Paintlounge

The Urban Craze
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Reviewed by: Brian

Want something a little different than your typical meet up spot or lounge downtown, here’s an option – PaintLounge. Paintlounge is located around the Highway 7 and Warden area in Markham. Samantha the Chief Paintlounger or aka, the brains behind it all didn’t graduate with an art degree or something, in fact it was far from that. She’s coming from an engineering background and even worked as a banker. But before becoming ‘responsible’, she has always loved painting. In fact, she started when she was 3 and once she got hold of a paintbrush, she couldn’t put it down.

When asked to put into seven words or less for how she would describe Paintlounge, Sam answers,

“A space for everyone to create art.”

That was the inspiration behind it all. She found that space and supplies was always a problem in Toronto and art studios tended to be primarily for artists. There wasn’t really a space for “non-artist” to simply come in and paint without worrying about the hassle of supplies. Sam found art to be a good way to relax during her free time, a little break from it all.

How it works at Paintlounge is everything is supplied. All you have to do is pick your canvas size and all the paint and paintbrushes are provided. The cost does increase as bigger canvas sizes are selected, but you can always have a few friends help you create your masterpiece (max 3 people per canvas). As well, there are some light snacks like cookies and cupcakes that are supplied by awesomeinabox. Your usual suspects like coffee, lattes and tea found at a coffeshop are also available. In fact, I would recommend the Fiz Tea which is nice and light. It’s a little drink that’s actually made completely in house. If you find yourself coming back more often, then becoming an Elite member would be a good option. For $30 a year you get perks like a XS Canvas that’s 16×20″ (Valued at $30) on your birthday, priority waitlist for events and discount on all snacks and drinks.

If you’re a little less gifted in art like I am, there are talented staff on hand to even help someone like me create something memorable. Adult and kid workshops are also available if you want a more dedicated and focused program to hone in your skills. In addition to these workshops, Paintlounge host a number of events each month. They have an event called, Espressions which focuses on painting and music. People can come in and share their thoughts and mingle with a live band that plays right on site. This happens every last Saturday of the month. IHeartArt is another event that happens once every quarter where they mix speed dating with art. It’s an interesting concept that’s been really well received. They’ve already had 3 events so far with the next one slotted in for November.

Overall, I enjoyed Paintlounge. I mean, I wish there was a location downtown but I got a feeling that will come in time. And Samantha really embodies the spirit of Paintlounge… “a space for anyone to paint, just for a few hours, with supplies included and helpful staff to give you advice if you need some.” I hope you all get a chance to drop by. Maybe even bring a date to show your artsy side. =P. Here’s a little something to our readers. The first 5 comments to be added on this post on what painting means to you will get a $10 Discount off on your next visit to Paintlounge. We’ll email you a special discount that’s been given just to us. So check out Paintlounge, it’s a place to paint that masterpiece of yours that’s always been in your head. A place to let loose and get away from it all, even if it’s only for a few hours.

The Damage: starting at $30 for a XS Canvas (More prices here: Canvas Prices)