Shabby Chic Do-It-Yourself

What comes to your mind when someone asks you to describe your grandmother's furniture? Would it be Victorian-style chairs with garish red, velvet fabric, heavy draperies that barely admitted the green, glaring light of the winter sun, dark wood carvings, overly frilly doilies, boring paintings of flowers? In your mind, do these memories of Victorian furniture come in a handy Victorian frame too? A heavy, purple Queen Anne sofa, perhaps, and oh, please don't sit there with that sticky candy cane in your hand! Or possibly you recall a dark cherry coffee table so menacing that you can almost hear it saying "how many times do I have to tell you not to put your feet on that?!" ("I didn't mean to," you want to reply, "I was just so lost in the tall sofa that my feet had nowhere else to go.") Would you buy any of these pieces at a furniture store now? "No way!" you say. "They're too overbearing and impractical and frankly, they give me nightmares."

Yes, that would seem to be the case, but think again. These heavy-looking and claustrophobic pieces of furniture that thankfully vanished into evanescence decades ago are now making a charming and sentimental come-back through the creative and extremely accessible Shabby Chic decorating style. The term hatched from a magazine article in "The World of Interiors" over 20 years ago and has been popularized by Rachel Ashbury, author of the 1996 interior design book, "Shabby Chic." Ashbury owns the design company which works in tandem with Target to create their line of "Simply Shabby Chic" home decor.

Though the style originated in the country houses of Great Britain and the chateaus of France, we can't help but be reminded of old-fashioned Japanese tea ceremony elegance in which the flaws of the creator's handiwork become the highest marks of beauty. Distressed, faded fabrics and worn, beat-up wood furniture showing the layers of refinishes that have been applied over the years are the hallmarks of the Shabby Chic style, but it doesn't end there. To the aged look, add a top layer of muted pastels, tiny, feminine rosettes or pretty beads and you've got "the look." Sepia-washed family photographs framed in wood salvaged from old barns, lamps designed from teacups and old chandeliers restored to a new beaded and beflowered beauty are just a few of the innovative ways that artistic decorators have found to re-purpose their antique finds. Creativity and comfort play heavily in the realm of Shabby Chic, so don't be afraid that your creation or find will somehow look wrong. You can't go wrong with this fun decorating style. It's loaded with creative potential for shoppers and crafters alike and flexible enough to fit any budget.

Shab-It Yourself

Tea-Staining Fabrics for an Antique Look:
Tea-staining is really very simple. Make a strong batch of tea (from bags, not instant), boil it, then let it steep for about five minutes. When finished, pour it into a large pot and add the garment that you'd like to stain. For an evenly stained look, swish the fabric around often, for a splotchy look, leave it alone. When you think your item has reached the level of color you'd like, wring it out and put it in the dryer on the hot setting. The heat will help to set the color. Tea staining works best on natural fibers such as cotton or silk and may not work at all on some synthetics, such as polyester. Tea stained fabrics will lose their color if washed often.

Growing Moss on Outdoor Decor:
To make an outdoor item look aged and rustic, try growing moss on it. Simply sponge beer onto the areas where you'd like the moss to grow and store the item in a warm, dark place. Lightly mist the area daily to foster humidity and encourage growth.

Painting and Distressing Wood Furniture:
That wooden yard sale find is going to look great when you're finished with it. Start by sanding a little, just enough to remove the rough spots. Don't feel the need to strip previous layers of varnish or paint as these will add to the Shabby Chic look. Now add a sloppy layer of the paint of your choice. This will be the background color, the one that shows through when you're finished distressing the item. When this layer of paint dries, lay into it. Distress your item by slamming it with a bag of nuts and bolts, drag it down the driveway if you like, kick it, attack it with a wire brush, whatever you like, just try to keep it natural looking. When you're done, very lightly sand any rough spots. Now you're ready for the second coat of paint. This is your finish color, the final look of the piece. Choose muted pastels, off-whites, creams or light grays. Apply the paint, allow it to dry, then distress again, this time a bit more carefully. Use sandpaper to rub paint away along edges and protrusions that would naturally have worn over time. Rub some scuffs into the furniture and let your background color show through. Finish with accents such as rosettes if you want.