One of today’s most popular styles, shebby-chic appeared in England in the 1980s and was actively used to decorate private cottages outside the city. The rustic style for England was Victorian, and the English either bought houses with old furniture or scavenged for it at flea markets, then painted and decorated their living rooms with it. So a tradition was formed of furnishing the house with old and faded things that were chic years ago.
But antiques are quite expensive, so designers found ways to artificially age things. At the head of the new fashion was decorator Rachel Ashwell, a great lover of buying old things at flea markets. She was fixing and aging them up to give them that shabby, vintage look.
Shebby-chic style in the interior cannot be called “settled”, it has its own fashionable sub-styles: interiors in the style of the 50’s and 60’s, national authentic styles (in England it is Victorian, in Italy – Tuscan). But they all have common features. Let’s take a closer look at them!
Features of the style of Shebby-chic
The main features of Shebby-chic in the interior are luxury and elegance, as well as the layering of different styles and eras, that is, the simultaneous use of antique furniture, furniture from the 50s-60s and modern decor. Of course, all these items are united by a single color solution.
The main element, which sets the rules for decorating the space, in Shebby-Chic is the furniture. It should look as if it was once very expensive, but decades have passed and it has aged, although still full of nobility. Its corners are frayed, the lacquer is cracked and chipped in places, the upholstery on upholstered furniture is frayed, and the intricately shaped handles on the furniture are even green from time.
Colors used in shebby-chic
The main colors of the chebby-chic style in the interior are pastel white and cream, soft pink and blue, vanilla and light turquoise, the color of coffee with milk and peach, various combinations of yellow with gray and beige with milk. The so-called mint has long been a hallmark of the style, but it should not be a lot. All colors are used at once or separately, but all this multicolor must be diluted with white, which becomes a background for colored objects and saturates the room with light. If the furniture is white, then the walls and floor should shade it, so they are decorated in pastel beige, mint or coffee. If the color of the furniture is closer to brown, then all flat surfaces are made white.
What textiles are suitable for the style?
Textiles are one of the foundations of the shebby style. Mostly natural fabrics are used. Shebby-chic likes “volume”: for example, curtains are sewn tiered, with lambrequins, ruffles, tack and bows, often decorated with satin ribbons to match the print. The furniture is necessarily covered with covers, and you should not skimp on their decoration: there should be bows, flounces and pleats.
In the textile chebby-chic can not find geometric patterns, except for a fine check or stripes, but those are not bright, with a fuzzy outline, as if blurred. But the floral prints, images of angels, birds, animals will be to place.
The decor
Shebby-chic style is distinguished by an abundance of decor, and it can be everywhere: large clocks on the wall, mirrors in voluminous frames, busts and sculptures (necessarily worn, with patina), caskets (made in the technique of decoupage with roses), bronze candlesticks, old irons, gramophones and phones, dishes and vases with roses, embroidery on the walls and numerous decorative pillows, antique china dolls in old dresses and hats, old beads left on the dressing table.
What are the differences between shebby-chic and Provence?
Very often the styles of Shebby-Chic and Provence are confused, and yet they have differences:
- The main thing, perhaps, is that the life of the French peasant was simple: wooden furniture and ceramic dishes, unpretentious jewelry, and chambi-chic is old, but still luxury, where there is a place for gilding, crystal, fancy furniture and expensive fabrics. And if in Provence the aged furniture is just a stroke, in Shebby-chic it is the main element of the style.
- In Provence all the pastel shades of colors found in nature are in fashion and all of them are equal in the interior. Shebby-chic takes white as a base, all others only accompany it.
- The textile design of the Provence style is more diverse. It can be decorated with lavender, daisies, poppies and cornflowers, images of roosters, butterflies, dragonflies, dogs. Scenes from rural life are also very popular.
Kitchen in the style of chebby-chic
The ceiling in the kitchen in the interior of the chebby-chic should be white. As a decor, stucco, including gilded, is appropriate. If you decide to choose stretch ceilings, give preference to matte.
The walls can be covered with washable wallpaper in the main colors of the style, decorated with small flowers. If wooden panels are chosen, they should be made of light wood. You can also paint the walls and complement the finish with moldings and moldings.
The floor in the kitchen is just a background, so a gray or brown color will do, and the material can be anything, but moisture-resistant.
Textiles in the shebby style occupy a special place. It is desirable that the tablecloth and curtains have the same shades and patterns or complement each other in color scheme. Covers on chairs and table napkins are better made of beautiful cotton, sateen or linen, but necessarily lush, with pleats and ruffles.
A cozy bedroom
The modern rhythm of life forces to seek solitude and relaxation at home, and it is the bedroom in the style of chebby-chic will be able to give peace and bliss. Designers advise to choose light colors for walls and ceiling, to give free rein to your imagination in choosing furniture and textiles.
The central place in the bedroom is taken by the bed, and it can be huge with curved legs, as in the baroque, or wrought iron, with a high headboard or with a canopy of transparent organza. It is good if it will show some remnants of gilding or time-greened metal parts. White bed linen with numerous ruffles and pink ornaments will successfully fit into the color scheme of a chebby-chic bedroom.
On the floor will look beautiful with a rug with a long pile: just pay attention to its coloring that combines with curtains and decorative pillows. The latter should be a lot, and their place is not only on the bed, but also in cozy soft chairs by the window and even on the windowsills.
The children’s room for a girl
It is unlikely that the boy will be cozy among the ruffles and curls, but the children’s room in the style of chebby-chic for a girl with its lightness and elegance will be an excellent choice. Soft, purely girlish colors – pink, peach, milk and light green – add space and light to the room, and the pinks and angels create a fairy-tale atmosphere.
Furniture for a girl’s room is not necessary to get an old one. Suitable and modern bed with wrought iron headboard, cabinet and table with bent legs, ottoman with upholstery decorated with roses, and open shelves in white. But the main thing can make the decor: wonderful boxes for children’s jewelry, a mirror in a white frame, lots of decorative pillows and beautiful curtains with a floral print. A good idea to decorate the dressing table – figurines of porcelain angels and bottles. A little imagination – and the room in the style of chebby-chic for the little fairy is ready.
Shebby-chic in the bathroom and on the loggia
Shebby-chic in the bathroom looks excellent, allowing you to decorate the room with vintage jars, elegant lamps, beautiful dispensers, wrought iron shelves and towels of delicate colors. At the same time, the decor will go well with modern bathroom fixtures. Designers advise to choose such a color base for the bathroom, which will not only add any color to the bathroom, but also change it from season to season. Most often as a basis take white or a shade of Ivory.
The loggia or balcony in the style of chebby-chic will look very organic, especially if you grow fresh flowers here. Green on white or any other pastel tone looks even brighter and more beautiful. The rest of the decoration – wicker furniture with soft cushions and wrought iron decorative tables – will bring a unique charm to the evening relaxation with a cup of tea. By the way, very romantic and cozy will look cottage in the style of chebby-chic: here’s where you can fully let your imagination run wild, making sure that the old furniture looks elegant, and the decor – nice and beautiful!
