Annie Sloan Furniture Painting Retreat in India

This is an exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to join Annie Sloan in Udaipur, Rajasthan, India for five nights and six days at our totally one-of-a-kind Annie Sloan Furniture Painting Retreat from 20^th February 2025 to 25^th February 2025. The stunning venue, Bujera Fort, has been carefully chosen for its inspiring beauty, splendour, and comfort - as well as its proximity to world famous cultural landmarks.

The Furniture Painting Retreat will be hosted by Chalk Paint inventor and colour queen, Annie Sloan herself alongside Tristan Merriam, owner of Doghead Designs & an Annie Sloan Brand Ambassador. Throughout the Furniture Painting Retreat you will benefit from one-on-one guidance from Annie and Tristan and enjoy the camaraderie and joy of creative collaboration with your fellow painters in India’s “jewel in the crown”. Our Furniture Painting Retreats are the ultimate immersive experience for furniture painting beginners and experts alike.

Furniture Painting Retreats are also an opportunity to enjoy delicious food and drink prepared by local chefs, and take part in additional activities, such as yoga and cookery, designed to enhance the sense of restful escapism. You’ll also meet supportive, like-minded individuals over the course of the six days.

The first Furniture Painting Retreat at Bujera Fort was held in 2024 and was such a resounding success that the decision was made to repeat the event in 2025.

This 6-day Furniture Painting Retreat includes:

• Lots of time painting, with hands-on opportunities to learn from Annie and Tristan about many Chalk Paint techniques.

• Annie Sloan Techniques Workshops such as basic principles of Chalk Paint; How to Wax; How to Create Texture; Annie’s Signature Two Step Distressing Technique etc.

• You will learn about beautiful, historical decorative techniques to enhance your painting (such as Gilding, Stencilling, Decoupaging, Frottage, Craquelure, Smooth Finishes, Fabric Dyeing, Ombré/Blending, Pattern Making, Sgraffito and Mark Making).

• A Painting on Fabric Workshop: each guest will receive a rug and we will spend time designing and painting using traditional Indian block prints. We will also experiment with Shibori – using Chalk Paint to dye fabric.

• Learning will be delivered through a combination of expert demonstrations and hands-on workshops, a highly effective way to learn and refine your skills.

• Annie will be present for the duration of the Furniture Painting Retreat with plenty of opportunities for conversation, socialising and photographs.

• You’ll have access to 1:1 tuition with Annie and Tristan whilst working on your own pieces.

• You’ll be given the opportunity to work on small pieces, provided for you to upcycle, such as locally sourced Indian cabinets, papier maché bowls and wooden boxes.

• There will a Q&A and interview with Annie, as well an opportunity to have any books signed.

• There will be optional opportunities for social media coaching, and guidance on how to maximise your online presence.

• Five night’s accommodation and all catering (breakfasts, lunches and dinners) is included. Each evening we will gather around the fire in the gardens of Bujera Fort for an evening aperitif and two cocktails of your choice from our specially selected menu. Wine or beer will be complimentary during the evening meal. Guests will be responsible for ordering additional drinks and running their own tab if they would like anything other than these drinks.

• Each guest will have their own private room within the grounds of our beautiful hotel. Each room is unique.

• A half-day guided tour of the City of Udaipur including The City Palace, The Palace Museum and parts of the Old City.

• Four yoga sessions, one massage session and one physiotherapy session per guest. These are non-compulsory and booked direct when you are at Bujera Fort.

• An art talk with local artist and photographer, Rajesh Soni, who specialises in miniature painting.

• Free cookery classes so you can learn from the Bujera Fort in-house chefs.

• Transfers from Udaipur Airport (please note that you will need to provide your flight details prior to the Furniture Painting Retreat so that these transfers can be organised for you).

• Annie Sloan ‘goody bags’ worth £250 for each guest. These will be sent your home address after the Furniture Painting Retreat.

• We also build in “downtime” to relax and engage with the beautiful surroundings.

• There will be opportunities to visit the local villages and farmland which are a short walk from Bujera Fort.

