Shabby Chic

Shabby chic can be both romantic and country. It is a casual, but sophisticated look that leaves room for collectibles and antiques. Furniture you’ve found at a flea market and painted white with a crackle finish is popular. Cotton and linen fabrics are accented with cutwork, lace, ruffles and satin or velvet appliqués. Pillows, pillows and more pillows invite your guests to sit and enjoy a whiff of pot pourri that fills baskets and bowls. Luxurious throws in softest cashmere are tossed over a room divider made from old, paint-chipped shutters. Soft, tea stained floral prints cover comfy overstuffed chairs and loose white slipcovers soften the lines of the sofa. Flowered carpets cover hardwood floors that can be painted or stained.

This style offers a nostalgic trip to grandma’s attic to search for old family photos in antique frames and treasured keepsakes to cluster on delicate tables covered with a fringed and faded cloth. A vintage crystal chandelier is a real find. Hang a stained or etched glass window in front of an existing window and use French doors to divide one room from another. Save a rosebud to press into a book of poems, hang a straw hat on the poster of your canopy bed. A pot of fragrant heather or lavender adds interest on your nightstand when placed next to a small gilded birdcage. Scented candles cast a romantic glow in every room.

Let friends come upon hidden treasures in your secret garden – tiny verdigris snails, ceramic birds, an old Grecian column, a bit of weathered wrought iron, a basket of dried flowers complete with gilt garden shears and worn cotton gloves. English ivy is charming when winding through these art objects and will do well in our desert climate if shaded. Use climbing roses to cover a latticework or iron arbor and arch them over the front gate leading to an open Dutch door. A sleepy cat curled up on a wicker chair, or next to a window box full of pink geraniums, completes the look.

by Jacque Ramsey