Decor

Shabby Chic Wallpaper Ideas and Designs

Most of the shabby chic wallpaper designs and ideas in the mood board above can be bought online. You’ll find links and a shopping picture guide down below.

Shabby Chic Color Palette

White wall are the classic shabby chic choice. So a very subtle textured white wallpaper, such as a linen texture, will look amazing on the walls – just like in picture (1). For colored options, look for pastel shades like cream, mint, yellow, or baby blue.

Shabby Chic Wallpaper Styles

Floral: Floral wallpaper is a popular choice. Go for a pattern in the shabby chic color palette. Here you will have a choice of a full patterned wall paper just like in pictures (2) (3) (4) (5). Or there are patterns that are divided up into columns seen in pictures (6) (7). The column patterns create a more dynamic looking room, but will also make the room feel a bit smaller compared to using the full patterned wallpaper.
Simple Patterns: A simple pattern, like the one in picture (8), lets you add some decoration to the walls but in a more toned down manner than the full patterned shabby chic style wallpaper.
Watercolor: The watercolor clouds wallpaper found on Anthropologie has a whimsical and shabby chic style to them (9).
Wooden Texture: The shabby chic furniture style is wooden and distressed painted. So why not use this style on the walls. You can get distress wooden looking wallpaper (10).
Stone: Another distressed and shabby chic look would be a stone wall. You can get the stone looking wallpaper in picture (11) in a number of different stone shades.
Anaglypta Wallpaper: This last shabby wallpaper style is my favorite. It is called anaglypta wallpaper, and is textured with a 3D design. Check out the wallpapers in pictures (12) (13) (14) (15). There is even a lace style (16). The great thing about this type of wallpaper is that it creates a pattern on the wall, but in a subtle and minimalist way. You can also paint over it to customise it to the color of your room. It can even be used to decorate your ceilings (17). Wayfair has a great collection of anaglypta wallpaper – which can be found here.

1 Buckingham Wallpaper: $5.82 Wayfair | 2 Watercolor Peony: $148 Anthropologie

3 Vintage Dauphine: $66.99 Amazon | 4 Satin Rose: $5.82 Wayfair | 5 Monotone Rose: $5.82 Wayfair

6 Floral Stripe: $5.63 Wayfair | 7 Blue Floral Stipes: $2.88 Wayfair | 8 Dollhouse: $5.82 Wayfair

9 Watercolor Clouds: $275 Anthropologie | 10 Scrapwood: $328 Anthropologie

11 Pompei Stone: $5.82 Wayfair | 12 Heaton: $5.62 Wayfair | 13 Wildacre: $3.63 Wayfair

14 Armadillo: $5.82 Wayfair

Alternative Wall Designs

Paint is a lot cheaper than wallpaper. And just because you are painting a wall doesn’t mean you can’t get creative and have decorative designs. There are textured painting techniques you can use to create a marble or linen look among others (Textured Wall Painting Ideas: From Faux Wood to Linen Effects). Picture (18) shows a paint roller that paints a pattern on the wall – that roller and other designs can be bought here.

Another way to add a shabby chic texture on a wall is to rough plaster it, just like Italian country houses (19).

For a more classic and toned down decorative style, why not use wall trim to decorate and liven up the walls. Check out the white walls in picture (20).

And don’t forget about finishing touches such as floor trim or crown molding. Instead of using the plain crown molding seen in most homes, you can find fancy and decorative molding (21), ideal for a shabby chic styled space.

Image Credits: 15/16/17/18/19/20/21

More shabby chic style wall decorating ideas:

March 16, 2014 in Decor, Design Styles

Photo Display: Ideas for Shabby Chic Picture Frames and Stands

A chipped and distressed painted wooden frame would be the go to choice for shabby chic picture frames – just like the ones in picture (1). But there are other creative picture frame ideas that can also create the shabby chic style.

Lace can be wrapped around normal a photo frame to create a softer and more shabby chic look (2). While reclaimed wood can be used to create a rustic and decorative shabby chic frame (3).

Reclaimed wooden mirrors and windows, with their distress look, can be upcycled into a panel of shabby chic frames – seen in picture (4). Check out my post here for more reclaimed window ideas – such as turning one into a coffee table or kitchen cabinet.

Old window frames or larger photo frames can be used as a frame to hang string. Now you’ve got a way to hang up small photos (5). Or you could do without the frame and use thin rope and vintage style clothes pegs to hang up black and white photos, just like in picture (6).

An old frame can also be used to create a burlap cork board – seen in picture (7), which can have photos pinned onto it.

Crafty Collages

There are a few ways you can create a shabby chic photo collage. The first way is to just use photos. For a more shabby chic look, mix together different media pieces. Mix vintage photos, crotchet, lace, and mementos to create a framed collage – just like the one in picture (8).

Another way to create a collage would be to us a mixture of different photo frames. In picture (9), small photo frames have been painted white and then attached to a wooden backdrop. This can then be hung up or left to stand against the wall.

Photo Stands and Other Shabby Ideas

Here are some shabby chic photo stand ideas:

Bird cages can be used to display and house photos. Have a look at my mood board here for pictures and ideas: Home Decor Ideas: Using Bird Cages.
Vintage style jars can have photos in them
I did a little DIY project using air dry clay to create photo stands seen below. You can see the step by step post here.
Driftwood can also be used to create a photo rack or display stand (10).

Don’t forget about transferring your photos onto different materials. Picture (11) shows photos that have been transferred onto wood. You can also transfer photos onto pillows, napkins, and even furniture (12). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12

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

For specific room ideas, have a look at my mood board posts here:

March 6, 2014 in Decor, Design Styles

Vintage Decor Ideas For Men

Tools and Mechanics

One good area to look for vintage decor ideas is in the interests you have. It could be anything motor related, or do you have any sort of building or crafting hobby. There are sure to be vintage tools that can be bought and displayed from Etsy. Here are some vintage decor ideas for men based on tools and mechanical pieces:

Hand tools such as wooden hammers, hand drills, axes or folding rulers seen in picture (1)
Letterpress tools and stamps (2)
Blacksmith tools
Car signs and parts
Motorcycle helmets, goggles and gears
Aviation propellors, goggles and helmets

Wall Art Decor

Black and white photos, vintage maps (3), blueprints, metal letters (4) and subway signs make for great vintage wall decor pieces for a guy’s pad.

Using Leather

See if you can infuse leather into your decor. Simple ideas include using leather coasters (5) or leather closet handles (6). For more leather decor ideas have a look at my mood board here Home Decor Ideas: Using Leather.

Decor Through Storage

The containers you use to store items also play a role in the room’s decor. You can check out my vintage storage mood board here. But some quick ideas include using wire baskets (7) to store magazines, bed linens, towels, and kitchen items. Mason Jars can be used to store food items or stationary (Home Decor Ideas: Using Mason Jars).

Shopping at Restoration Hardware

Restoration Hardware has a great selection of premium vintage and industrial style decor pieces. All the pieces in the picture collection below can be bought there:

Glasses | Hats | Gear | Clock

Misc

Here are some other vintage pieces that can be displayed as decor pieces:

A vinyl record player
Vintage cameras (8)
Vintage sports decor such as leather gloves or boxing bag (Vintage Sports Decor Mood Board)
An antique globe or clock (9)

Furniture Pieces

Large furniture pieces in a room also help style the space. In the living room you might want to go for leather furniture just like in picture (10). For side tables or a coffee table, an old trunk looks great (11).

A classy addition to a man’s living room would be a drinks cart. Check out the walnut bar cart in picture (12). 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10/11/12