Ask any
designer what they think the term ‘shabby chic’ means and you
will probably get a similar answer from them all.
If they
are talking about a person and the way they look, then they may
describe that person as stylish rather than fashionable. They will
have enough confidence in themselves that they will have their own
style and it will reflect quality as opposed to newness.
The same
description can be used for ‘Shabby Chic’ in the home. It does
not have any particular style; it balances all that is elegant with
things that look old or worn, even if they are not.
To some
the term makes them think of large country houses, where glamorous
parties were once held. The sofas and soft furnishings are now faded
by time but they still exude all that is good taste and quality.
Others
think of French Châteaus, with large sweeping lawns outside and
inside large light pieces of furniture, ornate mirrors and
chandeliers making the most of the natural light flooding through the
large floor to ceiling windows.
Other
descriptions of ‘shabby chic’ in the home are American shaker
style, Scandinavian painted furniture and an English country cottage
with fresh flowers, heavily scented candles and comfortable soft
furnishings.
The
thing that all of these descriptions have in common is that the type
of furniture you visualise is elegant, light, ornate and above all
timeless. Referring back to the ‘shabby chic’ person described
above, stylish rather than fashionable. Or as the name implies:
Stylishly shabby items combined to create a chic style, in a room
that is comfortable, functional and very pleasing to look at.
If
you are thinking of decorating your home with the ‘shabby chic’
look , then before you go off and spend fortunes on the furnishings,
think about the type of house you live in. Is it a modern house, are
the rooms large or small and are the ceilings low or high. The use of
‘shabby chic’ can be used in most styles of homes but the way you
design it will be different for each style. For example traditional,
contemporary, cottage, etc. The different styles that were described
above.
Once
you have decided on your own personal style for your style of home
(and again before furnishing) you should decide on how you are going
to decorate the walls and floors. Obviously what you want to achieve
is a timeless and elegant look but it also needs to be versatile and
user friendly, able to withstand the look whilst allowing you to live
your day to day life. With this in mind it may be best to think of
whites, off whites or other muted colours for the walls. That way you
can dress them with ornate mirrors or wall lights later on and the
colour won’t detract from the furniture.
Ideally
floors in the ‘shabby chic’ room should have a natural look and
be easy to care for. Depending on the style of your home you may
decide on wooden flooring, perhaps bleaching it for the
Shaker/Scandinavian style or a dark stain for the French Château
look. Any type of floor can be covered in rugs to give a focal point
and also to add to your ‘shabby chic’ look.
So
now your have the style and know the look that you want to achieve
for your room, you are now ready to go shopping for ‘shabby chic'
furniture and furnishings!
