Article by Tara de la Motte
Shabby Chic was born in 1989; it is not only a brand name but a decorating style founded by Rachel Ashwell
Comfort, Cosiness and relaxation are some of the fundamentals of Shabby Chic it is a unpretentious and exquisitely beautiful style. But most of all it is a functional way of living, that we can re-create in our own homes on a low budget.
Rachel Ashwell a single mother of two children, originally looked to open a small shop where she could sell (pretty things). Her vision and love of vintage style and secondhand finds hit a chord with her customers who have since found her comfortable, relaxed approach to design both reassuring and achievable.
I’ve always felt at home with vintage fabrics and artifacts, they have a warmth and sense of history and I think this is why this style has always appealed to me.
The Shabby chic room is peaceful and calm, bright and warm. Flexible enough to be whatever you wish it to be, whatever you want to make it. A washed out faded look is the key to the style, all shades of white paint are often used within the shabby chic home. White paint is inexpensive and guarantees a room that is filled with light, and provides a pure, uncluttered backdrop against which you can blend old and new furniture.
This is a look that is totally practical and not committing to any particular era. It is a style that can work within any house.
“Soft romantic fabrics and muted colours, our designed to delight the eye and please the senses”
Unlike some decorative styles that work only in certain types of environments, Shabby Chic is a style that is versatile and boundary free. It is about weeding out the unnecessary, trusting your instincts about what is comfortable and practical, noticing details, experimenting with new and complimentary combinations of colours and fabrics, and looking at imperfection and age with appreciation for their unique significance and beauty.
Since Shabby Chic decorating is all about being flexible and creative in your thinking, you will be able to take advantage of bargains wherever they can be found. (Just a few signature items can create a beautiful home that reflects your own taste and personality).
To get the most out of your second hand treasures be prepared to give them a new purpose, whether your tastes are traditional, retro or modern - A simple coat of paint can quickly revive and stylise a neglected second hand find or If you are handy with a sewing machine, vintage and remnant fabrics picked up at sale prices can be made into decorative cushions, seat covers and simple curtains.
“A mismatched, eclectic collection can prove to be extremely endearing”
Shabby Chic represents a revived appreciation for what is useful, well loved, comfortable, for those things that some might perceive as being too tattered and worn to be of use or value.
Shabby Chic is no more than coming up with low cost solutions that make a house easy to live in and beautiful too.
Rachel’s philosophy of decor is that nothing should be too precious. A child should feel free to put her feet on the sofa, a guest, his cup on the coffee table. Collecting important, rare and costly objects meant to be seen and not touched is not what Shabby Chic is about.
This style suggests things that are inherited rather than shop- bought and handmade rather than mass-produced. It is also a style that is appreciative of the beauty of process and evolution.
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