Shabby chic style in the interior for romantic natures

You must have heard the term “shabby chic” more than once. Currently, this phrase designates the style of clothing, decor and jewelry, and handmade techniques for decorating furniture. But initially, this term was coined specifically to denote a new style in the interior (or rather, the original mix of well-known stylists). Combining retro, vintage, baroque, romantic style in the design of the premises and introducing something new into the atmosphere, you can get a completely unique and nothing like the so-called "shabby chic" or "shabby luxury."

The term “shabby chic” was coined by designer Rachel Ashwell - a lover of wandering around antique shops and flea markets in search of interesting antique furniture, decor, tableware and textiles. From the mix of all kinds of finds, the designer created a completely unique interior and began to promote the emergence of a new style - “shabby luxury” or “glamorous antiquity”. The main attributes of the new style are antique decor items, antique furniture, often with elements of scuffed and worn-out textiles with romantic prints, forged details of structures painted in bright colors. Most often, girls and women with romantic natures are leaning towards the style of shabby chic, decorating their bedrooms with the help of "shabby luxury". But for other functional rooms of the dwelling, the new style is easily applicable. Let's look at specific examples of how to bring the romance of antiques to the interior of rooms or entire apartments and houses.

Often, the style of shabby chic can be confused with the French variation of country style. In the style of Provence, many snow-white surfaces are also used. Often with a worn effect. But the hallmark of shabby chic in the interior is luxury, though shabby, is no less brilliant. If it’s furniture, then with decor, carving or decoupage as a decoration, if upholstery, then certainly from expensive textiles, even if aged, if lighting, then necessarily luxurious chandeliers of glass or crystal, with wrought-iron elements and multiple decor.

You can learn the style of "shabby luxury" first of all by the color scheme - mostly bright, pastel palette is used in the interior design. Many colors are presented not in their pure form, but whitened or as if past years of use, artificially aged. The colors and shades that you can see more often than others in the interior of shabby chic are beautiful, but often look a little faded, faded in the sun, aged over time:

• snow-white and all kinds of shades of white;
• almost all shades of beige;
• pale blue;
• light mint;
• bleached purple;
• creamy;
• the color of sea foam;
• pale pink.

Among other things, unpainted light wood, wicker rattan or vine furniture, forged products with a patina and a complex color palette can be used in the interior of the shabby chic style.

Of course, in the interior, decorated in the style of shabby chic, the main place is occupied by antique or artificially aged furniture and decor, but the decoration should match and harmoniously interweave into the canvas of the design, in which retro, vintage, country and romantic style are mixed.

Most often you can find snow-white wall decoration, sometimes with the effect of scuffing, unpainted some elements, parts of surfaces. In addition to the visual expansion of space, white color gives a feeling of cleanliness and freshness, lightness and flight in the atmosphere of the room.In addition, against a white background, even light objects, decor or accessories in pastel colors become accentuated, not to mention the darker and contrasting pieces of furniture. Sometimes, wallpaper with imitation of rough plaster or a floral, floral print in a romantic manner is used as decoration. Walls and their parts are often used with stucco moldings - gypsum and polyurethane candelabra, sockets and moldings create a festive atmosphere and sublime elegance.

Another option for wall decoration is the use of motifs that are most often found in country style. Wall panels made of wood, painted white, can be placed both vertically and horizontally.

The use of masonry, painted in white, can also be found as decoration on the walls of Shabby Chic. In the bedroom, such a surface can be accent and make up the design of the wall at the head of the bed, in the living room in this way you can trim the space around the fireplace

The use of floral wallpaper for wall decoration makes the Shabby Chic style romantic with style. But the difference in the design of “luxurious attrition” is the presence of antique furniture and decor items, the presence of elements of this very luxury - from beautiful chandeliers to pieces of furniture with gilded fittings.

