Shabby Chic Interior Design: The Fearless Elegance In Its Bold Simplicity

shabby chic interior design Interior Design Trends

Shabby Chic Interior design is the most beautiful mix of boho and charming styled interior design. This term can be reinterpreted as “worn chic” or “damaged chic” in English.

Simply originated in the United States in the 1980s and this style has gained popularity  worldwide in recent years. You might even have an shabby chic interior design in your room or simply pieces of it without even realizing it…

shabby chic interior design

Shabby chic interior design is distinguished by peaky light rooms, a romantic atmosphere and with the vintage’s artistic touch. We opt to choose boho furniture in weathered wood with a wornest effect possible.

White is widely used with some mixes of soft colors such as baby pink or creamy blue. And finally, the spirit have to remain natural with natural materials such as wood, linen or cotton.

Key accessories: How to define shabby chic interior design

In shabby chic interior design, there are a lot of little decorative items wide variety that fill the space. The following objects are often on display:

  • Aged bird cages: very whimsical, bird cages are used to place candles or flowers in pink and pastel yellow shades.
  • Candles: timeless and dreamy, we will place them in pretty candlesticks.
  • Tableware in an English rustic style: cups and plates in a refined and elegant style. Choose them with generous patterns and always in soft and pastel colors.
  • Old clocks: old clocks have a particular place in this type of interior, for an “Alice in Wonderland” type atmosphere.
  • Flowers and plants: they bring freshness and life to space.
  • Ribbons, bows, lace: to hang on a piece of furniture, cushions, the handle of a cabinet … To reinforce this soft and romantic atmosphere.

The Perfect in the imperfection

Nobody is perfect. The shabby chic interior design  knows it and claims it. Imperfections are his trademark. Launched in the 1980s by English designer Rachel Ashwell, this decorative style is making a comeback. “Shabby” means “worn out” in English.

The shabby decor therefore includes a minimum of old elements, mottled, retyped, patinated, which smell like the attic. If you don’t like roses and hydrangeas, go your way.

shabby chic interior design

If on the other hand you enjoy pretty old things, sanding and tinkering, or don’t have a big budget, this is for you! The shabby chic style, a trend that combines charm and elegance, is a romantic and feminine theme. It is very accessible when you have a creative mind, so find out how you can adopt it too!

Indispensable pink flowers

The shabby chic decor is perfectly suited to a new interior. It will then be necessary to insist on the small decoration. If you live in older accommodation and the floor is made of stone or aged parquet, you will be off to a good start. If you live in a recent construction, more modern coverings can be chosen.

On the other hand, opt for discreet shades to better bring out the pink flowers. Yes, pink flowers are a must. On the wall, a white or at least pastel, light paint is ideal. A lime wall might also be ideal. For the materials, choose between ash, beech, possibly pine and 100% natural textures.

Shabby chic style: British but not kitsch

For the decoration, do not force too much. Your interior could very quickly sink into the has-been. It must have a British air, but not kitsh. The shabby decor is reflected in floral patterns.

Patterns that can also be stripes like those printed on our grandmothers’ old mattresses and why not checks. If you want to give a little modern touch to your interior decoration in shabby chic style, you are allowed to use some oriental patterns. You can also mix different themes. Try it out! The  decorators can help you find decorating inspiration.

Shabby Chic Interior Design: The Fearless Elegance In Its Bold Simplicity

For the shabby chic interior design, forget the garish colors. Only soft and tender shades: white, pink, sea green, sky blue, purple, ivory are allowed. And no exceptions can be made. Hang cotton or linen fabrics on the beds or armchairs.

This will produce a relaxed and warm effect, a nod to the houses of yesteryear. An embroidered or lace tablecloth, a velvet sofa, a crystal chandelier, a porcelain teapot: this is what you need to be in tune with the “used” chic trend.

Do the shabby shabby chic interior design by yourself

For furniture, the advantage is that by showing a little inventiveness and Do it yourself, you can achieve the desired result. The furniture must be bright and patinated. A contemporary piece of furniture can, for example, be sanded. An old piece of furniture can be painted before it is worked as well. The technique is simple.

Simply apply one or more coats of paint and then sand with a sheet of very fine grit sandpaper until you achieve the desired degree of patina. Louis XV furniture has its place here.

shabby chic interior design

If you are not a handyman, you will find what you are looking for in furniture stores because the theme is very trendy. Rather vintage ascending shabby chic decoration or ascending family house or bohemian shabby chic decoration?

In both cases, choose metal or wood in small quantities, provided it is aged. A free-standing bathtub or a metal bed should be in your favor, but don’t hesitate to mismatch the furniture, in order to avoid the too classic side!

Where was the shabby style born?

