one shabby chic

Shabby chic is a design style deliberately using worn and deteriorated items.


~Rainy weekend, glad to see the sun today. With that rain i locked myself in with these two old chairs i had rescued. Sanded, cleaned, primed and painted then for the seats i tore off the old and in with new. I bought some canvas and recovered the seats and backs, all matching the shabby chic style that now fills the house. These two chairs are so beautiful, you wonder who once sat in them? On one of my weekend drives there they were on the side of the road next to this old barn that was being torn down. Not a common road i travel or one i ever need to use, but i am happy that they found me on that rare occasion. Gregg cursed these chairs as he helped me drag them out of the rover...."more chairs? i think we have enough, it is just us you know!" With all that said and no comment back he looked at me yesterday to say i gave life back to something, and he was proud. Although later that night at dinner i did hear how that doesn't mean i have to use my creativity on every poor thing i see out there, like the desk i re did last fall from this old lawyers home...oh and there will be more its just something i cant help, and he knows this all too well!~

History-

The style started in Great Britain and evokes the type of decoration found in large country houses where there are worn and faded old chintz sofas and curtains, old paintwork and unassuming 'good' taste. The end result of shabby chic is to achieve an elegant overall effect, as opposed to the sentimentally cute Pop-Victorian. Neither is it an expression of caring for the environment through recycling, even though recycling old furniture and fabrics is an important aspect of it.
The early forms of shabby chic were rather grand but the style has evolved taking inspiration from many forms of decoration. These range from 18th century Swedish painted decoration, the French Chateau as well as the American Shakers where simplicity and plainness was essential.
Shabby chic is mainly popular in interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.
Shabby chic items are often heavily painted with many layers showing through obviously worn areas. The style is imitated in Faux Painting using glaze or by painting then rubbing and sanding away the top coat to show the wood or base coats. Fabrics tend to be cottons and linens, with linen being particularly popular, inspired by old French linens. Whites and worn or bleached out pastels are favorite colours. Fabric is often stained with tea to give it the look of old fabric. Bleached and faded are terms often applied to the style