• We encourage guests to come with partners or family members. A number of bedrooms also have two beds so if you are interested in coming with a significant other who wants to participate in the Furniture Painting Retreat, then please email us for details of a discounted shared room rate. If you attend with someone who does not wish to participate in the Furniture Painting Retreat but wishes to stay at Bujera Fort, please note that accommodation, all meals, drinks and activities such as yoga, massage and physiotherapy are separate, and guests are responsible for arranging and paying for these direct with Bujera Fort. If you would like more information regarding these costs please email info@bujerafort.com

We are hosting this luxury Furniture Painting Retreat in Rajasthan because it’s a place that celebrates colour like no other. The province of Rajasthan nestles in the country’s north-western corner and is known for its stunning palaces and impressive forts that were once the backdrop for everything from Burkha soldiers to war elephants. The ornate architecture tells the tale of eras gone by, while the artisanal crafting traditions and attention to decorative detail remains appreciated centuries later. Annie has described this region as one of the most inspiring and beautiful places she has ever visited.

Beyond the architecture and royal palaces, the vibrancy and the colour that greets you at every turn is the defining feature of Rajasthan. You will be enchanted and inspired, which is what makes this the perfect place for a creative Furniture Painting Retreat. Throughout the history of Rajasthan, generations of kings and queens, warrior factions and religious houses have each ingrained their own sapphire, fuchsia, saffron, crimson, turquoise, indigo, or magenta into the fabric of the region; and behind each colour is a story. Familiarise yourself with these stories, choose your own colours, and discover how to create joy with them under Annie and Tristan’s expert tutelage. 

This Furniture Painting Retreat is designed to cater to guests with varying degrees of experience with Chalk Paint: from total beginners to professional painters.

We welcome guests from India as well as international guests. The teaching will be delivered in English.

Price £5500

About Bujera Fort

In one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Bujera Fort is Udaipur's only boutique hotel and is situated on the edge of the small village of Bujera. It is a spectacular, newly built fortress, on the west side of Lake Pichola, with views of the City Palace, Lake Palace, the Monsoon Palace and Fateh Garh Castle. It is just forty minutes from Udaipur airport and just a one-hour flight from both Delhi and Mumbai and forty minutes from Jaipur.

Bujera Fort India

Bujera Fort is constructed on purely traditional lines with eighty-six hand carved stone columns and many stone windows in locally sourced stone. Virtually all the doors and windows are salvaged, creating the feeling of being in a centuries-old building.

The creation of interior designer Richard Hanlon and Trish McFarlane, Bujera Fort has immense style and sophistication throughout. It has all the feel and atmosphere of a glorious English country house with wonderful fabrics interspersed with Indian antiques, fabrics and style. You will only find the finest quality mattresses, pillows and bed linen here, comfort being extremely important for guests. In summer there is full central air conditioning and in winter there is heating, working fireplaces and hot water bottles for those chillier winter nights.

Bujera Fort is truly gorgeous, small, friendly and welcoming and feels like your own home, with full, but unobtrusive service and staff to make you feel totally looked after.

In the central courtyard there is a swimming pool surrounded by flower-filled gardens with many secluded areas and fountains – a dreamy place to read a book or contemplate the views…or in this case, PAINT!

Inside there is a library, a games table, a drawing room with a silver grand piano and a breakfast room for dining.

Some of the 2024 guests enjoying their time

About Annie Sloan

Annie Sloan invented her revolutionary furniture paint, Chalk Paint, in 1990 and hasn’t stopped refining and improving her formula since. She is widely considered one of the world’s leading authorities in paint, colour and style.

Annie Sloan Furniture Painting Retreat India

Nobody is better qualified to invent and manufacture paint than Annie Sloan. Annie’s first book, The Complete Book of Decorative Paint Techniques, was published in 1988. Since then, she has published 26 books on paint effects, colour and interior design.

The invention of Chalk Paint resulted from Annie’s need for a paint that could be used to achieve endless decorative effects – and quickly. Chalk Paint satisfies that brief perfectly, as it can be applied to wood, glass, metal, brick and even laminate, left to dry, and then waxed within one day. This helped to accommodate for Annie’s busy lifestyle as a working mother to three boys.

One of the dining areas at Bujera Fort

Booking Information

Early booking is essential to secure your place as places are limited to just 15. The total cost of the retreat is £5500. There are options on Ticket Tailor to split payments if this is your preference.

