Furnishing and Decorating in the Shabby Chic Style
Shabby chic is a form of interior design where the décor is chosen for the appearance of age and signs of wear and tear; or where new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.
Translated to window furnishings and soft furnishings, a soft cottage / coastal / country style feel is the new Shabby Chic style that complements all sorts of furniture – antiques, reproduction, industrial and distressed timber furniture pieces. With clever use of fabric those not so old pieces can also look quite at home with Shabby Chic décor.
Fabrics tend to be cottons and linens, with linen being particularly popular, inspired by old French linens. Pure whites, as well as ecrus and pastel colours are favourites. Vintage floral patterns with pastel colours, cotton ticking patterns, or linen in earth tones, are all typical of shabby chic style.
The early forms of shabby chic were rather grand but the style has evolved taking inspiration from many forms of decoration including:
Translated to window furnishings and soft furnishings, a soft cottage / coastal / country style feel is the new Shabby Chic style that complements all sorts of furniture – antiques, reproduction, industrial and distressed timber furniture pieces. With clever use of fabric those not so old pieces can also look quite at home with Shabby Chic décor.
Fabrics tend to be cottons and linens, with linen being particularly popular, inspired by old French linens. Pure whites, as well as ecrus and pastel colours are favourites. Vintage floral patterns with pastel colours, cotton ticking patterns, or linen in earth tones, are all typical of shabby chic style.
The early forms of shabby chic were rather grand but the style has evolved taking inspiration from many forms of decoration including:
Country Cottage Shabby Chic
This has evolved into an all – encompassing term of American Shaker (where simplicity and plainness was essential) and English Chintz (where large country houses with lots of mixed fabric patterns in co-ordinated colours created unassuming “good” taste).
This charming decorating style is so easy to achieve with such a huge variety of fabrics available today. It is a simple look; just don’t overdo the scale of print of on fabric. Let the breezes tug gently at the hems of curtains – simple patterns work best. Look to small floral, narrow stripes, ticking, and small checks. They can all be used successfully together as long as the colours are the same, or a restrained mix of several colours that complement gently rather than contrast boldly.
Image: Good use of layering using different fabrics from same story in Roman blind, curtains and cushions.
This has evolved into an all – encompassing term of American Shaker (where simplicity and plainness was essential) and English Chintz (where large country houses with lots of mixed fabric patterns in co-ordinated colours created unassuming “good” taste).
This charming decorating style is so easy to achieve with such a huge variety of fabrics available today. It is a simple look; just don’t overdo the scale of print of on fabric. Let the breezes tug gently at the hems of curtains – simple patterns work best. Look to small floral, narrow stripes, ticking, and small checks. They can all be used successfully together as long as the colours are the same, or a restrained mix of several colours that complement gently rather than contrast boldly.
Image: Good use of layering using different fabrics from same story in Roman blind, curtains and cushions.
French Country Shabby Chic
French Country (also known as French provincial) is so charming and relaxed. Once a flurry of blues, yellows, pinks and reds, the French provincial style now takes it inspiration from aged surfaces reflecting the stone, lichen, timber and lime-wash found in ancient villages all over Southern France. This restrained palette offers warmth even in contemporary spaces. Think earthy colours that have been mixed with a lime wash: soft greens, dusky rose, pale milky blue, the patina of mellowed soft yellow stone found on the old French cottages.
Creating a Country Shabby Chic style for your window décor is not only about the fabric, but how you combine different window coverings in the same room. Use a soft stripe in a Roman blind, then curtains in a plain or a floral. Repeat the look in scatter cushions, bed / sofa throws, lamp shades, ottomans, seat cushion covers. The idea is to “layer” using interesting fabrics with repeating colours and patterns in other elements in the room. This look is particularly charming in a casual living room, or bedroom.
