Chandeliers and worn wood, elegant prints and aged paint, these are a few of the characteristics that define shabby chic. Shabby chic has become a popular design option in contrast to the modern world’s efforts that focus on new furniture, flashy style, solid brights and whites. While the notion of extravagance and royalty are notions of the past, your design can represent class and comfort with shabby chic – antique pieces in a home that is comfortable and inviting, says Love to Know.

The best part of shabby chic is that it invites distressed furniture and fabrics of all ages into your home and proves to be an inexpensive way to stylize. A good nose for thrift and fearlessness of DIY are great tools for introducing shabby chic into your space.

While there is always the option to distress new furniture (sanding through layers of paint is an option), furniture that is naturally worn with age from flea markets and thrift shops are ideal in pulling off shabby chic. Aged floral prints are also used to accessorize furniture on slip covers, pillows and throw blankets. Fabrics are usually cotton, poplin, or linen.

Shabby chic accessories include all things glass, crystal or silver and gold toned. Glass vases, faux crystal chandeliers, and gold or silver toned drawer knobs, lamp bases, etc. are all good examples. Drop crystal sconces and simple grouping of candles on a silver tea tray are also appropriate accessories.
There are other ways to bring shabby chic into your home. Preferring light, airy curtains to blinds or shutters, believing in big bookcases, choosing mix and match glass and silverware, using older appliances (like the circular dial telephone), or investing in a number of beautifully-framed mirrors are other ways to embellish the shabby chic style of today.

Published By : Jill Kipnis on Thursday, Aug 12th, 2010, 2:00 pm 

(Photo courtesy of Love to Know)

–Jacqueline Brenner, Move Staff Writer

Article Courtesy of Move.com-Trends