Developing your own style
with ANNIE SLOAN
Lesson 4 of 22
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As with any artistic endeavour, it’s key to establish your own personal style. Annie guides you through the process with tips and pointers to help you start your journey.
From the Lesson Workbook
Developing your own style
For home to be both somewhere you feel comfortable, and a place that fills you with joy, you need to hone your own sense of style.
Quick tips to get you started
Create a good view
- Look at the places for sitting in your home, and think about the view you'd like to see when you sit there.
- Also consider the viewpoint when you come into a room - a pleasing arrangement will draw you into that room and make it feel more welcoming.
Make connections
- Introducing elements of colour that mirror each other is a great way to make your home feel more cohesive.
- For example, a blue vase on the windowsill could connect with blue in a painting and then bits of blue in a patterned cushion.
Seek out the feel-good factor
- Painting things in your home is not only a brilliant way to unlock your creativity, but the sense of accomplishment after completing a project makes you feel good too!
- Second hand finds or pieces you've had for a long time make for a particularly pleasing project as you can give them a whole new lease of life.
Artistic influences
- Pieter Bruegel
- Paul Gauguin
- Ben Nicholson
- Eric Ravilious
- Duncan Grant
- Vanessa Bell
- The Two Roberts
- Francisco de Goya
- Pablo Picasso
- Henri Matisse
Developing your sense of style
When starting the journey of discovering your sense of style, don't feel as though you need to immediately step out of your comfort zone. You can begin by gently trying new things, or learning about different artists and styles.
The best thing about paint is you can always add more layers and change the colour, so it doesn't matter if you make mistakes or decide you don't like something. Change it and try something new - this process will be really helpful in finding out what you like. The worst thing you can do is over think, so don't do that! Instead, give yourself time to enjoy the journey and slowly experiment.
One way to begin to understand your own sense of style is to think about which colours you're drawn to. This could be a mix of colours you like to wear, or colours you like to be surrounded by in your home. Even if you are mostly attracted to a neutral palette, try to incorporate a few hints of colour here and there to help everything pop.
Don't compare yourself to other people - trust your instincts and opt for colours that you find exciting.
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Your Instructor
Annie Sloan
Artist, colour expert, author and inventor of Chalk Paint. CBE for services to interior design.
Renowned author, artist and designer, Annie Sloan, is one of the world’s most popular experts in the field of decorative painting. After studying Fine Art at university in the 1970s, Annie went on to write her first book, The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques – which is widely considered to be the industry bible on the subject. Since then, she has published 26 books on paint effects, colour, and interior design, and has transformed the world of furniture painting with the creation of her revolutionary paint, Chalk Paint. Passionate about empowering interior designers and hobbyists to reinvent their living spaces, Annie’s expertise and creative flair has led her to being named one of Britain's most influential female designers.
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