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Shabby chic cottage decorating is a great way to give your home a really fun and unique look. Learn more about shabby chic cottage decorating with help from an accomplished interior and life designer in this free video clip.
Because California is a state outfitted with sprawling mountain ranges, beaches and deserts, and is typically blessed with year-round outdoor living conditions, a California-themed decor often incorporates the great outdoors into its interior design. As a result, a chic California home commonly uses natural and eco-friendly fabrics, colors, materials and sources for light.
Inspired by nature and history, French decorating exudes timelessness and effortless sophistication. Whether you want to add a few new touches to your existing decor or plan to overhaul your entire home, you can incorporate the French chic look into your home decorating style by combining natural colors and fabrics with traditional furniture and accents.
Shabby chic and antique are two distinct decor styles that people easily can confuse with one another. Although these two styles have similarities, they are distinct because of their condition. In most cases shabby chic items are in less-than-mint condition or distressed by hand, while antiques often are kept in ideal condition.
The layers of peeling paint, the worn edges, the scratches and scuffs from years of use -- all these things make an old door unattractive to some, but to those who love the shabby chic style of decor, years of use only make an item more attractive. If you're lucky enough to have found an old door at a tag sale or salvage yard, you can use it to create a new piece of furniture.
According to Rachel Ashwell, shabby chic pioneer and writer of the style bible “Shabby Chic,” decorating and crafting in her signature style requires not only attention to detail, but also a lack of it. Ashwell advises avoiding anything that appears “contrived or calculated,” and instead encourages people to embrace the union of “gilt and grit.” If you work this philosophy into your mosaic crafts, they will embody the spirit of “shabby chic.”
Loft apartments are often located in vintage commercial buildings that have been renovated and repurposed as living areas. Lofts often retain the industrial characteristics of the original building, making them perfect settings for shabby chic decor. Weathered brick walls and distressed floors make a suitable canvas for the timeworn look that is the hallmark of shabby chic style. Large windows invite understated shabby chic window treatments while worn but comfortable furniture brings coziness to a loft’s wide open spaces.
While shabby chic is usually associated with white furniture, you can add a shabby feel even if your furniture is dark. Painting or distressing your furniture will give it a timeworn look. Filling your room with repurposed items, muted pastels, florals, stripes and interesting textures will create a shabby chic look. The main idea is to have your home look comfortable, well loved and with a certain amount of wear and tear.
Alpine chic, also known as rustic chic, is a mixture of old-school style and new charm. Basically, it's a lumberjack cabin with a modern woman's touch. While anyone living anywhere may choose to decorate in Alpine chic, the decor should have the ambiance of a mountain or country home. It also should have a relaxing atmosphere of wanting to curl up with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate on a rainy or snowy winter day.
Shabby chic is a comfortable design style that emphasizes relaxed living. This style is closely associated with country and beach styles, emphasizing vintage and aged pieces mixed with modern pieces in a soft way. Creating this style is surprisingly easy and often very cost-effective, since a lot of the furnishings and decorations can be found in thrift stores and garage sales, or they can be made from found objects.
English country homes have a warm and cozy feel. Their patterns and colors are inspired by the countryside, creating a home that looks natural, timeless and lived-in. You can create an English country look simply by changing your wall colors and using secondhand furniture. This style is perfect for you if you love treasure hunting at flea markets and thrift stores. English country homes tend to be full of vintage odds and ends.
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.
A country-style home is warm and welcoming. It has a lived-in look that invites people to get comfortable and stay awhile. If you have recently built a new home and you're interested in furnishing it with country decor, achieving the look is relatively easy. Careful choice of natural materials and a soothing or cheerful color scheme will infuse your new home with country style.
In the fall of 2009, Rachel Ashwell, the original creator of "Shabby Chic" decorating, opened a new line of stores. Her decorating style features big slip-covered sofas, feminine fabrics, old white-painted wooden furniture and homey, often floral, accessories. The imperfections and slightly messy look of the shabby-chic style offers the convenience of washable fabrics and a comfort---a look well suited to times of economic recession, reports "The New York Times" website.
Shabby chic decorating is popular with individuals who love spaces with an eclectic feel as well as those who are designing on a budget. Spaces decorated in this style are rich in gathered objects with a vintage feel. When decorating your odd space, consider adopting this style as it will mesh nicely with the general feel of the uncommon space that you are trying to fill.
A three-sided vanity mirror makes a useful addition to any bedroom, dressing room or bathroom, allowing you to check your appearance from all sides. These free-standing vanity mirrors are created from store-bought mirrors or ones specially cut to size and can be crafted to perfectly suit your décor. Clean in design with no stands, feet or bases to spoil the lines of the mirror, these vanity mirrors use hinges to allow the mirror to stand upright.
