I have written about Industrial Chic a couple of months ago and now I'm going to talk about another type of Chic styling you might have heard quite a lot - the Shabby Chic. Some might question and raise their eyebrows, since when did shabby become chic? But trust me, when done appropriately it might be the perfect style for that house of yours and since it's popular, it might also be the perfect theme of a home you're currently staging.
What is "Shabby Chic" and why is it appealing? Shabby Chic is a variety of interior styling where a piece of furniture is chosen for its aged appearance or wear and tear look. It's said to have originated in Britain and it's reminiscent of the kind of furnishings found in country houses - from faded furnishing paints to worn out linens. You'll even see some interior designers use new items and then distress those items to give it that vintage finish. This is usually done by bleaching fabrics or sanding the top coat to expose the base coat or wood. In my own opinion, it's appealing for different reasons: it could be a reminder of a humble home you used to live in as a child; maybe because it gives you a feel of the countryside; it has this warm, cozy and inviting charm; it's budget friendly (especially if you're home-staging) - you can either recycle what you already have or find pieces in garage sales; or maybe it's just because this style is very easy to achieve. And the list goes on, but whatever your reason may be, if you're looking to have that shabby chic look here are some of the things you can do:
Paint Colors: The easiest paint colors to work with a shabby chic concept are white, tan or cream but do not limit yourself to that. There are other popular colors that work well with this theme like washed out or light hues of yellow, green, blue or even gray.
Distressed Furniture/Furnishings: This could be items that you already had before that has that worn out appearance or buy furniture and depending on your color palette you may create the shabby chic effect (as mentioned above) by simply using paint and sandpaper. Apply a couple of coats, let it dry and then sand down the surface or certain areas of the object only to reveal the paint underneath or its natural material.
Linens: White, cream or fabric printed with soft colored flowers, paisley patterns or even damask patterns work great for this style. But again, fabric colors depend on your color scheme, working around soft hues, light earth tones or pastels may do the trick.
Other Home Accessories: Some common accessories that will help you finish up your look would be wooden frames, wicker baskets or chairs; old chandeliers, traditional perfume or wine bottles, scrolled iron and vintage mirrors. A great thing to keep in mind would be since your using distressed items, try to choose items that are made of natural materials.
So there you go! Try to start your "shabby chic" project and bring out that cozy, vintage country feel to your home.
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