Shabby chic (/ˈʃæb.iˈʃiːk/) is
a form of interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for
their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear or where new items are
distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique. At the same time, a soft,
opulent, yet cottage-style decor, often with an affected feel is emphasized to
differentiate it from genuine period decor.
Shabby chic items are often heavily painted through
the years, with many layers showing through obviously time-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, known as
"distressing" the finish of the furniture. Furniture pieces that are
not genuine antiques are usually selected for their resemblance to older
furniture styles, and may be reproduction furniture with a distressed finish.
Elaborate furniture appliques depicting flower swags and garlands, cherubs, and
other motifs may be added.
Fabrics tend to be cottons and linens, with linen
being particularly popular, inspired by old French linens. Pure whites, as well
as ecrus and worn or bleached out pastel colors are favorites. Fabric is often
stained with tea to give it the look of old fabric. Bleached and faded are
terms often applied to the style. Vintage floral patterns with pastel colors,
cotton ticking patterns, or linen in earth tones, are all typical of shabby
chic style.
Antique pieces such as pie safes and jelly cupboards
are popular in shabby chic décor. Besides white, the shabby chic style also
includes soft neutral colors such as sky blue, rose pink and beige tones. Hints
from French-style interior design often show in shabby chic homes such as
Rococo-style lighting fixtures, furniture or wall paneling.
The shabby chic aesthetic also expands to the garden,
with the same design principles of using timeworn garden furniture and feminine
accessories. Rose gardens are popular with the shabby chic style of decor.
Other popular decor items are pillows made of vintage
barkcloth fabric, vintage linens, chenille bedspreads, vintage chandeliers, and
anything with roses in the design. It is a soft, relaxed, feminine, romantic
style of decorating that looks comfortable and inviting.
Variants of shabby chic style include:
Cottage chic
Beach cottage chic
French country
Gustavian (Swedish)
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. Recycling old furniture and fabrics is an
important aspect of the look and was especially popular with modern Bohemians
and artisans that made up a sidelined counter-culture movement during the 1980s
when expensive quality decor became very fashionable with the upper middle
classes. The original shabby chic interiors were usually considered in
themselves works of art.
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.
Origin of term
The term was coined by The World of Interiors magazine
in the 1980s and became extremely popular in the US in the '90s with a certain
eclectic surge of decorating styles with paints and effects, notably in
metropolitan cultural centers on the West Coast of America, such as Los Angeles
and San Francisco, with heavy influences from Mediterranean cultures such as
Provence, Tuscany and Greece.
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