Please note that if you would like to arrive at Bujera Fort early or stay later, you will need to contact the Manager, Shakti Singh, at info@bujerafort.com to make your own arrangements. Alternatively, we can recommend Emma Horne, a travel agent, who can help you find accommodation and arrange trips either side of the Retreat. Her email address is emma@emmahornetravel.com (+919810579134 +447557387807 +971553377385). Annie and Tristan will be arriving a couple of days before the Retreat begins but will be busy setting up and organising the activities and cannot meet with guests.

We have chosen to work with smaller objects for our painting activities which can be easily transported home. If you would like Bujera Fort to arrange for these to be shipped home for you, they can provide this service and quote you for your shipment during the Furniture Painting Retreat, based on weight and size of the parcel.

Tickets are non-refundable. If, in the unlikely scenario that the retreat is cancelled, you will be refunded 100% of ticket price.

If you would like to see further information about Bujera Fort, please visit their website: http://www.bujerafort.com or their Instagram @bujerafort

Painting Indian wooden cabinets

Full Schedule

Day 1

Arrivals throughout the morning (please ensure you have notified Bujera Fort of your flight details so that transportation from Udaipur Airport to Bujera Fort can be arranged).

Lunch 1pm

An introduction to ‘free painting’ and brushes. Annie
Blending and Frottage. Tristan

Afternoon tea

Annie Interview and Q&A 6pm

Pre-dinner cocktail and aperitifs by the fireside 7pm

Dinner 8pm
Cooking Demonstrations: Guests are invited to watch the chefs prepare the evening meal in the kitchen and learn how the food is sourced and prepared.

Day 2

Optional Yoga* 7:30-8:30am

Breakfast 8:30-9:30am

Use of pattern and mark-making, painting locally sourced papier mâché bowls. Tristan

Lunch 1pm

Painting wooden boxes using stencils. Annie

Afternoon tea and an Art Talk by Rajesh Soni.

Pre-dinner cocktail and aperitifs by the fireside 7pm

Dinner 8pm
Cooking Demonstrations: Guests are invited to watch the chefs prepare the evening meal in the kitchen and learn how the food is sourced and prepared.

Day 3

Optional Yoga* 7:30-8:30am

Breakfast 8:30-9:30am

Shibori. Annie.
Painting cotton rugs. Tristan.

Lunch at 12pm

Visit to Udaipur – The City Palace and Museum and a walk down through the Old City to the lakeside as well as a visit to Rajesh Soni’s Studio.

Pre-dinner cocktail and aperitifs by the fireside 7pm

Dinner at 8pm
Cooking Demonstrations: Guests are invited to watch the chefs prepare the evening meal in the kitchen and learn how the food is sourced and prepared.

Day 4

Optional Yoga* 7:30-8:30am

Breakfast 8:30-9:30am

An introduction to ombré. Tristan

Painting traditional Indian wooden objects. Annie and Tristan

A demonstration by Annie on a small piece of furniture.

Lunch at 12:30-1:30pm

Texture and gilding. Tristan

A walk around the local villages and farmland.

Begin work on your own wooden cabinet. This is your opportunity to explore your own style and experiment with colour and creativity and draw on all of the techniques we have taught and sights we have seen in Udaipur!

Afternoon Tea

Optional social media workshop 6pm. Annie and Tristan

Pre-dinner cocktail and aperitifs by the fireside 7pm

Dinner at 8pm
Cooking Demonstrations: Guests are invited to watch the chefs prepare the evening meal in the kitchen and learn how the food is sourced and prepared.

Day 5

Optional Yoga* 7:30-8:30am

Breakfast 8:30-9:30am

Painting your own wooden cabinet

Lunch at 12:30-1:30pm

Painting your own wooden cabinet

Afternoon Tea

Painting your own wooden cabinet and finishing off o

ther projects

Optional photography Discussion 6-7pm. Annie and Tristan

Pre-dinner cocktail and aperitifs by the fireside 7pm

Dinner at 8pm
Cooking Demonstrations: Guests are invited to watch the chefs prepare the evening meal in the kitchen and learn how the food is sourced and prepared.

Day 6

Breakfast 8:30-9:30am

An opportunity to photograph and stage your painted cabinet.
Group photos.

Departures and fond farewells from 11am

During the afternoons, optional massage and physiotherapy sessions will take place. A rota of guests who wish to participate in these will be created upon arrival.

*Yoga – these sessions are very gentle and relaxing. Please don’t feel any pressure to join in with this activity but we would encourage you to come and have a go!