Colourful & CREATIVE

Global artefacts and an inventive use of colour bring cosmopolitan richness to the home of artist and colour designer Annie Sloan

When Annie Sloan moved from a country village to east Oxford 20 years ago, she was ready to embrace city living, and yearned for somewhere that echoed her passion for cultural fusion. ‘ It’s a funky, cosmopolitan part of town, with all sorts of interesting shops and every sort of restaurant. I love the buzz of lots of di !erent cultures. But there are also lots of parks and common land for walks.’

As soon as she and her husband stepped inside the terraced mid Victorian house they felt at home, although work was needed to turn it into the comfortable space it is today.‘ We knocked through the two ground "oor rooms to make one big si#ing room, so you have a window to the back garden and the front. And we made the kitchen on the lower ground "oor with a new breakfast room extending into the garden.’

The paintings and objects that now adorn walls, shelves and surfaces in every room re"ect Annie’s multicultural heritage. ‘ I feel I’m a creature of the world and I love things from everywhere. I was born in Australia, my mother came from Fiji, my father from Scotland. They were very well travelled and lived in Africa, too.’

Her fondness for cultural eclecticism also stems from her art school

training. ‘ When you study art, you see that it comes from all sorts of places, so Picasso was in !uenced by African art, and Cézanne was in !uenced by Japanese art. All these things enrich me and enrich my perception of what life is and what people are. So I love having a picture of an English landscape next to something which is completely other.’

Some of the furniture, pictures and works of art in the house are inherited, other pieces have been bought on travels, or discovered while scouring reclamation yards and junk shops. ‘I tend not to search for things, I just "nd them. I buy in brocante markets in France, or on trips to Africa when I go to see stockists and distributors. One of my sons lives in Brazil so I buy there. And when we do photoshoots, if we "nd something I like, I take it home with me.’

Rubbing shoulders with Annie’s globe-tro#ing style are her creative talents. Several of her drawings

‘I tend not to search for things, I just nd them. I buy in brocante markets in France, or on trips to Africa when I go to see stockists and distributors’

and paintings are on display and she has also created striking murals in the kitchen and bathroom. ‘I try to do at least one thing a week, or more if I can. You have to keep on going,’ she says. Her talent for painting furniture with her signature chalk paint is also inescapable. A side table painted in Aubusson Blue in the si!ing room is one of her favourite pieces. ‘ I created the pa!erned top by cu!ing a sponge in random squares and triangles, painted it, then used it as a template. I printed several layers using the di "erent colours to build up the e"ect.’

When it came to selecting the wall colours, practicality as well as aesthetics came into play. ‘ I chose neutral colours, because I was very busy and I know that if you make a neutral background you can add lots of colour.’ Natural light and how the room was to be used were also factored in. ‘ My idea for the si!ing room was that it shouldn’t be too full of colour, but there would be colour in it, because it’s where I sit to be calm. So I used French Linen. But then I wanted a backdrop for some of the pieces I’ve

collected, so I took a group of my brightest colours, painted each shelf with a di !erent one and added lighting.’ Within this vivid niche are displayed pieces from Brazil and Africa, modern pots, old pots, stones, skulls, fossils and much more. ‘All the colours are Annie Sloan paints. I’d be killed if I used anything else!’

Elsewhere, Annie succumbed more freely to the temptation of eye- catching shades. ‘ The hallway is brighter. I painted the "oor Antibes Green and the walls English Yellow, so when you come in the house feels inviting.’ Bold hues also bring life to the dining room. ‘ This room doesn’t get much light and the ceilings are low, so the walls are painted in Emperor’s Silk and have been waxed.’ To continue the colourful theme, the window blinds are made from a bright African fabric together with one of her linen fabrics. Di !erent shades of the same linen are also used on each of the chairs. Still more

colour came from painting the table top with an abstract design, and a once dark brown piano, now painted in Château Grey, Duck Egg Blue and Emperor’s Silk, makes a nod to the tones used elsewhere in the house.

Halfway between the basement level and the ground !oor, the garden room is "lled with Annie’s signature mix of "nds from around the globe. Alongside textiles from Africa, India, Mexico and Peru, there’s a strange Congolese animal carved and encrusted with nails, a painting by Annie, and phials of pigment brought back by her son from Peru: ‘ They are wonderful and all have great names,’ says Annie. At the far end of the room, a classical "gure made from resin impassively surveys the arrangement. ‘ He’s a copy of an ancient Greek kouros. I was told he was a prop for the Antiques Roadshow. I’m not sure if it’s true, but my grandchildren "nd him immensely funny. Poor man, he doesn’t have a head – or much to show – still, I think it’s very good for them.’

‘I try to do at least one thing a week, or more if I can. You have to keep on going,’ Annie says.

The living room walls are painted in Annie Sloan French Linen, with Old White cornicing. An antique screen, given to Annie as a gift, is one of her most treasured possessions and its colours serendipitously echo the walls and the Aubusson Blue-painted table. The palm fronded chandelier is probably French and dates from the 60s.

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT A sofa with its original embroidered fabric was among a job lot Annie bought for stock. Cushions are made from textiles from India and Oregon and one painted by Annie. Above hang assorted paintings, including an Eric Ravilious print; Annie in her favourite armchair; colourful Indian glass paintings from Louisa Maybury Textiles hang next to a reproduction mirror. Annie painted the candlestick.

ABOVE Shelving painted in Annie’s brightest colours provides an original setting for ceramics, fossils, stones and sculpture. A ram’s horn forms the base of the side light, and the natural theme is echoed on the mantelpiece where an animal skull is displayed alongside an assortment of other treasures.

The bobble-trimmed fabric on Annie’s favourite chair was found in America. She painted the side table, printing the top with layers of colour, using a cut sponge to form the random geometric shapes.

RIGHT The garden room’s walls are painted in Graphite. The large nude was painted by Annie’s son. The artist’s palette, with paint added by Annie, was originally a shop sign.

ABOVE An American wooden doll hangs alongside a floral still life discovered in a junk shop. The pot below was bought in Cape Town and the two stone figures came from New York.

RIGHT FROM TOP The framed painting is by Annie and was created using a scratching technique. The central animal sculpture in front came from the Congo and is made from wood and nails. Behind are phials of Peruvian pigment; looking down into the garden room: the sculpture by the door is a reproduction of an ancient Greek kouros made from resin. Colourful cushions from Africa, India and Mexico add splashes of vibrant colour.

The floor and dado leading downstairs are painted in Antibes Green, while walls leading up are painted in English Yellow. An Indonesian wood carving is displayed alongside a terracotta bowl.

In the dining room, Emperor’s Silk walls give warmth to the decorative effect. The table was painted by Annie in an abstract design with an Old Violet base. The chairs are covered in different shades of Annie Sloan’s two-tone linen.

ABOVE Cupboards painted in Graphite contrast with the colourful mural of a juggling figure painted by Annie. The wall beyond is painted Antibes Green, and above, an L-shaped trough studded with architectural remnants, also painted in Graphite, provides a container for a flourishing assortment of houseplants.

ABOVE The main bedroom is decorated in cool colours: Annie’s husband David made the headboard from odd pieces of salvaged furniture and Annie painted and gilded it to add to the decorative effect. Walls are painted in Aubusson Blue with the ceiling and door in Versailles. The peacock lamps are made from brassy coloured metal which Annie painted in Versailles.

Annie painted the mural on the side of the bath and the reproduction mirror over the basin. The outside of the plastic shower curtain is covered with crewel work. The sink unit was made with a salvaged French door painted in Versailles. Tiles came from Welbeck Tiles in Devon. The wall cupboard is Italian.