Tuesday 8 April 2014

shopping for chalk paint



The first time I bought some AS chalk paint was in Blakes in Hove. They had some beautiful furniture, but the owner wasn't particularly friendly, in fact she was rather snooty.
So the second time I wanted some chalk paint I went to a small shop only ten minutes from the first one, in Portslade. There wasn't much furniture to look at but the owner was really pleasant, so a couple of weeks ago I drove there again to get some red for the chairs at work and maybe a couple of sample pots for me !

I was really happy to see that they had moved to much larger premises, and were showcasing loads of gorgeous things.
As you can see, it was a very sunny day. I love all the chandeliers, and the way AS fabrics were being displayed, as a banner across the ceiling.
I got a litre of Emperors Silk and made a start but as we need somewhere for the customers to sit (and I don't want a house full of furniture), it'll be slow going.
One down, quite a few to go !
 
It wasn't my intention to match the paint to the fabric because we intend on changing it, and it's a bit of a scarlet red, as opposed to the pillar box red that we have used elsewhere, but I will paint some of the other chairs in a different shade. It wouldn't suit the café if everything matched.

I like the look of the red against the dark wood though.
Btw, Blakes the first shop, seems to have gone from Hove, but moved to Devon, although it's now selling a different make of chalk paint !
 
 

14 comments:

  1. wow I might get lost in that place

    ReplyDelete
  2. LOVE the shop . . . love the way they displayed the ASCP and the AS fabric . . . and I must agree that everyone loves Annie.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice work on the chairs, the red is beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great job, Fiona! Love that shade, and it looks lovely with the fabric!

    What an amazing shop! How lucky you are to have that kind of merchandise all in one store, along with the chalk paint! Although we have places like this in Canada, where I am now, sadly, Crete doesn't.

    Have a wonderful week!

    Poppy

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oh how I wish I could simply transport myself over there...what a fabulous looking shop. And, perhaps I could just hang around and help you paint.. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm in love with so many things in that shop. The dressers, the tables, the old clocks, that blue and wood little desk (?) we can see at some point... It's a nice place to buy paint from. My chalk paint stockist here is a florist, who is a very nice lady. I love the way the chairs look with red paint. It must be fun to redo the café in a different way you redo your house.

    ReplyDelete
  7. That will teach the owner to be snooty, maybe next time she will be friendly and make a sale and gain a customer.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a great shop! I would have so much fun looking through it! Love the red on that chair! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Your chairs are beautiful! I have yet to paint a chair, but yours are inspiring for sure! Lots of eye candy in that second store. I try never to give my money to snooty people who act like they don't want it anyway! LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  10. That shop looks amazing! Have you ever tried to make your own chalk paint from paint and plaster of paris?
    Your chairs look great with the dark wood showing through the paint. x

    ReplyDelete
  11. Isn't it amazing when you go in to a shop and they are snooty? Makes me wonder if they really want to sell something! Love emperors silk with dark wood. It's just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  12. not sure how i missed this great post, but, i just love that shop, fiona! ( the wood showing through the red is awesome! good for you not supporting a snooty business--life is too short for snooty! have a great week:)

    ReplyDelete
  13. I wish I had an inspiration store like that in my area!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Love that shop, lots of goodies! I just gave the Emperor's silk a try and I'm loving it!

    ReplyDelete

It's always a pleasure to receive your comments. I really enjoy reading them, and a huge thank you if you are following as well !