If you are seeking to decorate your home in a warm and casual manner, consider using a country French shabby chic design. This style uses warm colors, mixed-matched patterns and comfortable furnishings to create an inviting, yet sophisticated look. Blend antique store finds with nature-inspired hues and you'll have an attractive and appealing decor for your home.
Not only is "shabby chic" decorating a way to hang on to the history of the past, it is also a way to save money, since you are repurposing and showcasing old and used items instead of buying new. Display your life story or the story of others in your decorating. Adding a French influence to the theme is another step to expressing this romantic interior design style.
Shabby chic décor brings a sense of the past into today's home. It incorporates a blend of flea market finds and vintage treasures. Shabby chic decorating is a look that requires more creativity than money, which is a distinct advantage for budget-conscious families who desire a fresh, comfortable home without a lot of cost.
In 1996 interior designer Rachel Ashwell published a book called "Shabby Chic" to explain her decorating style. Ashwell believed in the beauty of quality furniture and linens that have been well-used and worn to a comfortable, faded patina, and this idea of cozy, ramshackle grandeur instantly became a very fashionable choice for home décor. It's not a difficult look to copy---with its light colors, airy spaces and slip-covered furniture---and there are so many variations on the theme that you'll have no problem creating a comfy space that's unique to your own taste.
Creating a chic and shabby bedroom is an inexpensive way to add a new style to your space. Think about neutral colors, light wood, white furniture and distressed touches that give the shabby to the term "shabby chic." A shabby chic bedroom is best suited for a woman or girl, but also works for a guest bedroom.
A shabby chic vanity table is a useful furnishing for adding a sense of feminine beauty to a bedroom or bathroom design. The distressed white wood and intricate detailing make a shabby chic vanity table a showpiece for the room. These simple ideas will help with the decor for the vanity.
The popular shabby chic decor movement favors the distressed and faded over the shiny and new. The rough textures and natural hues of seashells work well in this decorating scheme, adding depth and sculptural detail without overpowering the dainty color scheme. Adding shells and shell accessories to shabby chic interiors lends the space the feeling of a rustic beach house.
Fireplace screens are not only decorative; they are functional as well. Fireplace screens will prevent sparks from shooting out from the logs in your fireplace and igniting surfaces surrounding the area. It will also prevent burns if you, your child or pet happens to be passing by when a spark flies out. These screens tend to be expensive, but you can easily make a beautiful faux stained glass screen for your home with a few basic tools.
Rachel Ashwell and Glynis Costin explain in their book, “Shabby Chic” that this aesthetic relies on the use of time-worn objects and themes of practicality and coziness. When you enter a shabby chic room, you can imagine French Provence countryside elegance mixed with 1920s English Victorian grace. Materializing these ideas for your own bedroom is possible with a few decorative touches.
Is your home a little outdated? Do you find your rooms bland and uninviting? It might be time to consider redecorating. Redecorating can be a daunting task for some people. You may not know where to begin, or you may worry that you don't have the budget to do everything you want. The key to redecorating is to develop a good plan. Start with some great ideas that you love, and build around them to create the room of your dreams.
For people who choose comfort over formality and appreciate an eclectic, mismatched look, the shabby chic French country look is a good option. The ever-popular shabby chic decor trend is spiffed up in its French country interpretation, still emphasizing distressed finishes and flea market finds, but opting for a richer color palette and more artisan touches. You can add a shabby chic French country element to a room with a change of paint or textiles, or invest in some vintage furniture that serves as a focal point.
Shabby chic is one of the most comfortable and relaxing styles around. In the bathroom, this style creates an atmosphere that is so inviting, you may want to slip into a warm bath and never leave. The key to working with shabby chic fashion is finding a balance between elegant and soothing. Once you find a look that works for you, you'll have a bathroom that is as unique as it is alluring.
If you're drawn to objects that show the passage of time and wear, you might be interested in decorating with a shabby chic style. This approach is unique because it is relaxed and elegant at the same time. The elements in the design are well-loved and lacking crisp newness. Instead, they are mismatched, eclectic and filled with character. Once you know what to look for, you'll love putting together a home with your own shabby chic flair.
Shabby chic decor is a type of decorating that uses vintage items and flea market finds to create a warm, crisp look. White and light pastel colors are the base for most shabby chic designs. Overstuffed antique chairs, couches and pillows covered in floral and striped fabrics are essential elements. Incorporating distressed or imperfect furniture and decorative items separates this look from others.
Hotel chic is bringing that feeling of the luxury hotel into your home. This is a sleek modern style that can make any room feel expensive even if you are on a budget.
