ll have access to 1:1 tuition with Annie and Tristan whilst working on your own pieces.
• You’ll be given the opportunity to work on small pieces, provided for you to upcycle, such as locally sourced Indian cabinets, papier maché bowls and wooden boxes.
• There will a Q&A and interview with Annie, as well an opportunity to have any books signed.
• There will be optional opportunities for social media coaching, and guidance on how to maximise your online presence.
• Five night’s accommodation and all catering (breakfasts, lunches and dinners) is included. Each evening we will gather around the fire in the gardens of Bujera Fort for an evening aperitif and two cocktails of your choice from our specially selected menu. Wine or beer will be complimentary during the evening meal. Guests will be responsible for ordering additional drinks and running their own tab if they would like anything other than these drinks.
• Each guest will have their own private room within the grounds of our beautiful hotel. Each room is unique.
• A half-day guided tour of the City of Udaipur including The City Palace, The Palace Museum and parts of the Old City.
• Four yoga sessions, one massage session and one physiotherapy session per guest. These are non-compulsory and booked direct when you are at Bujera Fort.
• An art talk with local artist and photographer, Rajesh Soni, who specialises in miniature painting.
• Free cookery classes so you can learn from the Bujera Fort in-house chefs.
• Transfers from Udaipur Airport (please note that you will need to provide your flight details prior to the Furniture Painting Retreat so that these transfers can be organised for you).
• Annie Sloan ‘goody bags’ worth £250 for each guest. These will be sent your home address after the Furniture Painting Retreat.
• We also build in “downtime” to relax and engage with the beautiful surroundings.
• There will be opportunities to visit the local villages and farmland which are a short walk from Bujera Fort.
• We encourage guests to come with partners or family members. A number of bedrooms also have two beds so if you are interested in coming with a significant other who wants to participate in the Furniture Painting Retreat, then please email us for details of a discounted shared room rate. If you attend with someone who does not wish to participate in the Furniture Painting Retreat but wishes to stay at Bujera Fort, please note that accommodation, all meals, drinks and activities such as yoga, massage and physiotherapy are separate, and guests are responsible for arranging and paying for these direct with Bujera Fort. If you would like more information regarding these costs please email info@bujerafort.com
We are hosting this luxury Furniture Painting Retreat in Rajasthan because it’s a place that celebrates colour like no other. The province of Rajasthan nestles in the country’s north-western corner and is known for its stunning palaces and impressive forts that were once the backdrop for everything from Burkha soldiers to war elephants. The ornate architecture tells the tale of eras gone by, while the artisanal crafting traditions and attention to decorative detail remains appreciated centuries later. Annie has described this region as one of the most inspiring and beautiful places she has ever visited.
Beyond the architecture and royal palaces, the vibrancy and the colour that greets you at every turn is the defining feature of Rajasthan. You will be enchanted and inspired, which is what makes this the perfect place for a creative Furniture Painting Retreat. Throughout the history of Rajasthan, generations of kings and queens, warrior factions and religious houses have each ingrained their own sapphire, fuchsia, saffron, crimson, turquoise, indigo, or magenta into the fabric of the region; and behind each colour is a story. Familiarise yourself with these stories, choose your own colours, and discover how to create joy with them under Annie and Tristan’s expert tutelage.
This Furniture Painting Retreat is designed to cater to guests with varying degrees of experience with Chalk Paint: from total beginners to professional painters.
We welcome guests from India as well as international guests. The teaching will be delivered in English.
Price £5500 (USE EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT CODE ‘ANNIEINDIA’ for £500 off)
About Bujera Fort
In one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Bujera Fort is Udaipur’s only boutique hotel and is situated on the edge of the small village of Bujera. It is a spectacular, newly built fortress, on the west side of Lake Pichola, with views of the City Palace, Lake Palace, the Monsoon Palace and Fateh Garh Castle. It is just forty minutes from Udaipur airport and just a one-hour flight from both Delhi and Mumbai and forty minutes from Jaipur.