Step Inside Artist Annie Sloan’s 1776 French Farmhouse

Step Inside Artist Annie Sloan’s 1776 French Farmhouse
Photography by Christopher Drake, Chalk Paint© by Annie Sloan

Text by Katie Ellis

When British artist Annie Sloan, best known for her expertise on decorative painting techniques, purchased an 18th-century farmhouse in Northwest France, she found not only a serene retreat in which to relax but also a fresh canvas on which to create. While she and her husband, David, reside in Oxford, England, their charming farmhouse in Normandy has been a creative sanctuary for the past 30 years. Annie visits their French dwelling multiple times a year, and with each stay comes a long-awaited exhale of calm. “When I arrive, I can’t believe how content I am,” she says. “The house is incredibly unpretentious. The area isn’t touristy, so it’s a casual retreat.”

Living Room Windows
Photography by Christopher Drake, Chalk Paint© by Annie Sloan

The farmhouse has been an ever-evolving project for Annie, and she’s taken a decidedly more relaxed design scheme than with her home in England. The colorful retreat is meant for extended family gatherings and a special place to create memories with her grown sons and her three grandchildren. When Annie and David bought the 1776 farmhouse, it was in desperate need of both care and repair—including removing the chickens and other animals that were living upstairs. Annie was committed to staying true to the home’s character and simply buffing the rough edges until its history and charm shined through. “It’s not a grand house. It has wobbly walls and things that don’t work,” Annie says. “I wanted to bring out its original charm.” The couple worked through the necessary updates and repairs and then quickly got to work adding fresh life and color throughout.

Living Room Fireplace
Photography by Christopher Drake, Chalk Paint© by Annie Sloan

The original architecture and textured walls are now highlighted by Annie’s selection of bold color and décor. In the sitting room, the large hearth beckons family and friends to sit for a spell. The room feels intimately cozy and full of colorful details like an accent wall painted in a soft pink, the hand-painted mural above the fireplace, and the painted blue ceiling accented with blue-green beams, all finished using products from her Chalk Paint® line. “These rooms are slightly dark, and blue is cool and fresh,” Annie says.

Table
Photography by Christopher Drake, Chalk Paint© by Annie Sloan

In the dining room, a collection of 19th-century Brittany chairs received a relaxed, contemporary face-lift with a bold array of sea greens to blues that can’t help but shine when paired with a vintage table. The room’s hand-painted wallpaper was an artistic idea that Annie says developed over time. “I stenciled the walls in the dining room a long time ago using stencils found in a shop in France,” she says. “I kept overlaying them fully and partly in several different colors until I was happy with the look.” To balance the room’s vibrant energy, Annie stuck to neutrals throughout the rest of the space—using Chalk Paint® in different shades of gray on the door frames and the bottom half of the walls.

Guest Bedroom
Photography by Christopher Drake, Chalk Paint© by Annie Sloan

The guest bedroom is filled with flea market treasures. Annie set the stage for a comfy retreat by painting the walls and the floor with a whitewash of Chalk Paint® before layering in decorative accents with a serene palette of blues. She mixed a variety of blue paint colors to create a soft rustic look on the headboard. Across the room, an old French armoire stores bed linens, and a rocking bed, painted using Chalk Paint® in Louis Blue, is used when Annie’s grandchildren come to visit. The armoire also houses a stunning collection of 1920s and 1930s French novels with woodblock printed illustrations for added interest and texture. “Whenever I see them, I buy these collectors’ items,” Annie says. “They’re hand stitched, and the paper is lovely and soft.”

Exterior
Photography by Christopher Drake, Chalk Paint© by Annie Sloan

As a talented, creative artist, Annie continues to pour love into her French retreat, which is forever changing. Thanks to a stunning rural backdrop of Normandy, France, the inspiration is never in short supply. “In France, I like to paint,” she says, “but I also enjoy visiting markets and eating great food.” And it’s easy to see that the nearly 250-year-old farmhouse is the perfect place to return to after a long day enjoying the local cuisine and countryside.

 

Shop our latest issues for more inspiration!