Rekindled Love on Bank St

It was the completion of two house renovations and a new home build which began a love of interior design for Tanya Maich.

This sparked a passion for transforming furniture and household items to fit in with the décor, which then lead the former teacher and mother of two pre-schoolers to discover Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan. From there evolved her business Rekindled Love Furniture.

Tanya purchased her first tin of Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan in 2013 and instantly fell in love.

"I loved how you could take something ordinary and make it look extraordinary or bring out the hidden detail and interest on a piece simply by painting with Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan and finishing it with a quick wax. The best part of all of is that there is generally no need to sand or prep before painting. So together, the ease of use and amazing outcome, not to mention the compliments from guests, inspired me to do more and then turn this into a business, inspiring others to do the same."

Tanya ran workshops for a year before she made it a business in February this year.

Her workshops teach a variety of painting and other decorative techniques, which doubles as some 'time-out' for many participants. Tanya also does one-on-one coaching.

"When coming to see me, customers can get all the support and technical knowledge they need. As a hand-picked stockist for Chalk Paint™ by Annie Sloan, I attended professional training in Australia by experts in the field and I pass all of this technical knowledge onto the workshop attendees and clients who visit the store.

"What I notice the most is that using these paints opens up a latent creativity in people and this can be attributed to the quality and ease of use of the product!

As soon as people start using these paints they realise how easy they are to use and quickly start 'mentally redecorating' their furniture and household items. There is a wave of excitement that comes over people when they realise that, with little effort, they too can create a look that they may have believed was reserved only for the 'experts'."

Tanya herself is constantly inspired to try new techniques and rekindle her love for pieces that have lost their lustre. A close second to this is inspiring others.

"I love seeing people gain the confidence to give this system of painting a go and seeing their pride when they share their painted projects with me."

Visitors can pop in to the shop to buy paint or use the onsite resources, including brushes or Tanya's technical knowledge. This can be done at any time of the day, including lunch breaks.