Shabby Chic Thread?

charleybabes

mary43- it sounds lovely.. have you got any pictures of your rooms???

mary43

Not that I can put on here charleybabes..............I'm afraid I'm not blessed with a digi camera or scanner. Nuisance at times and I keep saying I'll get both but then something else crops up we need the money for. One day though.............one day.................lol

Next door neighbours daughters just popped in to borrow the computer for homework and her Dad is in the process of re-doing their kitchen...........its a very small kitchen and she said they went to Wickes (she thinks) and got one for £600. Then when they've done that they're doing bathroom and the rest of the house then putting it up for sale ! If it were me I'd sell mine as it is and let someone else put their mark on it (plus do all the work.......lol)
Plus side is that she's going to ask her Dad if we can have the old units when he rips them out. We've got a room leading off out kitchen that the DIY SOS team would love...............lol Gas boiler is in there plus fridge freezer and upright freezer, old wardrobe OH keeps tools in, old sideboard for paint/wallpaper etc. and other drawers full of 'stuff'. If I had units fitted in there then the place might become a bit tidier and less of a dumping ground...........(she says hopefully) so fingers crossed we get them.
Trouble is, all this chat from her about what they're doing to their house made me look around mine again with a large wrinkly frown................lol
Having said that, everyone who knocks on our front door says how lovely our front room so it can't be that bad.:j

rosieben

teacup wrote: »

I dont think the links are working sos

here you go

https://www.caroline-zoob.co.uk/shop/

https://www.greengate.co.uk

and https://www.cathkidston.co.uk/

needmoney

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I love this bit of shabby chic

Norma_Desmond

What I understand as 'shabby chic' isn't really the interpretation I'm getting here; it all seems rather pretty, chintzy and countrified!
20 odd years ago I was buying beautiful antiques, furniture and paintings cheaply because they were slightly worn or damaged - and people laughed at me, yet I was interviewed on radio just before Christmas for my 'design style' and the reporter was going into ecstasies over the fact that my gilt picture frames are chipped and some of my 18th century fabrics have holes in them etc. etc.!
I don't 'do' this 'look' because it's trendy, and I certainly wouldn't spend £1000 on a modern 'distressed' piece of tat; what's important to me is having beautiful, ancient, quality pieces that have stood the test of time flaws or no - and preserve me please from Cath Kidstone! :rolleyes:

vivw_2

I suppose the version of shabby chic I think of is where you use your imagination and creativity to make a home. Thus furniture is painted to increase life span, chairs are recovered, picture frames reused, curtains used for other places besides windows, books are around and not placed in cupboards out of sight.

lilmisskitkat

Love, love, LOVE the shabby chic/country cottage style!

My main room for it is the kitchen - enamel tins for bread, tea, coffee, sugar, pasta etc, pink kettle and toaster, polka dot dinner service plus mugs and glasses, retro wall signs and tins for biscuits etc, floral apron and oven gloves, polka dot tea towels - the list goes on! Its all just accessories at the moment as the house is rented so cant change anything.

In our new house (work starts next week :j ) i'm having white units with beech worktops, belfast sink, pastel coloured walls, polka dot blind and tiles plus all my accessories i already have. Luckily i have a free hand over the interiors, OH wouldn't know where to start so its all up to me - though he does comment on it being like living in a dolls house sometimes lol :rotfl:

I also have bits throughout the house, DD has a blue Laura Ashley throw and also a pink patchwork one on her bed, i have lots of other throws and cushions scattered around, the bathroom has retro 'washroom' and 'ladies powder room' signs and our room has lots of little trinket boxes, jewelled photoframes, mirrored jewellery box and old pine furniture.

Polka dot stuff is my obsession, the house is full of it (even jellybean's pram is going to be polka dot!) and i also love Cath Kidston and Laura Ashley. I have a few authentic pieces then the rest is replica stuff from BHS, dotcom gift shop and matalan etc

Kate xxx

HariboJunkie

Norma_Desmond wrote: »

What I understand as 'shabby chic' isn't really the interpretation I'm getting here; it all seems rather pretty, chintzy and countrified!
20 odd years ago I was buying beautiful antiques, furniture and paintings cheaply because they were slightly worn or damaged - and people laughed at me, yet I was interviewed on radio just before Christmas for my 'design style' and the reporter was going into ecstasies over the fact that my gilt picture frames are chipped and some of my 18th century fabrics have holes in them etc. etc.!
I don't 'do' this 'look' because it's trendy, and I certainly wouldn't spend £1000 on a modern 'distressed' piece of tat; what's important to me is having beautiful, ancient, quality pieces that have stood the test of time flaws or no - and preserve me please from Cath Kidstone! :rolleyes:

I've never bought anything that's "ready distressed". My family are quite good at distressing everything themselves thanks.
As I put in my original post on the kitchen thread, my kitchen style has built up over 6 years of collecting bits and bobs. Nothing actually matches but if I like it I'll buy it and I do veer towards sagey green clours. All the tins I collect are used to store what they were indended for, eg my old nescafe tin holds filter coffee, my oxo tin holds all my stock cubes and my lipton tea tin holds the tea bags. I draw the line at using the mangle on top of the dresser which was a wedding present from a friend.
When we moved in the kitchen was covered in orange pine tongue and groove. As we couldn't afforde to rip it out and replaster we painted it white. Now it is in every magazine but it wasn't then.

My bedroom is kind of French shabby chic and has been for 10 years. I have a cast iron bed, an art noveau original firplace and framed prints of french art noveau advertising pictures. Again, it's just come together over time.

rosieben

I'm going more for the shabby country than shabby chic, and I love chintzes and pretty china. I think the important thing is that you do what you like yourself, and dont get too humg up on labels?

I'm horrified at some of the prices asked for things though, furniture and accessories. I'd rather find an idea I like and do my own take on it.

mary43

previous posting from me:

We've got a room leading off out kitchen that the DIY SOS team would love...............lol Gas boiler is in there plus fridge freezer and upright freezer, old wardrobe OH keeps tools in, old sideboard for paint/wallpaper etc. and other drawers full of 'stuff'. If I had units fitted in there then the place might become a bit tidier and less of a dumping ground...........(she says hopefully) so fingers crossed we get them

Neighbour says we can have the kitchen units..........offered us another free standing one but its a bit flimsy...........think I'd rather keep the oak sideboard we've already got in there. It's strong and roomy and I spent hours stripping it down when we had it in the kitchen originally.
So, now I've told OH we're in for a big de-clutter in what can only be described as a 'junk room'...........get rid of furniture in there thats no good, plus stuff in the drawers thats been there so long I've forgotten what it is.
I can run riot with a paint tin (or delegate to OH to do same.........lol).
I got some repro enamel signs a few boot fairs back and then couldn't work out where to put them. They can go on the walls in there plus a few other bits that at the minute have no 'home' and I'm reluctant to part with............lol
Carpet in there is a bit on the 'disgusting' side...........can't afford another but do have a big rug that might do the trick............:T