Do you like a simple and bright kitchen, with a beautiful candelabra, linen curtains and a ruffled tablecloth, flowers in vases, elegant things and vintage furniture? So welcome to the Shabby chic style kitchen!
This direction of design appeared recently, but managed to attract its fans. It is a combination of English and French styles. To make your shabby chic kitchen truly perfect, check out the photos of these interiors that you can admire.
Main features
Shabby chic is a style that leaves no one indifferent. Some people like him very much, others consider him too intrusive, disgusting. The style itself is very soft, romantic and comfortable.
It suggests somewhat shabby luxury, with a touch of carelessness, but still very cute and refined. And no wonder, because the name of the style translates to “shabby chic”.
Main characteristics of the shabby chic style:
Some dilapidated walls, ceiling and floor: paint, plaster or cracked tiles, worn but solid floors.
It is advisable to use only natural materials – wood, ceramics, glass, metals, textiles. The interior is characterized by the complexity of the forms, the versatility of the texture and the superimposition of the materials.
A unique atmosphere will help to create old-fashioned, vintage or artificially aged furniture and decorative items, with visible cutting elements or defects. However, modern shabby chic also allows the presence of new furniture with white, light or wooden or carved facades.
Repetition of a detail on different pieces of furniture. It can be a floral ornament, an image of a bird, a flower or an animal, a simple symbol, an inscription or a monogram.
The absence of new or unshaded shabby-chic things that do not bear the seals of noble antiquity. Many manufacturers of household appliances have even started to produce ovens, hoods, microwaves, hobs and stoves in this style. However, this style is perfectly combined with modern elements of the kitchen environment.
Clear and soothing colors, composed of white, cream, light blue, vanilla, mint, light lilac, champagne, eggshell, ivory, light gray, beige, light pink and natural shades of red, brown or green. Its monotony is diluted with decorations or floral patterns on the walls, tablecloths and napkins. The brightness and saturation should be as low as possible.
Compulsory presence of linen, silk, satin or even jute textiles. The table should certainly be covered with an openwork tablecloth, lace or checkered, preferably with frills or tassels. Floral patterns are very popular, although family monograms can also appear on tablecloths.
Beautiful dishes reminiscent of memories placed on open shelves above the work surface and, if desired, around the entire perimeter of the room. Whether it is porcelain, ceramic, paint or, on the contrary, simple and rustic style, it is a very important element of the decor.
Renovation in shabby chic kitchen
So you decided on the style and decided to start the renovation. Awesome! But first, we will tell you in which cases you should not make repairs, because Shabby chic is exactly what you need when the slight dilapidated finish acquires its special charm. No need to make repairs if in your kitchen:
slightly cracked stucco on the ceiling and paint on the walls;
old shabby parquet;
in some places, cracked tiles on the floor;
wallpaper in pastel or discrete tones, wallpaper with flowers or with a classic floral pattern.
In this case, you can only change the plinths and the trays and, if desired, decorate the ceiling with stucco molding, which is neither too difficult nor too expensive. If you decide that the renovation is necessary or that you must do it partially, the following recommendations are for you.
Ceiling
The do-it-yourself ceiling in contemporary kitchens is not a way to save money, but a real gesture of design!
A more practical and easy option: stretch ceiling. This ceiling has many advantages: it is perfectly flat, durable, does not fear leaks and, once installed, you can install several lamps instead of just one. Choose matt or satin surfaces, but in no case shiny;
The ceiling can be decorated with stucco and even gilded.
Walls: wallpaper, paint or panels?
Wallpaper
Wallpaper in the kitchen should be washable and dense;
Plain pastel shades are suitable: white, beige, light gray, blue, pink. Patterns: small or large flowers, floral pattern.
Painting
Matt and semi-matt paints with increased wear resistance should be specifically chosen for kitchens and damp rooms;
Paint color: white, beige, light gray, blue, pink. The most suitable are the colors of white and beige paint, as they visually expand the space and if, in the future, you want to change the style of the kitchen, these colors will integrate into any interior;
The painted walls can be decorated with stucco or moldings, or cut the walls with your own hands.
Panels
Plastic, wood or wood imitation tiles, as well as more expensive veneered solid wood panels will work;
The color of the panels should be light, most often in the design of the kitchen in the contemporary chic style, white panels are used. If you want to use wood-like panels, colors and types of wood such as bleached oak, birch and beech are suitable. Particularly beautiful wooden panels, painted with a simple stain or white paint.
Floor
The kitchen floor in shabby chic style should not be the main element of the decor, but the background of the interior. Therefore, the main thing is that it is resistant to wear and that its color adapts to all light or natural browns, whether cold or warm gray.
Laminate flooring
For the kitchen, only a moisture-resistant laminate with increased loss capacity is suitable;
A modern laminate is made by imitating any type of wood. We recommend a laminate under oak, light oak, birch or beech.
