Annie Sloan Furniture Painting Retreat

For the fourth year running we are giving you the 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 Monday 1st of February to Saturday 6th of February 2027.

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.

You will stay in the stunning Bujera Fort in Udaipur, chosen for its inspiring beauty, splendour, and comfort - as well as its proximity to world famous cultural landmarks. Here you will have exclusive use of the hotel and enjoy delicious food and drink prepared by local chefs, and take part in additional activities,  such as yoga, all designed to enhance a sense of restful escapism.

This Furniture Painting Retreat is designed to cater to guests with varying degrees of experience with Chalk Paint: from total beginners to professional painters. The teaching will be delivered in English.

Our all-inclusive 6-day Furniture Painting Retreat is priced between £4,320 and £5,150, depending on your preferred room selection.

Early booking is essential to secure your place as places are limited to just 15.

Price includes:

• Five night’s accommodation including breakfast, lunch and dinner.

• Private room within the grounds of our beautiful hotel.

• An evening aperitif and two cocktails from our specially selected menu plus wine or beer during the evening meal. Additional drinks not included.

• 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.

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

• Transfers from Udaipur Airport

• An Annie Sloan ‘goody bag’ worth £250 for each guest delivered to your home.

• Opportunities to visit the local villages and Bujera Fort's farm garden.

Plus Furniture Painting:

• The opportunity to learn directly from Annie and Tristan through 1:1 tuition, expert demonstrations and hands-on workshops

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

• Decorative techniques to enhance your painting (such as Gilding, Stencilling, Decoupaging, Textured paint, Frottage, Smooth Finishes, Fabric Dyeing, Ombré/Blending, Pattern Making, Sgraffito and Mark Making).

• Painting on Fabric Workshop using traditional Indian block prints and Shibori technique.

• All paints and materials supplied.

• Q&A, interview and book signings with Annie.

About Your Hotel

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 is constructed on purely traditional lines with hand carved stone, stone windows and salvaged doors, 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.

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.

Inside there is a library, a games table, a drawing room and a breakfast room for dining. For further information about Bujera Fort go to website: http://www.bujerafort.com or Instagram @bujerafort

We encourage guests to come with partners or family members. Please email us to discuss rates for non-painting or sharing guests.

There are three room options available for your stay: Two Master Suites and the rest are Standard Rooms offering beautiful views plus two Smaller Rooms, which are cosy and offer a serene, tucked-away experience.

The delightful Shakti at Bujera Fort will be very happy to provide further details and help you choose the room that best suits you.

About Rajasthan

Rajasthan is a place that celebrates colour like no other. In the country’s north-western corner Rajasthan is known for its stunning palaces and impressive forts. The ornate architecture tells the tale of eras gone by, while the artisanal crafting traditions and attention to decorative detail remains appreciated centuries later.

“Rajasthan is one of the most inspiring and beautiful places I have ever visited.” Annie Sloan

Beyond the architecture and royal palaces, the vibrancy and the colour that greets you at every turn is the defining feature of Rajasthan, making it the perfect place for a creative Furniture Painting Retreat. Throughout the history of Rajasthan, generations of people have 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.

Tickets are non-refundable. If, in the unlikely scenario that the retreat is cancelled, you will be refunded 100% of ticket price. We strongly recommend obtaining travel insurance to protect yourself should you not be able to attend after booking.

Full Schedule

Day 1

Arrivals throughout the morning, we recommend arriving the day before the reatreat so you are rested and raring to go. 

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

Annie Interview and Q&A

Pre-dinner cocktail and aperitifs by the fireside

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

Breakfast

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

Dinner

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

Breakfast

Shibori. Annie.
Painting cotton rugs. Tristan.

Lunch

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

Dinner
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

Breakfast

An introduction to ombré. Tristan
Painting traditional Indian wooden objects. Annie and Tristan
A demonstration by Annie on a small piece of furniture.

Lunch

Texture and gilding. Tristan
A walk around the local villages and farmland.

Work on your own wooden cabinet.

Afternoon Tea

Optional social media workshop

Pre-dinner cocktail and aperitifs by the fireside

Afternoon - optional massage and physiotherapy sessions

Dinner 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

Breakfast

Painting your own wooden cabinet

Lunch

Painting your own wooden cabinet

Afternoon Tea

Painting your own wooden cabinet and finishing projects

Optional photography discussion

Pre-dinner cocktail and aperitifs by the fireside

Dinner 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.

On the final evening we will celebrate with a special evening event.

Day 6

Breakfast 8:30-9:30am

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

Departures and fond farewells from 11am

As an optional extra at the conclusion of the retreat, Annie and Tristian will travel on to Jaipur and Jodhpur for an exclusive, guided wholesale shopping experience. This is a rare opportunity to source directly with expert guidance in two of India’s most inspiring and design-rich cities. Guests will enjoy hands-on access to traditional wooden block printing, vibrant textiles, distinctive furniture, and beautifully crafted decorative pieces — an immersive way to connect with authentic craftsmanship at its source.

Spaces are strictly limited, so please get in touch for pricing and further details if you would like to join this special extension. To register your interest for this addiotnal trip please email tristan@anniesloan.com

LOCATION

Bujera Fort, Udaipur, 313031