At the origin of this trend: Rachel Ashwell, an Englishwoman who moved to sunny California in the 1980s. Her first decoration store, opened in Santa Monica, was to be so successful that she only needed to a few years to build a real empire and gain worldwide fame.

Nowadays most people opt for choosing shabby chic interior design not in simple decors, but for the whole house.

shabby chic interior design

Today at the head of her chain of Shabby Chic stores, she has written numerous books to reveal the secrets of her decor. The right recipe for shabby chic interior design? A clever mix of china and salvage, hand-made catering and an avowed eclecticism of styles and eras, in a “charming decor” spirit.

Create your shabby chic decor

So , you want to have a shabby chic interior design in your room and you are thinking about  having  shabby chic furniture? Do you have old, mismatched family furniture in your attic? No problem, they will necessarily do the trick. Clean them, sand them and age them as you want.

In a shabby chic interior design , patinas are of course king: work the paint with sandpaper or even candle, to underline or create scratches that will accentuate the “in its own juice” side. Do not hesitate to scratch or chip their edges to age them a little more! Even new furniture, after having been worked in this way, will give an illusion.

shabby chic interior design

Once you have the furniture, you just have to find the matching decoration. Always bet on neutral and light colors: white, ivory, beige. Then it’s all about taste:

  • in the United States, shabby chic is readily romantic and girly, when it doesn’t flirt with kitsch, with lots of pink, small flowers and lace.
  • In Scandinavian countries, bluish hues are preferred.
  • In France, shabby is more sober and leans more towards gray, for lovers of Gustavian atmospheres, and red, with a profusion of toile de Jouy.

The shabby shic decor, a dream solution for small budgets!

Last key to its success: the shabby chic style, elegant without being ostentatious, authentic while remaining simple, is within the reach of all budgets. Rather than buying new, you will be more likely to spruce up and redecorate what you have. Now you will easily find affordable products that will greatly simplify the task of less DIY enthusiasts.

Shabby chic decor: Where can we adopt it

 Relaxing  living room in shabby chic interior design

That’s the the room which can let your imagination work hard. Put on with vintage loveseat , in a pair with an aged dressing table made by wood. On the loveseat , arrange the cushions and the pleads with maximum cmfort and pleasance. You can add an elbow chair, can be in velvet, the perfect place to spend the evenings and just relax.

shabby chic interior design

Mix them up with ancient pieces of art and mirrors – with them you can artificially add the light and brightness. In order to add an invitation to curl up on your loveseat or to have a relax in the armchair, arrange the rugs, for a the maximum of comfort and warmth. Finish the decoration with natural plants. How do you think about a palm or just a cacti?

Of course, they will need light – to live in as much as possible. If your room has little natural light, replace them by adding vintage lanterns or a lighting fixture in minimalistic style.

Is shabby chic interior design adopted for kitchen?

The kitchen is the most visited places and needs to be lighty , airy and it easily adopts the mix of some styles: You can adopt some pieces of furniture, for instance classic or boho kitchen utensils , a small kithcen table from rustic style.

Shabby Chic Interior Design: The Fearless Elegance In Its Bold Simplicity

The aim is to create an aesthetic atmosphere with colours variety . Do you like colourful pots and pans? In this case create the shade play and bring the contrast in your kitchen with the utensils and decoration elements you prefer. The eclectic chic!

Calming bedroom with  shabby chic interior design elements

Metal bed frames can be a good starting base for a shabby chic interior design as they are present with no necessity to be very bulky and overhelming .

What concerns to the bedding, go for all broken white or all cream with colourful pillows and a patterned bedspread. Put on a more traditional dresser or cabinet. Finally, finish up with a carpet in a natural texture or colour. That’s it! The shabby chic  bedroom is almost ready.

shabby chic interior design

The Shabby Chic bathroom

There are two solutions possible to have you when it comes to tiling. Either go for charming pastel tiles or pick a more modern white rustic tile to play in contrast with the rest of the furnishing in the room.

When you chose white tiling for the floor, bring in muted, soft shades for the rest. And upside down, if you go for soft hued tiles on the floor, create an all-white bathroom otherwere. Then have a walk-in tub enthroned in the center of the room, a must-have for the Shabby chic bathroom. And pick an old-fashioned shower head and faucets.

Finally, once again mismatch the rest of the deco elements. Towels, baskets for the storage, choose variety of sizes. Add a plenty of plants, which can also be many sizes.

Shabby Chic Interior Design: The Fearless Elegance In Its Bold Simplicity

Office in shabby chic interior design?

Shift there again. What if you brought the outdoors into the shabby chic interior design  by choosing a garden table as your desk? Create the contrast. Obviously, your office and the space around it must remain functional.

Rate article
Add a comment