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Going Shabby Chic in Your Home

Shabby chic has become a popular interior decorating style and you can take principles from the shabby chic design style and apply them in your home to create a space that is comfortable and functional. It doesn’t hurt if your house already has that lived-in feel; then it only takes a few subtle changes to capture the shabby chic appeal.

Using this design requires minimal changes in whatever current theme you have. Additions of vintage furnishings and the use of light palettes will already give your home the shabby chic look. Herein comes the use of your old things. If you’ve kept some heirlooms or stashed away decors of old, resurrect them and add them to your current accessories. Rustic tables and chairs will look in place instead of out of it. For a shabby chic approach, the old is the superstar. Beware however of going overboard with the shabbiness. There is a line between the worn out and the stylishly old stuff.

Repainting the furniture and compartments a glossy color gives the space a sophisticated look. If you want the shabby quality for the furniture, you can always shop in thrift stores and flea markets for vintage things. The best part is not having to spend a lot for buying new furniture.

If on the other hand, you don’t have many vintage things, a visit to the nearest thrift store, yard sale and flea markets answers your concern. You can easily find old things in these places literally. Take your time in selecting items. It’s not a good idea to just grab old things for the sake of having such for your shabby chic design. Choose with taste and ensure that the items go well with the rest of the room.

A quick fix for a shabby chic look is the use of area rugs. Choose those with a light color or a faded look. However, if you want to reflect sophistication in the rugs, go for elaborately-designs or lush fabrics. Oriental rugs may be too pricey but this kind of rug is ideal for the elegant appeal you’re aiming for. An alternative is to buy artificial or replicas of the authentic Oriental rugs.

Painted metal is also another common element seen in shabby chic. Older homes and apartments may offer you an excellent opportunity to do this with metal radiators. Again a word of caution, don’t try to paint the radiators while they are on.

Old things don’t have to go to waste. There’s the wisdom of sorting things and keeping those you feel you might use in the future. Not to mention the beauty of thrift stores and flea markets. Our grandmas are right after all – think twice before throwing away your old things.