The Shabby Chic Look and How to Get It

What is Shabby Chic you ask? Quite simply, it is an eclectic look of antique florals and stripes, tangled with white and a hue of pastels. Well worn furniture and antique pieces are praised for their distressed look and are the foundation for this popular decorating technique.

Rachel Ashwell is Ms Shabby Chic; she has taken the look and created her own books and television specials that have catapulted the design into newfound fame.

People are crazy about the look for many reasons. You can bring simplicity and crispness into your home or garden with out hardly any out of pocket cost to you. The only investment you need is a few dollars into some pastel or white paint and an eye to refurbish items you may already have around your house.

Here are a few tips for achieving the look.

Using what you have-

Find dark and outdated décor items from around the house, such as coffee tables, old end tables, dressers, even mirrors. The more dented up and chipped the better. This gives the piece a well weathered look. Paint white and lightly sand to let the natural wood or under tarnish show through, this creates the look and serves as a back drop to adding accessories such as flower arrangements in old pots, or candles on vintage floral plates.

Even old vintage floral sheets that may even have a few flaws or holes make quaint tablecloths, or be creative and use them as curtains by draping them to the side with curtain tie backs or swag them above on a whitewashed rod.

Scour Flea Markets and Junk Shops-

Some of the most unique and eclectic items can be found at second hand shops and Sunday Flea Markets. A lot of junk shops sell boxes of dishes, old linens and furniture pieces for practically nothing. It pays to look at items for what they can be not what they are. I've found lots of miss matched dishes and tea cups that are just adorable, yes there may be only one, but Shabby Chic can be achieved by placing items together or side by side that may have different patterns or colors. If you stick to the same color scheme such as the light pastel everything will draw together. If needed, by adding a splash of floral or stripe that will break up any pattern miss matches. Many store workers don't realize any one else would want to refurbish certain items so they just throw them out. A thrifty tight wad will glance over at the dumpster on the way out, and maybe even pull out an old chair or two. Yes, I have done that. One time I saw an adorable old wooden chair on the side of the road on the junk, I grabbed it and loaded it up in my van. When I got home and got a better look at it, I realized it was an old adult commode. Yes, a potty chair! I cleaned it up and painted it a light moss color. The hole in the seat was perfect; I stapled some screen to it, filled it with dirt and moss and planted some flowers in it. I received lots of compliments on how adorable it was; of course I didn't tell anyone it was an old potty chair.

Used Book stores and Grandma's trunk-

Used book stores are a good place to find vintage or very old looking books to use as a decorating staple in achieving a shabby chic look. Nothing looks more charming than a young girl's room with a canopy bed adorned in vintage rose bedding, an old off white rocking chair with a century old doll resting comfortably and an old bookshelf in a pale lime green with several old Dick and Jane children's books. Well read, weathered and missing a gap in the series, this makes this not quite complete worn collection all that more darling. Don't forget to raid Grandma's trunk, you know the one upstairs in the attic that has been untouched for the past 20 years. You may find an old vintage purse and gloves that you could use to adorn a weathered side table in your hallway or better yet an old tattered quilt that would hang perfectly over the back of your couch. Use those special vintage items such as Grandmas quilt to build off from to create the color scheme for the rest of the room.

Auctions-

Yes Ebay is good and you can find anything and everything you want, but sometimes it can come with a price, depending on how many other people want it also, we are talking the world here not a few dozen people. If you want to break away from the computer and be out amongst the living and if you are willing to wait patiently, an estate or public auction may be the answer. Like a box of chocolates, you never really know what your gonna get. You may bid on a old antique hutch, and you have the eye to see that you are going to take it home and strip it clean and paint it a very light pink. But once you won the auction and go up to inspect further, you realize the back is all warped and there is a huge chip off the bottom leg, so much so it requires a some work. These are the trials and tribulations with auctions, but you can go away with the love of your life for a very reasonable cost. Another cool thing is a lot of times when it's a huge auction, many small items are boxed up and a larger item on top is the focal point for the starting bid. If you are an auction lover, chances are you love surprises, and you may find a world of treasures at the bottom of that 50 cent box you just bid on. If it's a knick knack painted gold or silver, go ahead and repaint it white and let the gold shine through and use it as a décor piece to add to your Shabby Chic collection.

Celebs even dig the laid back style. I'm sure you have heard of that hot Baywatch babe Pamela Anderson? She loves the look. Her home is adorned with the shabby chic flavor, from big comfy white furniture to stacks of vintage linens in big baskets. Lots of mirrors and photos in whitewashed frames adorn her walls. Pam also brings the look out doors with white wicker and cottage garden flowers.

A quick and easy shabby chic project is to find an old crystal chandelier at a yard sale or junk shop. Better yet, it's best to find one that doesn't work. Clip all the electrical wires off and make the electrical holes bare. Paint it white or off white and add white taper candles. Stun guests at your next dinner party with this cheap yet stunning centerpiece.

The possibilities are endless, just take a look around your house you may find yourself grabbing the paint brush and painting everything white but the kitchen sink? Hmm wait a minute; I wonder if that can be done?