Shabby chic is an interior decorating style that combines worn, faded and painted furniture with soft, pale colours and romantic floral textiles to create a relaxed, comfortable and gently aged look. The term came into wide use in the 1980s and 1990s and is associated with the British-born designer Rachel Ashwell, who popularised the style through her shops and books.
The look draws on the faded elegance of old English country houses and French provincial homes, where furniture, curtains and upholstery had been used for generations. Typical ingredients include painted French and Gustavian-style furniture with chipped or rubbed surfaces, white-painted iron beds, gilt mirrors with worn gilding, slip-covered sofas, faded chintzes, toile, linen and lace, and pastel colour schemes. The style encouraged the painting and deliberate distressing of furniture, which has its critics, since applying such finishes to good antique pieces can destroy original surfaces and reduce their value. For that reason it is best to choose pieces whose painted condition is genuinely old or that have no surviving original finish. Used with restraint, shabby chic offers a soft, welcoming backdrop that suits bedrooms, cottages and garden rooms.
