The Shabby Chic Furniture Style
The shabby chic style is formal and informal at the same time. The furniture design style is formal by it being classical, and decorative – much like French or Vintage style furniture. You won’t see clean angles. You’ll see twists and turns if it is made out of metal, or decorative carved parts if it is made out of wood.
What makes shabby chic furniture informal, is that the classical looking furniture piece is usually painted in white or a pastel color (mint, baby blue, pink). One step further is to have the paint chipped. Whitewashed is another paint style to go for.
An alternative to painted furniture is to leave it all unpainted seen in picture (2). Keep the furniture in it’s natural classical French style, and then decorate the rest of the room with white and pastel shaded decor.
Also, go for reclaimed/upcycled furniture pieces. Give it a fresh coat of paint. The dings and dents add character to the furniture piece and to the room it is in.
Furniture Ideas Around the House
When it comes to the living room, a creative idea is to use a trunk as a coffee table. To create a romantic shabby chic vibe in the bedroom, have a canopy or four post bed. Drape fabric over it to create a whimsical feel. A large standing mirror not only makes for a great decorative piece, but makes the room feel larger (3). And have a look at the shabby chic kitchens in pictures (4) and (5).
The Art of Reclaimed
Reclaimed windows and doors make for great shabby chic decor pieces. Windows can be turned into room dividers, mirrors, picture frames, and even coffee tables. Have a look at my post here for a mood board and more ideas: Home Decor Ideas: Using Reclaimed Old Windows. Old doors can also be used to make coffee tables, shelves – or just lean one up against a wall and use it as a decor piece (6).
An old ladder makes for informal shabby chic style storage (7). This can be used in the living room to hang up magazines and blankets. It can be used to hang up towels in the bathroom, and clothes in the bedroom.
Shabby Chic Furniture Hacks
Here are some ideas on how to creatively create the shabby chic style with your existing furniture:
- Drape fabric over it. This applies to your couch, even coffee table, or bed. Find a quilt like the one in picture (8) or pastel colored fabric, and drape it over your existing furniture to create that shabby chic look.
- If you can’t get a shabby chic style couch – then use a more neutral looking one and decorate it with shabby chic styled pillows – pillows with ruffled edges, in pastel shades, you can even use burlap pillows with printed graphics on them.
- A cheap way to get that shabby chic style is to distress paint your own furniture (if it’s the right style) (9). Follow along with the tutorial here on ‘how to shabby chic your furniture’.
- A chandelier instantly creates shabby chic appeal in any room. 1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9
Have a look at my posts here for more shabby chic mood boards and ideas (like what to do with the walls, the curtains, and room specific decor pieces):