Most often, the ceiling in the interiors of the Shabby Chic style is a boiled-white surface, sometimes with the effect of aging - a cracked surface, not painted parts. Also, for the design of ceilings, country-style elements can be used - ceiling beams made of light wood in natural form or bleached floor structures. Another option for decorating the ceiling is the same stucco molding - a socket in the center of the surface as a decor of the space around the chandelier, cornices with reliefs, various bas-reliefs.

Most often, a wooden board or typeset parquet made of light wood is chosen as the flooring, less often the wooden flooring is covered with paint. If we are talking about the design in the style of shabby chic of such rooms as a kitchen, dining room or hallway, then stone or ceramic floor tiles can be used as floor cladding. Sometimes such a coating is aged at the installation stage - tiles are specially broken, folded, leaving gaps between the segments. To decorate floors, you can use carpets, but certainly light tones and with the effects of aging. If you use a carpet with a print, then it should be wiped, frayed or have fuzzy borders of the ornament. A floral or animal pattern will be preferred. Things "from the grandmother's chest" gain a second life in the interiors of the style of shabby chic.

Furniture for the style of "shabby luxury" is a key element in creating the necessary mood. The most commonly used furniture is wood, aged artificially or naturally after a long period of use. Cabinets and cupboards, dressers and tables, coasters and secretaries with peeling paint, unpainted elements, carved decor, and patina on fittings - all these objects work to create a unique atmosphere of the room in the style of shabby chic.

The use of furniture, which can most often be found as the organization of recreation places on a personal plot, an open veranda or a terrace, is a common practice for interiors in the style of shabby chic. Wicker chairs and even sofas, coasters and other items of garden furniture organically fit into the bright palette of rooms in the style of "luxurious attrition."

An amazing combination of a luxurious chandelier and a worn cabinet, rich textile of curtains and old armchairs with elements of antiquity that cannot be faked, which appear only after prolonged use, all this is shabby chic with its romance, love of vintage,to elements of bohemian antiquity and luxurious decor.

Also, rooms with an interior in the style of "glamorous antiquity" use elements of baroque or rococo - expensive furniture with bent legs, upholstered in velvet, velor, leather or satin, with gilded elements and extensive decor.

There is a considerable choice in decorating the premises with textiles in the interiors of “shabby luxury” - you can use plain fabrics in a light palette, as well as materials with a floral, floral or animal print, a thin strip, a soft ornament will also look appropriate.

We can say that interiors in the style of shabby chic are abundantly draped with textiles - curtains and curtains in rooms of any functional orientation, canopies in bedrooms, many decorative pillows and cushions of various shapes in the living rooms.

If we are talking about decorating the bedroom with textiles, then you can use only a snow-white palette, both for decorating a sleeping place, and for decorating window openings. Sometimes, to create some emphasis, embroidery or appliqués on bedspreads, pillows and other textile items can be used.

The lighting system in the interiors of the style of shabby chic is given considerable attention. First of all, a large central chandelier, as a rule, decorates with its exquisite design not only the ceiling, but the whole room. A lot of hanging decorative elements, glass, crystal or forged parts of designs with patina - all this works perfectly to create an atmosphere of chic and luxury, albeit worn by time. You can safely use baroque or rococo lamps, only in the aging option.

Table lamps with textile lampshades - an integral attribute of the design of the rooms in the style of shabby chic. They are found both in the bedrooms - near the bed as a source of local lighting to create a romantic atmosphere, dim light, and in the living rooms to give the room an atmosphere of coziness and warmth, the possibility of relaxation, reading and talking in the dark in a pleasant environment.

Living room in the style of "shabby luxury" is always a spacious room with light finishes, most often with snow-white walls, wooden flooring and boiled-white ceiling, which is crowned by a luxurious chandelier. A recreation area with upholstered furniture in bright colors, a small coffee table from an antique store or a flea market, floor or table lamps with textile lampshades - this filling the common room is the most common design option.

In the living room of shabby chic, the presence of a fireplace, both acting and its imitation for the arrangement of candles or aroma lamps, is not ruled out. The space around the hearth can be decorated using white-painted brickwork or using stucco made of gypsum or polyurethane. Forged elements in the chimney of the fireplace, accessories for it, decoration of the mantelpiece are welcomed and bring an element of luxurious antiquity to the interior of the room.

