Shabby chic: how to nail it

How to avoid crossing the line between a shabby chic and a shabby kitsch home décor: the guide you never knew you needed.

Shabby chic is a wonderful style for interior design, but it is also a risky one: it’s very easy to get it wrong, overdo certain features and cross the thin line between shabby chic and simply kitsch. But how can you tell when a decoration detail is shabby chic or shabby kitsch? Here are some tips to avoid mistakes and to have an elegant, refined and fresh home décor: all the dos and donts that will guide your choices.

Unfortunately, the stoves by La Castellamonte don't come equipped with a lovely Basset Hound

What is shabby chic style?

Like our school teachers always used to tell us, always start from the definition. And they are right! It is important to get to the roots of what this decoration style really is, in order to apply it in our interior design, combining it with our personal taste. Shabby chic is a very popular trend because it manages to mix together a bunch of different trends, making them look new and innovative, with a playful freshness. The Provencal countryside style encounters country-chic elements, while vintage and rétro vibes add a touch of elegance to the ensemble, which is kept together with an effortless elegance. This elegance may seem casual, but it is calculated in every little detail. That is what the very soul of shabby chic is: looking effortless, easy and unforced, while actually even the tiniest detail has been carefully planned.

Check out more lovely bedroom designs by Ingenia Casa!

Pastel shades, but not too much

Pastel shades are the most popular choice in shabby chic style: they are feminine, delicate, and they give an irresistible Provencal touch. Although they are able to give the environment a lightness and freshness that is very springy, it is always good not to exceed in the mix & match of pastel shades. Just a few fleeting touches of powder pink, robin’s-egg blue or a delicate violet are enough to create a joyful environment. Be careful: don’t overdo. And keep in mind the fashion industry motto “less is more”, because it is not an empty common place.

These lamps by Houtique are reminiscent of the 20s, wouldn't you say?

Don’t indulge in your collecting impulse

Now bend your ear to this: always choose quality over quantity. This is an advice to follow not only for a shabby chic home décor, but for any style you choose to decorate your house with. You may be tempted to fill your shelves and bookcases with tiny shabby chic ornaments and decoration, but it might not be a good idea. How can a beautiful decoration item stand out and be admired, if it is surrounded by a knick-knacks? Focus on quality and don’t indulge in your compulsory accumulation desire: that will take you too close to the feared kitsch effect.  

Lovely home décor accessories by PT,

A few good friends

But let’s delve into the previous paragraph: we want to give you some more specific tips, to complete our Dos and Donts. A shabby chic style that is truly worthy of its label is based on the careful choice of a few good-quality accessories, combined with taste and placed in an elegant setting. To be such, the interiors must follow the rules of balance and grace that are mainly based on the color combination and on the harmony of shapes. These selected objects don’t have to be plenty: similarly to friends, we only need a few, as long as they are the best.

You can never go wrong with a classic, timeless Tiffany piece by LumiLamp

Délabré, how far to go with it?

The lived-in look is undoubtedly one of the characteristics that are more often associated with the shabby chic interior design, but we should not be so quick in welcoming délabré furniture in our home décor. The bleached and vintage effect must be delicate and gentle: we do not want our furniture to look actually old, almost falling apart, like we just took it out of a thrift shop. The amount of délabré must be accurately regulated, by choosing a brand that is able to reproduce the lived-in effect with elegance and class.

Délabré, but not too much, with Lombok!

Antique-looking furniture

To put the cherry on top of our shabby chic cake, we need an antique-looking piece of furniture, some component or accessory that winks to the decorating style of the past. If you want to go antique all the way, you could choose a piece that not only looks from another century for its style, but something that tells something about those long gone times. For example, what about a dressing table? Let the Marie Antoinette who lives inside your heart come out, and select a French-style vanity table.

A stunning vanity table by Halley

A vintage mirror as the protagonist

What can reflect your personality and tastes better than a mirror? Make this piece  the absolute protagonist of your shabby chic interior design, by choosing a vintage style that will make it truly stand out. Be careful not to choose something too baroque: the rococo vibe can look excessive in a modern home. If you really like that style, select a light color for your vintage mirror: that will mitigate the rich details and the antique allure. Or, make a bold statement, instead!

A majestic, rétro mirror by Veblén

Total white, yes or no?

White is the number one banner of shabby chic style, but is it really the right choice?  Antique mahogany furniture is often whitewashed, with a Provencal and maritime touch that can light up the room with a fresh beauty. But even the most elegant white shade is to be measured wisely without exaggerating its effect, otherwise a room can end up looking cold, aseptic and impersonal: just the opposite of what the shabby chic vibe wants to transmit. A good idea could be to combine pure white with beige, cream and other similar shades, and to add some touched of dark wood here and there: the environment will become warmer and more welcoming, while maintaining its overall sophisticated look.

Re-discover the beauty of everyday life, with Arcari