Whimsy and Romance: Shabby Chic Decor Ideas

The shabby chic decorating style is a soft and whimsical one. You’ll see lots of white and pastel shades. There will be a lot of fabric decorating the space, creating that soft and diffused feeling. Here are a range of shabby chic decor ideas that will transform any room into a whimsical and romantic space.

Dancing in Fabric

Fabric plays a big role in the shabby chic style. That is what most people imagine: a pastel colored room, bathed in lace and floral fabric. One way of adding shabby chic fabric to your room is through the curtains. My mood board here (Window Treatment Style: Shabby Chic Curtains, Rods, and Tie Backs) shows all the different ways you can style a window. From using lace as seen in picture (1) or floral curtains, to using rustic wooden or cast iron curtain rods. You can even shabby up the tie backs by using vintage door knobs.

Other ways of adding fabric into shabby chic decorating ideas and rooms:

Draping shabby chic style fabric over any side tables, coffee tables, or dining tables you have
Draping a quilt over your couch
Hanging up a canopy (2)
Hanging up LED string lights and wrapping them in light fabric to create a soft glow (3). LED ones produce less heat and so are a better choice
Below I go over how you can add fabric to upcycle your furniture

Furniture and Storage Ideas

Distress painting your furniture pieces is a good way to create the shabby chic style (Romance at Home: Shabby Chic Furniture Ideas). In my shabby chic storage post, I showed other ways you can upcycle different furniture pieces in a room to create a shabby chic look. One example is taking normal cabinets and fitting lace on the inside of the glass doors, just like the closet in picture (4). This can also be done to the back walls of your open shelves. Stick lace or floral fabric to create a backdrop for your shelves. Another way to decorate your shelves is to hang up a decorative frame around them to create a shadow box (5). Check out the mood board here for more ideas and pictures: Organizing in Style: Shabby Chic Storage Ideas.

In that storage post, you’ll also see ideas for shabby chic style storage containers. Things like wicker (6) and wire baskets, enamel containers, or even using an old ladder to hang things up. Well designed storage pieces can be left out in the open and help style and decorate the space.

Creative Shabby Room Decor Ideas

Logs: Logs make for cheap rustic coffee tables and stools. While smaller log pieces can be turned into photo stands, candle holders, and planters. Keep them their natural rustic color, or paint them white for a more shabby look (Home Decor Ideas: Using Logs)

Bird Cages: Who knew bird cages could be used for so many different decor ideas? (Home Decor Ideas: Using Bird Cages). For a shabby chic style, go with a white one. They can be used to house plants, books, or turned into a lamp (7).

Shabby Picture Frames: Large decorative picture frames can be used for more than just displaying photos and paintings. You can tie string from one side to the other and hang up smaller photos or jewellery. Fit a piece of cork board inside a decorative frame and you’ve got yourself and shabby chic bulletin board. Check out my mood board here for a collection of images and other ideas: Photo Display: Ideas for Shabby Chic Picture Frames and Stands.

Photos: In that photo display mood board you’ll also see ideas such as using vintage style clothes pegs to hang up photos on a rope. Or transferring your photos onto wood to create a rustic and shabby look (8).

Vintage Bottles: A vintage bottle is another item that can be used for a bunch of decor ideas around the house. I wrote a whole post of ideas here: Home Decor Ideas: Using Vintage Glass Bottles. Some ideas include: using them as table decorations, and plant or candle stands. Or how about those plastic branded containers you have in the kitchen and in the bathroom (for dish liquid, hand soap, etc.). You can pour the liquids into vintage bottles and get rid of those plastic ones. Now you have elegant bottles decorating your kitchen and bathroom just like in picture (9).

Reclaimed Windows: With their rustic look and distressed paint, reclaimed windows fit in well with the shabby chic style. They can be upcycled into coat racks, picture frames, coffee tables (10), and even cabinets. Have a look at my mood board here for more ideas and pictures: Home Decor Ideas: Using Reclaimed Old Windows.

Your Shabby Chic Walls

How you treat your walls will play a major role in how your room will look and feel. The classic paint choice is white. It is plain, but it creates a blank canvas for you to decorate the rest of the room with pastel colored (baby blue, yellow, pink) decor pieces. There is also the option of painting the walls in a pastel color. For wall treatement ideas and pictures have a look here: Room Styling: Shabby Chic Paint Colors.

In my wallpaper post (Shabby Chic Wallpaper Ideas and Designs) I showcase a range of different design ideas. From floral ones to watercolor and even distress wood wallpapers. My favorite is the anaglypta wallpaper. This is the white wallpaper that has a 3D design on it, which is perfect for a shabby chic room – seen in picture (11).

Also in that wallpaper post I go over finishing touches such as vintage French style crown molding (12). Wall trim is another shabby chic design treatment for your walls (13).

Don’t forget about the grand piece in any shabby chic room, the chandelier: Romance in Style: Shabby Chic Lighting Ideas. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12/13