Flip through photographs of homes of the very wealthy and you won’t see a lot of bare wood. Furniture is either highly glossed or adorned with elaborate finishes that cost thousands. While a cherub-painted ceiling and gold-embossed night-stands might not be to your taste, a few ornate pieces here and there can really bring a home to life.Â
Van Gogh Chalk Paint Collection, created by Kathy Van Gogh of Vancouver, B.C., aims to bring that kind of opulence to you and me, affordably. Those of us who love to play with paints can do it ourselves. Fancy finish fanciers who don’t have the time or inclination can pick up furnishings already finished by one of their Paintologists, a select retailer who is adept at using the products.
Although chalk paint is just catching on as a user-friendly and durable option, Kathy Van Gogh says it’s really been around for thousands of years. It creates a velvety finish that can be topped with gentle beeswax or a hard-as-nails clear-coat. As a decorative artist trained in Canada, the US and Europe, Kathy learned all of the tricks and ancient methods in order to embellish the homes of her rich clients.
“I was trained by masters in Italy to do Venetian plaster. I learned all of the traditional methods for doing true fresco. So I’ve brought that high-end decorative knowledge and boiled it down to a simple do-it-yourself-system that anybody can do.”
That mirrored look on a dresser that costs several thousand dollars or the iridescent shine on a pricey table-top can be achieved with some know-how and a couple of jars from Van Gogh. Ease of use is one of the advantages Van Gogh Chalk Paint has over other types of paints. It goes on without a primer and it rubs off with a wet rag before it’s sealed, allowing the user to create the shabby-chic look of distressed furniture without sanding.
Kathy believes anyone can do it after a brief tutorial on her Furniture Make-up and other products.
“What’s the most different about us is that we really want to empower people to feel great about what they do. Even if it’s one chair at a time. In the decorative industry there are so many very closely guarded secrets. There are only a few people who have these old school skills and they’re hard to acquire. We’re trying to break that open and share that knowledge without ego.”
Old school meets new school in Van Gogh where they’re adding contemporary finishes and their bold colour line can be mixed to create custom hues.
“When you start with pastels you have nowhere else to go. I have made sure that our palette includes the three primary colours so you can make any colour you want. We have a new tool called Mix This with That. It’s a colour mixing chart that I’ve simplified. You can get over 500 colours and that doesn’t even include using white.”
Van Gogh’s Paintologists will happily demonstrate techniques alongside a selection of furniture that’s already expertly finished. They conduct workshops and classes and Kathy makes the rounds to keep them up to date on the latest products and how they’re used. Kathy Van Gogh is like the owner of Hair Club for Men; she’s not only the President, she’s also a client.
“I’m currently working on my kitchen counter. I’ll top it with Furniture Frosting which is a tough sealer as well as a finish. But because a countertop takes so much punishment, I’ll be adding four coats of Table Top Finish.”
When the company founder is still as excited about using her products as she was the day she started the business, it’s no wonder their slogan is “c’mon – get your hands dirty!”
Find a retailer at www.vangoghfurniturepaintology.com