In living rooms, where "luxurious attrition" reigns, you can often find elements of country style - for example, the use of wicker baskets as containers for indoor plants, in the form of storage system elements. You can also find wall decoration with the help of original dishes - collection plates displayed on open shelves or hung directly on the wall can transform the interior, add coziness and comfort to the atmosphere.

Another common attribute of rooms in the style of shabby chic is mirrors in antique frames.On the surface of the mirror there may be traces of prolonged use, oxidation and crackling, the same applies to carved frames made of wood, with gilded or silver coatings, cracked paint - all these elements of antiquity only add charm to the interior, bring the spirit of ancient elegance to it.

The most difficult thing is to integrate modern objects such as video equipment into an interior filled with the spirit of ancient luxury. Some designers suggest hanging the TV over the fireplace (if there is one in the living room), placing the equipment in an old frame and thus disguising technology as a wall decor. But you can simply place the video zone in a place convenient for you and accept the fact that shebby chic is already some kind of mixture of stylistics, the modern spirit will not harm him

The central piece of furniture in the dining room, decorated in the style of shabby chic, is a large wooden table. The chairs accompanying it can be made of wood, have soft backs and seats, or be equipped with removable textile covers. Garden furniture can also be used - wicker chairs or mini-chairs made of rattan or vine, in natural color or painted. Completes the image of the dining area of ​​the chandelier, as a rule, luxurious, hanging almost to the table. At the same time, it is not necessary that any other objects from the Baroque or Rococo stylistics be used in the interior.

If the scale of the dining room allows, then in addition to the dining group, the cabinet can be fitted with display cabinets or cupboards for storing dishes, textiles and other kitchen utensils. At the same time, it is not necessary that the pieces of furniture carry the external attributes of aging - scuffing and cracking of the paint, it is important that they are antique or antique.

A bedroom in the style of shabby chic is a bright, you can even say snow-white, room with color accents in textiles, decorative elements or parts of furniture. Much attention is paid to the design of the head of the bed. It is in this element of the interior that designers like to use creativity - to use old wooden boards with shabby paint, window shutters, doors or other used constructions.

A wrought-iron bed painted in white will look very appropriate in the romantic setting of a Shabby chic bedroom. The ornate design can be repeated in the design of the central chandelier or wall sconces located on both sides of the bed.

In shabby luxury bedrooms, you can often find four-poster beds with a metal frame. Considerable attention is paid to textile design, so most often the canopies are a lot of folds of snow-white light fabric, sometimes decorated with fringe, tassels and lambrequins (depending on the design of the canopy frame).

In addition to the central piece of furniture - a large bed made of wood or with a metal forged frame, the bedroom may also contain auxiliary furniture elements - armchairs and ottomans, low tables, coasters, bedside tables, chests of drawers and wardrobe cases. Most often, such pieces of furniture “come” to the bedroom of shabby chic from Baroque and Rococo styles - bent legs, decorative elements, luxurious upholstery, most often with aging elements.

To create an interior in the style of shabby chic in the bathroom, you need a room at least larger than the average size of standard utilitarian spaces in urban apartments. It is not so easy to reflect the motifs of the “shabby luxury” style in the bathroom - there may simply not be room for furniture with cracked paint, luxurious lamps and chandeliers are not always appropriate in small spaces, and textiles with roses and angels are not needed at all. But options for using a mix of antiquity and modernity, romanticism and chic, of course, exist.The use of a light palette “on hand” to any utilitarian room - a visual expansion of space and a sense of cleanliness and freshness of the room is provided. The use of metal parts and accessories with a patina in the bathroom is more than appropriate, and baroque lighting fixtures can be found in small versions.

In the bathroom in the style of shabby chic, it is easy to integrate antique frames, both for decorating mirrors and other wall decor - for example, paintings in the area with the least exposure to moisture. You can use gilded surfaces for fittings storage systems and accessories plumbing.