Image: Simple check curtains with larger check banding teamed with French style furniture
French Country (also known as French provincial) is so charming and relaxed. Once a flurry of blues, yellows, pinks and reds, the French provincial style now takes it inspiration from aged surfaces reflecting the stone, lichen, timber and lime-wash found in ancient villages all over Southern France. This restrained palette offers warmth even in contemporary spaces. Think earthy colours that have been mixed with a lime wash: soft greens, dusky rose, pale milky blue, the patina of mellowed soft yellow stone found on the old French cottages.
Creating a Country Shabby Chic style for your window décor is not only about the fabric, but how you combine different window coverings in the same room. Use a soft stripe in a Roman blind, then curtains in a plain or a floral. Repeat the look in scatter cushions, bed / sofa throws, lamp shades, ottomans, seat cushion covers. The idea is to “layer” using interesting fabrics with repeating colours and patterns in other elements in the room. This look is particularly charming in a casual living room, or bedroom.
Image: Simple check curtains with larger check banding teamed with French style furniture
Beach Cottage – Hamptons – Coastal Shabby Chic
This classic decorating style never goes out of fashion. If you're looking for a classic Hamptons beach style feel, start with colour. The idea is to keep things light, breezy and natural. Take your inspiration from nature and dress your interior in sandy creams, driftwood browns and neutrals, all shades of the ocean from aqua to china blue and sunrise inspired splashes of colour.
Don’t be afraid to base your scheme on a neutral. Touches of black can bring visual interest and drama. Think natural linens in interesting textures teamed with smart charcoals or navy freshened with crisp white.
Light is important in a coastal scheme. The individual requirements of the space and need for light control will dictate your choice of window treatment. Opt for a colour that matches your walls. Choose full height curtains in sheer fabrics or fully lined drapes, or roman blinds in stripes or an interesting textured textile. Plantation shutters also work very well in this look.
Image: Roman blinds add understated Shabby Chic elegance.
This classic decorating style never goes out of fashion. If you're looking for a classic Hamptons beach style feel, start with colour. The idea is to keep things light, breezy and natural. Take your inspiration from nature and dress your interior in sandy creams, driftwood browns and neutrals, all shades of the ocean from aqua to china blue and sunrise inspired splashes of colour.
Don’t be afraid to base your scheme on a neutral. Touches of black can bring visual interest and drama. Think natural linens in interesting textures teamed with smart charcoals or navy freshened with crisp white.
Light is important in a coastal scheme. The individual requirements of the space and need for light control will dictate your choice of window treatment. Opt for a colour that matches your walls. Choose full height curtains in sheer fabrics or fully lined drapes, or roman blinds in stripes or an interesting textured textile. Plantation shutters also work very well in this look.
Image: Roman blinds add understated Shabby Chic elegance.
Belgian Shabby Chic
A newcomer to the Shabby Chic Style scene. Elegant yet relaxed, Belgian is simplified and harmonious, which is what makes it so elegant yet comfortable. If you're finding shabby chic a little too shabby and not so chic lately, you may be ready for Belgium!
Belgian Shabby Chic style has the soft comfort, light feeling and worn finishes but presents them more selectively. The style is a balancing act of light items and items with heft — a mix of raw and polished finishes, light and dark hues, antiques and new pieces, rough and soft textiles. Because Belgian style often incorporates a limited palette, the richness comes in via texture. Antique furniture and accessories as well as raw wood are very common elements. Staples of the style include Belgian linen for draperies, upholstered pieces and accessories. It incorporates items with patina — just some dashes of chipped paint, a little rust, weathered wood. It uses a specific palette that is neutral and often includes warm medium browns, taupes and all shades of grey.
A newcomer to the Shabby Chic Style scene. Elegant yet relaxed, Belgian is simplified and harmonious, which is what makes it so elegant yet comfortable. If you're finding shabby chic a little too shabby and not so chic lately, you may be ready for Belgium!
