All New Shabby Chic Thread!

anguk

Okay ladies (and any gents who may be lurking) I'm asking for help here. My kitchen desperately needs decorating, it looks dingy and dated. It's long and narrow, gets little natural light and it's cold (it's an off-shot built on the back of an old terraced house). Plus as we live on a main road everyone comes to the back door so the kitchen is the first room they see and it's awful!

At the moment it's got yellow walls (neither pale nor too bright) and the units and worktop are a horrible cheap speckly beige colour. My house is rented so I can't replace the worktops or kitchen units but I can paint the unit doors and I can paint the walls. The unit doors are cheap formica/laminate with no handles, they have a wood runner across the top of the door & drawers to open & close, if you know what I mean?

I love shabby chic, country, Cath Kidston, old enamelware, old metal advertising pictures and things like that but don't want it to look too cluttered or fussy.

The main problem I'm having is deciding on a colour for the walls and unit doors, I need something that will make the room look brighter, warmer and more inviting. So give me some ideas, I like pretty much any colour. I've had a look around at pictures of kitchens and there's loads that I love but I just don't know what will work in a long, narrow, darkish room and of course it has to fit in with the beige speckled worktop.

Any ideas?

funkymonkey849

anguk wrote: »

The main problem I'm having is deciding on a colour for the walls and unit doors, I need something that will make the room look brighter, warmer and more inviting. So give me some ideas, I like pretty much any colour. I've had a look around at pictures of kitchens and there's loads that I love but I just don't know what will work in a long, narrow, darkish room and of course it has to fit in with the beige speckled worktop.

Any ideas?

I think powder blue would work well, it will be light enough so the room doesn't look dingy and you can brighten it up with some red polka dot accessories - maybe make some curtains, tesco had red spotty some cake tins and mugs. Add some framed vintage posters and voila!

MrsMoo2U

elegant_elephant wrote: »

I picked up another revamp project at the car boot sale this morning - a pine decorative shelf unit that I'll sand and paint pale grey or sage green I think.

I'm also lucky enough to live near Elan Bach in Mid-Wales where they sell samples, off cuts etc so I've some gorgeous bits of fabric to make cushions, a wall hanging and a blind with.

Such a shame that work, kids and revision keep getting in the way of my new fab shabby chic home!:rolleyes:

I am completely new to this thread and getting a bit bouncy and excited. I love revamping stuff. I currently have two parker knoll fireside chairs that I want to revamp. Please tell me more about Elan Bach, I live in Mid Wales and would love to get some nice material for recovering.

BitterAndTwisted

For a cold room which gets no natural light I think a sunny yellow would ideal with a slightly darker shade on the short walls to bring them in a bit so the room doesn't look too long and narrow. Not sure about the unit doors as I don't know what material you could paint them with but I'd be tempted to paint them white so they look nice and clean. Yellow, white and beige should look OK together imo.

I don't mind a cluttered look in a kitchen myself as it makes it seem like a room where work goes on as long as there's a place for everything and you can find things when you need them. I'm a great one for hanging things up. I'd love a rack on the ceiling to hang pans, lids and utensils from to free up precious cupboard-space.

Janebo12

Hi, not posted on here before, but I have been reading all of your posts and I am loving it!

Anyway, I was in BHS the other day and they had some lovely things in store - they also have them online
http://www.bhs.co.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/bhsstore/232857/1/1

They also had a lovely red wire egg storage basket and some lovely cupcake teatowels and oven gloves.

hth
Amanda

hart44

Janebo12 wrote: »

Hi, not posted on here before, but I have been reading all of your posts and I am loving it!

Anyway, I was in BHS the other day and they had some lovely things in store - they also have them online
http://www.bhs.co.uk/mall/departmentpage.cfm/bhsstore/232857/1/1

They also had a lovely red wire egg storage basket and some lovely cupcake teatowels and oven gloves.

hth
Amanda

Thank you for the link, the stuff for the kitchen is wonderful

I have some nasty orange pine cuboards with open shelves under them in my kitchen, Im going to paint cream as they were made by the previous owner and are solid but so dated at the mo. I have been looking for some nice bits to finish the kitchen off and some of the stuff in BHS will fit in nice

code-a-holic

Has anyone done a beautiful office?!
I want to change our office in to something more than a box room with a computer. My husband works from home now and again so i dont want it to be too floral and girlie so i need to get a good balance of macho and feminine, and vintage/retro/shabby chic!
I got a teak desk with metal legs off freecycle yesterday. I have sprayed the legs with satin chrome and painted any wood on the sides country cream, i will leave the top teak - its a bit worn and scratched in places but i like that- adds history to the item! I plan on getting some tall shelves and paint cream and some vintage rose pattern fabric to make a curatin for the bottom half and then a matching blind for the window and to cover the grey office chair! I have a huge picture frame in the attic, im thinking of lining it with blue pola dot wrapping paper then artisitclly (?!?!) arranging family photos on it and hanging this above the desk.
Any ideas and suggestions - pics would be great!

mollymunchkin

FYI Tesco have nice polka dot wrapping paper at the mo. A fabric notice board would look nice. I'd go for spots or union jacks rather than floral to macho it up a bit, lol. Good luck, sounds lovely!

ANNEGEDDES

the union jacks sound good very trandy at the mo

luxor4t

code-a-holic wrote: »

Has anyone done a beautiful office?!
I want to change our office in to something more than a box room with a computer. My husband works from home now and again so i dont want it to be too floral and girlie so i need to get a good balance of macho and feminine, and vintage/retro/shabby chic!
.....snipped [/QUOTE]

How about a big vintage-look clock?

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.201-4697.aspx this one is shabby-chic

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.205-0108.aspx this one would go with the vintage union jack look