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Monday, April 27, 2015

Why do they call it "Chalk Paint" anyway?


Over twenty years ago, artist Annie Sloan, was looking for a paint that had versatility.  She was in search of a paint that would go over a multitude of surfaces and finishes, a paint with which she could create texture if she wanted. Annie was in search of a paint that met her needs as an artist and as a mother of three boys under the age of seven.  She didn’t have time to strip, sand and prime furniture.  She especially did not want to fill her home with toxic fumes and chemicals. She wanted to be able to start painting a piece in the morning and have it back in place by the afternoon. Annie couldn’t find a paint that fit her needs, so she invented one.


Annie called her paint “Chalk” paint because of its flat velvety finish.  Her paint contains no chalk or plaster, it is not a milk paint. Annie Sloan Chalk Paint has nothing to do with the current chalk paint craze, it is not chalk board paint.  What Annie’s paint IS is the answer for creative busy people.

There is no need for stripping, sanding, or priming with Annie’s paint.  You must start with a clean surface, but that surface can be painted wood, varnished, lacquered, raw wood, brick, concrete, laminate, plaster, just about anything you can imagine.  The adhesion quality of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint is unbelievable.  You can apply it thick or as a wash. Her palette of colors was formulated in a fashion where by each color can stand on its own or you may mix them which affords you the ability of creating your own personal hue.  

Come join me in the paint studio and learn how versatile and easy it is to use Annie Sloan Chalk Paint. We have classes scheduled now at Black Dog Salvage!

Susan Hudson


   

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Roanoke Valley HOME Magazine features custom addition by Blue Ridge Residential and Black Dog Salvage


Be sure to stop by the shop to pick up the Spring 2015 issue of 

Roanoke Valley Home Magazine.

Flip to page 40 for "Home, Reimagined" featuring a beautiful custom addition by Robert Kulp.  This project was a great collaboration between Robert's two companies: Blue Ridge Residential and Black Dog Salvage .

Here's an excerpt, reprinted with permission from HOME Magazine with images by Kevin Hurley Photography




"In their first renovation, while they were still in Mississippi, the Johns redid the kitchen, added the extra bedroom, and then stopped.  In their rush to make the home habitable for their family, Chris and Jenny did a few things they wish they had done differently.  They felt like their renovated kitchen was not large enough, that the family simply needed more space than they realized.  So a few years after settling into their home, the couple called in their dear friend Robert Kulp of Black Dog Salvage and Blue Ridge Residential for his assistance to correct these issues. Kulp understood exactly how Chris and Jenny wanted to enhance their home.  "His vision is like ours, open and rustic," says Jenny.  The result of their collaboration is an enormous great room that extends from the back of the kitchen.


Kulp has created a family-friendly space including a huge sunroom and outdoor entertainment zone. The John home is the neighborhood gathering place.  As Harris says, "It is all about 'come in, sit down and be comfortable."

Thanks to Kulp and his vision, an expansive 500-square-foot sunroom extends into their back yard.  With three walls of windows, hewn beams and a high ceiling, the room is dramatic and perfect for an active family.  With Kulp's contacts in the salvage world, he was able to reclaim beams from an old barn and resurrect the floors from a Birmingham tobacco barn.  The outer brick wall of the original home is now an inside wall.  Oriental rugs cover portions of the floor to add warmth and style.  A large table stretches across a portion of the room and is ideal fro projects, homework or a holiday dinner.  Jenny describes this as "the best room of the house."  It is a family room, a party room, an everything room.


Kulp recognized the importance of entertainment space, and used this great room as the anchor.  An area closest to the kitchen serves as a wet bar, complete with wine refrigerators, a sink and a small bar.  An outer door leads to a side porch and an outdoor kitchen with a large grill, smoker, cooking area and fireplace.  Nearby outdoor seating and a generous-sized patio doubling as a dance floor are ideal extensions of this new addition."

- for the full article, click HERE