Belgian Shabby Chic style has the soft comfort, light feeling and worn finishes but presents them more selectively. The style is a balancing act of light items and items with heft — a mix of raw and polished finishes, light and dark hues, antiques and new pieces, rough and soft textiles. Because Belgian style often incorporates a limited palette, the richness comes in via texture. Antique furniture and accessories as well as raw wood are very common elements. Staples of the style include Belgian linen for draperies, upholstered pieces and accessories. It incorporates items with patina — just some dashes of chipped paint, a little rust, weathered wood. It uses a specific palette that is neutral and often includes warm medium browns, taupes and all shades of grey.
Australian Shabby Chic
This style we love at Spring Crest Curtains and Blinds! Our more relaxed outdoor lifestyle in South East Queensland lends itself to our own version of Shabby Chic. Whether your home is modern, duplex, apartment or period style we can help you to achieve a Shabby Chic décor that sits well with the architectural elements. The architecture of Old Queenslander homes with deep wide verandahs that house big outdoor living spaces marry so well with the more restrained Australian Shabby Chic look. A lot of our clients have older pieces of furniture they love and want to incorporate into their décor – not necessarily antiques. In Queensland we also have such an array of bright natural colours – blue sky and sea, rivers and waterways, lush tropical foliage and exotically coloured flowers. These “alive” colours are so good to incorporate into our décor as it brings the outdoors inside – creating a transitional living space. In the Shabby Chic look these are best presented as “pops” of colour in scatter cushions or a piece of upholstered furniture like an ottoman. We tend to have a more natural,
Balinese style version of Shabby Chic – the Australian version does not look like an over filled English Chintzy drawing room, heavy French antique furniture, fussy window coverings. Rather, we have taken the best elements of English, French and American Shaker style to create our very own beach coastal Hamptons style!
Don’t feel as if you have to have Shabby Chic throughout the whole house – some people just like to have a little girl’s bedroom decorated in Shabby Chic as it can be so feminine and pretty when the correct fabrics are chosen. Even a small space can be cleverly dressed with the right choice of fabrics.
At Spring Crest Curtains and Blinds we can help you choose appropriate fabrics for your window coverings – Shabby Chic looks great with a mix of window covering elements: Roman blinds curtains, sheers, and Plantation shutters. The trick is to keep it simple with the colour and fabric. Accessorising is so important too - we can also help you to co-ordinate tiebacks, scatter cushions, throws, recovering lamp shades and ottomans.
This style we love at Spring Crest Curtains and Blinds! Our more relaxed outdoor lifestyle in South East Queensland lends itself to our own version of Shabby Chic. Whether your home is modern, duplex, apartment or period style we can help you to achieve a Shabby Chic décor that sits well with the architectural elements. The architecture of Old Queenslander homes with deep wide verandahs that house big outdoor living spaces marry so well with the more restrained Australian Shabby Chic look. A lot of our clients have older pieces of furniture they love and want to incorporate into their décor – not necessarily antiques. In Queensland we also have such an array of bright natural colours – blue sky and sea, rivers and waterways, lush tropical foliage and exotically coloured flowers. These “alive” colours are so good to incorporate into our décor as it brings the outdoors inside – creating a transitional living space. In the Shabby Chic look these are best presented as “pops” of colour in scatter cushions or a piece of upholstered furniture like an ottoman. We tend to have a more natural,
Balinese style version of Shabby Chic – the Australian version does not look like an over filled English Chintzy drawing room, heavy French antique furniture, fussy window coverings. Rather, we have taken the best elements of English, French and American Shaker style to create our very own beach coastal Hamptons style!
Don’t feel as if you have to have Shabby Chic throughout the whole house – some people just like to have a little girl’s bedroom decorated in Shabby Chic as it can be so feminine and pretty when the correct fabrics are chosen. Even a small space can be cleverly dressed with the right choice of fabrics.
At Spring Crest Curtains and Blinds we can help you choose appropriate fabrics for your window coverings – Shabby Chic looks great with a mix of window covering elements: Roman blinds curtains, sheers, and Plantation shutters. The trick is to keep it simple with the colour and fabric. Accessorising is so important too - we can also help you to co-ordinate tiebacks, scatter cushions, throws, recovering lamp shades and ottomans.
