How to Decorate in a Cottage Shabby Chic Style
Cottage shabby chic style combines the bright, airy feel of a light color palette with the cozy familiarity of worn furniture and vintage fabric styles. Since second-hand pieces add character to a cottage shabby chic décor, the style allows you to update your home without breaking the bank. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Paint your walls in whites, pastels or light tan colors. In most shabby chic homes, the walls are stark white with other colors introduced in additional pieces throughout the room. However, pale yellows, greens, pinks and blues often flatter the walls in a bathroom, kitchen or child's bedroom.
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Purchase worn furniture pieces from thrift stores, flea markets and yard sales. Choose furniture in creamy white or tan hues and use sandpaper on the edges and corners to create a used look. Look for armoires, dressers, desks, metal framed beds and cushion chairs with wood trim. Whatever you choose, go for pieces that look and feel lightweight, rather than heavy, bulky pieces that dominate the room. Soften angular couches and chairs with slipcovers and pillows or reupholster them with pale fabrics or floral prints.
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Incorporate a variety of vintage fabrics, including floral prints, stripes and lace. Mix and match fabrics to combine different patterns and colors that complement each other. Use cushions, rugs and an abundance of throw pillows to soften the look of the rooms. Sew lace around the edges of curtains, bedspreads and tablecloths.
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Let in plenty of light with sheer, lightweight curtains. Cottage shabby chic décor thrives on natural sunlight and sheer fabrics will match the airy feel of the rest of the home.
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Place several plants throughout your home. If you don't want the work of keeping up with live plants, purchase realistic silk arrangements.
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Accessorize with wicker baskets, wire bins, vintage toys and knickknacks. Include a variety of natural elements as well, such as bird nests, pictures framed in twigs, vases filled with sea shells or decorative arrangements of branches.
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Cover beds with lace-trimmed sheets, chenille bedspreads and faded pastel quilts. Use smaller quilts as throw blankets throughout the main living areas of your house.
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References
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