Comfortable and luxurious living room in shabby chic style
Is it possible to combine concepts as different as modernity, luxury and the shabby into a harmonious whole? The affirmative answer was given by Rachel Asheville, an English designer. She has developed an interior style whose main postulate is: one must live beautifully, surrounded by comfortable and memorable things.
“Shabby chic” is a great way to decorate a room with worn and slightly faded objects that may even have slight defects. However, it is very important that things are of high quality, solid and elegant enough. It should be noted that in this style, contrary to the opinion of many people, it is possible to decorate not only the rooms of girls or young women, but also common rooms, such as living rooms or dining rooms.
Characteristics of the living room decoration in shabby chic style
The main idea of the shabby chic style is an imitation of antiquity. Rachel Asheville, the author of this style, first restored and decorated for her old furniture purchased at flea markets. Then she started introducing her products to friends and acquaintances that more and more people have learned about them. Later, Rachel started selling her products to interested people. Gradually, furniture and decorative items in shabby chic style have become known and popular worldwide.
The main shabby style theses include:
The strong side of shabby chic style is that it requires less money and shopping than creativity and craftsmanship.
Materials, pallet, finishing methods
In the salons of Shabby chic is most often triumphant white. The walls are decorated with stucco, deliberately rough, with an imitation of cracks, or trellises with a cheerful pattern, but not shiny, but as if powdered.
Plaster moldings on the ceiling and walls – moldings, sockets, bas-reliefs and ceilings – are no stranger to chic Shabby.
The lounges of this style must be bright, not only for their decoration, but also for their large windows, often semi-circular, old-fashioned.
The ceiling is almost always serene white, in the same light, bumps and deliberate cracks. The floor is covered with dark wood, which seems to have been trampled by more than a generation.
The game of contrasts is not for shabby chic.
Creamy, pearl gray, vanilla, ash-pink, mint, pearl blue and half-creamy, here is his typical palette.
Furniture for the shabby chic living room
As mentioned above, an important element of the living room of this style is the vintage and antique furniture, which allows you to create the desired atmosphere in the room. The ideal material for furniture is natural wood and forged metal. In extreme cases, you can use high quality materials imitating a wooden surface. For example, a parquet floor made of natural wood can be replaced with a high quality laminate.
One of the main requirements of the furniture is the absence of strict lines and sharp angles, as well as the presence of scratches and various types of roughness. The greatest attention inside the shabby chic naturally attracts a sofa with smooth and rounded armrests. In addition to him, the room should have several chairs and armchairs made in rococo or baroque style in bright colors. At the same time, the coating must be plain or with a slight discreet floral and vegetable print. In addition, the furniture may contain images of small birds.
Chairs and armchairs should be used with decorative lace, delicate embroidery on fabric or floral applications. Such ideas for furniture decorations are likely to create a warm and extremely comfortable atmosphere, which should lead to conversation and relaxation of heart.
An excellent addition to sofas, armchairs and chairs in shabby chic style will be:
The fireplace will fit inside, which certainly needs a rocking chair with a soft blanket and a rug laid nearby. In apartment conditions, the impossibility of installing a real home can be offset by a decorative drywall construction and large candles that mimic a home.
You can not have such a salon without a mirror, better a few – old or skilfully aged, in the frames appropriate to the Rococo. A tall, by the way, can simply be leaning against the wall, and a smaller mirror should be mounted on the dresser.
Chandeliers, lamps and lampshades
Of course, there is no room for halogen and LED lamps in such an environment. The central chandelier must be a true work of art – with bronze or copper chains, glass or crystal pendants, with forgings covered with a film characteristic of antiquity. The baroque or rococo chandeliers are perfect. Together, they form a vintage floor lamp with a fabric shade or a table lamp under a large “hat”.
Accessories, fabrics and decor in the shabby chic lounge
In a style like shabby chic, there should be a lot of textile and decoration. Therefore, decorating a “shabby” interior can not do without very important textile details such as tablecloths and napkins, light curtains, as well as decorative pillows and beautiful bedspreads. Textiles are also used for decorating fixtures, lampshades for table and floor lamps are made from fabrics.
Textiles must certainly be natural. During decoration, materials such as chintz, cotton, jute, linen and wool are used. In addition, lace and knits are widely used and can be bought or created with your own hands. A variety of delicate embroidery is welcome in the contemporary shabby chic lounge. It can be present on curtains, pillows, shades, tablecloths and towels. The embroidered panels on the wall with delicate floral motifs and birds will become a magnificent decoration of the room.
As for the curtains, they must certainly be decorated with lambrequins. Various garters for curtains are also used. They can be made of beautiful satin ribbons or fishing lines and pearls. But an element of decor also fringe in this style is very rare. The shabby chic style is really very feminine and delicate.
As for the other elements of the decor, the brutal metal supports, forged and patinated for curtains, as well as the points for the cornices are held in tandem with multilayer fabrics.
On the tables and dressers of the Shabby Chic living room, you can see boxes with needlework, family photos under glass and wood, bouquets of dried roses, carafes and old dishes, old bottles, candle holders Copper or bronze … Even bird cages interlaced with ribbons, as well as baskets – drawn from old closets, suitable for flower pots or magazine storage.
It’s great if you manage to get an old fashioned sewing machine (it turns out to be a handy table), a retro phone – a device or even a gramophone. A kind of museum is a property of shabby chic.
As you can see, there are many ideas for the situation. However, do not indulge in any serious, if not the salon can turn into a branch of a flea market. To prevent this unfortunate incident from occurring, gradually add objects to the interior, critically evaluating the result.
A sense of proportion – the main core on which the shabby chic style rests. In a living room, the aged furniture will look great, appeal to the memory of the family and strengthen the atmosphere of conviviality … And in another, unfortunately, it can cause a sense of compassion for the owners who lack funds for good new things. Between the first and second options, there is a subtle line that is so important not to cross.