Porcelain or tile
It is an excellent type of flooring for the kitchen, but requires the installation of a “heated floor” system;
The kitchen floor is preferable in matte rather than enameled or polished / porcelain tile, so that it is convenient and safe to walk on, especially if there are children in the house;
Look for tiles with a level of 3-4 for wear resistance and 4-5 for hardness;
Tiles and porcelain tiles can be of different sizes and types, you can play with options for their masonry, for example, classic masonry in a checkerboard pattern will be very suitable in the kitchen in the style of Shabby. Choose a light plain tile that imitates natural materials such as wood, stone, marble or a floral motif.
Linoleum
Linoleum is a relatively inexpensive floor covering that can also be used in the kitchen. Today, linoleum can be of very high quality and it can be difficult to distinguish it from a laminate. Look for one to make it look as natural as a tree. Or that the design above was beautiful and of high quality;
If you decide to choose linoleum, pay attention to the commercial and semi-commercial types, as they are more resistant to wear.
Shabby chic kitchen furniture
Antique furniture has recently been considered a mandatory attribute of a Shabby-chic kitchen, but today designers have changed their minds a bit.
Now, you no longer need to buy tables, chairs and buffets with scratches, faded and cracked paint, you will just have to choose a kitchen set in the countryside, classic or rustic. This furniture can be found in any antique store.
The color palette of the furniture should be chosen: gray, beige, pale pink or light blue colors. White is a win-win option.
Dinner table
The table can be of any shape, with sculptures, legs curled like a convertible or, on the contrary, the simplest and most direct shapes.
The best materials are raw wood or glass combined with metal or wood. If your table does not fit in this style, you can just cover it with a linen or lace tablecloth.
The chairs
The chairs can be very different – from simple wood, metal to plastic, including exclusive designer models. The benches, as if they came from a veranda or a garden.
Curly chairs in wood and even plastic in white, blue, pink colors – instantly transform your kitchen;
The elegant upholstered chairs in leather or textile contrast dramatically with the rough or “in poor condition” furniture;
The chairs, as if they came from the garden – wicker or wrought metal, also integrate organically into the interior and, for the sake of comfort, add decorative cushions or sheepskins.
The lighting
Bright lighting can only be tolerated in the work area. In the rest of the kitchen it should be warm, muffled and relaxing, and better – mimic the flickering of candles. But remember, there shouldn’t be too much light transition.
As lighting devices, you can use:
chandeliers made of glass, crystal or even plastic with candelabra suspended from wooden beams or from the ceiling;
wall lights that look like candlesticks;
ordinary lamps with openwork shades of wire or fabric, if you like – with a pattern or ornament;
lantern-shaped lamps of glass and metal;
vintage metal lights.
Kitchen decoration in shabby chic style
It is to the decor that you should pay particular attention. The shabby chic style involves an abundance of original and elegant gadgets, either made by yourself or hand picked with taste.
All kinds of decorative cups, saucers, plates, teapots, pots, vases, trays will give the room exclusivity and originality. Chairs, table legs and other elements can be decorated with silk or batiste ribbons.
Flowers
Make sure to put fresh, artificial flowers. Artificial hydrangeas, lavender, lily of the valley, heather, roses, peonies on the table will transform your kitchen. It is very beautiful, especially in winter to put dried flowers and branches in glass vases and old bottles. Living plants will suit all tastes: from geraniums to ficus. Place them in beautiful pots and flower pots, get an iron or enamel watering can and your Shabby kitchen will be perfect!
Sheep’s skin:
Scandinavian fans of the Shabby style love fluffy and delicate sheepskins. They can be placed on the floor like a carpet or thrown on a chair. It is not necessary to buy natural skin, a faux fur sheepskin will go there. In addition, it is a more practical option for cooking.
Photos, baskets, watches
Decorate the kitchen with reproductions of Claude Monet or Gustav Klimt, superb black and white photographs or yellowed in time, a poster of your favorite film from the 50s and 80s, old framed cards or simply magnificent still lifes and landscapes ;
In addition to paintings and plates, the walls can decorate crowns with a wide variety of materials that are not difficult to make with your own hands;
In England, in the Shabby style homeland, housewives collected porcelain plates and decorated the walls of their kitchens with them. Hang it on the wall and place the rest of the plates on the hinged shelves. The classic Shabby Kitchen is ready!
There should be lots of wicker baskets! It is convenient for storing items while making your kitchen more comfortable. The metal baskets will bring even more “vintage” to the interior of your kitchen;
The clock in England is of particular importance, it must absolutely decorate your shabby kitchen!
Curtains for shabby chic kitchen
Curtains should be chosen from natural and mixed materials. For an economical option, artificial fabric is also suitable, but must imitate linen or cotton well.
The length depends on the size of the kitchen and the location of the window. Short or mid-length curtains – a win-win option for small kitchens. Long curtains on the floor – for dining rooms or large kitchens.
Colors: white, unpainted linen, beige, light pink, light blue, gray. The curtains can be plain or with embroidered flowers, floral patterns, with beautiful prints and lace.
Photo gallery of kitchen decorations in modern and contemporary Shabby chic style
