The Shabby Chic – A Constant Mark of Elegance
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Are you one of the people that value those little treasures found at garage sales, antique shops ore those family assets passed from generation to generation? If so, now is your chance to use them in order to give a Shabby Chic look to your home, making it elegant and extremely trendy.
This style is all about delicacy, intimacy, vintage elements, pastel shades, soft fabrics with floral motifs and cozy furniture – all bathed in natural light. Its origins stand in the British country houses and villas, whose traditional elements give away familiarity. Shabby Chic blends the French refinement with the British elegance, delivering a warm, comfortable and intimate design theme that depicts a passed time.

The best thing about this decorating style is that you don’t need a generous budget to purchase specific items, because you can make use of the things that you already have. Be creative and make the most of elements that apparently don’t fit altogether, by designing a one of a kind setting.
The first aspect of Shabby Chic is the warm, soft and delicate color palette. The white, gray, pink, light green, light purple, sky blue shades give a warm and luminous touch to the room.

Paint the walls in light tones – white, beige, gray – or pastel colors like pink, purple, reseda, light blue and add floral ribs to draw a more delicate aspect. If you want another type of finish, you can always go for an elegant, vintage, floral wallpaper that is trendy and also suitable for this style. As for the floor, a white seemingly used parquet should be your first choice, but as an alternative use any type of flooring with a retro look, as long as it is chic and not rustic.

The furniture is always made of wood and consists of a wide range of elegant, refined and personalized pieces of artwork. If you want to develop an authentic Shabby Chic interior, use vintage furniture enriched with carved details and discreet shabbiness marks. Since no piece of furniture is new, take a walk to fares, markets or exhibitions that have old furniture on sale, refurbish it and paint it white. Choose anything that looks antique to you – a chest of drawers, a dressing table, a stool, a telephone table, a settee – and make sure it is big, massive, comfortable, with soft and colorful tapestry.


The materials are soft, fuzzy and colorful. You can use plush, cotton or silk fabrics and combine floral patterns with stripes and chequers in order to create a warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Add the final touches with accessories that match your home’s décor. The most common decorative elements are various size and pattern cushions. As long as they fit the color palette, the possibilities are endless. Retro chandeliers, old paintings, flower vases, coffee and tea sets, candles and mirrors are also trade marks for this style.


Shabby Chic addresses all senses and the olfaction one is of great importance. Either coming from the fresh flowers, an odorant or from the rose and lavender oils, your home should be bathed in distinctive flavors.
Having sensual motifs like fresh flowers, candles and soft fabrics, this style embraces elegant old elements, silver accessories, painted wood pieces, fuzzy carpets and transparent drapery. Therefore, an interior setting defined by Shabby Chic elements is as refreshing and comfortable as a familiar scenery.



Interior Design / Decorating Ideas / The Shabby Chic – A Constant Mark of Elegance