For two decades, the shabby chic interior design trend has been growing in popularity with homeowners across the globe. Mainly due to its timeless vintage charm and modern accents that just scream positivity and happiness. And introducing it into your home is surprisingly easy.
The eclectic style combines a soft, pastel colour scheme with distressed, sometimes even antique furniture to bring a sense of the good old days back to life. By incorporating these, and many other elements into your design, you can easily get the irresistible, shabby chic look. Here are five great tips to incorporate shabby chic decor into your home.
1. Salvaged and distressed furniture
WONDERFUL: This shabby chic Don’t Forget To Be Awesome word art print is an ideal complement to distressed furniture.
Before you become tempted to skip this part: salvaged does not mean broken, ugly, or smelly! It means that the pieces you choose are supposed to be in proper condition in terms of functionality, but with evident marks of wear and tear for the perfect shabby chic look. You can salvage these from a local yard or markets, get them at a garage sale, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace or simply trade with others.
Think: scrubbed pine table with similar chairs standing on a light wooden floor in the kitchen, or as a work desk in your office. For the shabby chic living room, a distressed wrought iron or wooden couch frame works wonderfully with soft grey cushions and sheepskin draping over the sides.
2. Chic wall art in a rustic setting
AMBIENT: Break the monotony with a gorgeously chic watercolour like Apple Blossom Bird.
One of the best shabby chic additions to a vintage ambiance comes in the form of wall art. These prints can be anything from pop art to abstract, to beautiful watercolours aimed at breaking any monotony that might have settled in and creating that signature, chic vibe.
You might want to introduce wall art where there is room to spare on the walls, especially in places that could use some colourful accents. If you want to bring your shabby chic decor to expert level, simply leave the painting leaning against a wall on the floor.
3. Vintage ambiance with modern amenities
MAGNIFICENT: Combine elegant modern fittings, like this beautiful bath, with scuffed or scrubbed furniture.
Sleek, modern amenities around the house are imperative if you want to bring your shabby chic look to its full potential. For a vintage bathroom, think stunning elegant bathtubs complemented with a scuffed side table with a glass vase full of colourful flowers. Introduce a floating vanity with a scrubbed body and an elegant, white top and your bathroom is all set.
Following the same principles, introduce contemporary amenities in the kitchen and modern equipment into your home office design mixed with intriguing vintage art.
4. Wooden floors and light colours
SERENITY: Create a beautiful synergy of elements with pastel hues and accents and light wooden floors.
Colours play a big role in evoking the right emotions, especially in a setting that combines two seemingly opposing fronts. Pastels work wonderfully with the shabby chic decor philosophy and, in fact, these soft hues are essential for the success of the look.
With pastel hues on the walls, complete the setting with light wooden floors to evoke peace, serenity and also positive energy, intimacy, and passion. Extend your pastel palette and vintage patterns to your accents including kitchenware, bedroom and bathroom accessories and you will have a beautiful synergy of elements in place.
5. Flowers and greenery
CHERRY ON TOP: Use flowers and greenery to add harmony and an abstract art print like Rings Of Light for positivity and joy.
Finally, put the cherry on top of the proverbial cake by completing the setting with lots of flowers and greenery. You can use potted greenery in the corners of the rooms to frame and complement the space, however you should refrain from introducing greenery where there are already plenty of other elements.
On the other hand, the use of flowers can challenge and deconstruct any predictable patterns. Think about placing vases with colourful bouquets on the kitchen table, the windowsills, the bedside table and, of course, on the side table in the bathroom.
The shabby chic design trend has become increasingly popular among homeowners and interior designers in recent years. Due to its harmonious and synergistic nature aimed at evoking passion, positivity and serenity, the shabby chic decor will create joy in both your heart and home.
About the author: Chloe is an art historian and recreational ballet dancer. Her biggest dream is to travel the whole world and take stunning photographs of beautiful places. She also enjoys learning and writing about home design, since she is crazy about aesthetics. She is a regular contributor to Smooth Decorator. You can find her on Facebook and Twitter.
