Contrary to what the name suggests, shabby chic interior design isn’t supposed to be shabby. Instead, the style uses a combination of well-worn furniture, eclectic vintage (or vintage-inspired) decor, touches of opulence, and crisp, soothing colours to create lived-in and homely yet incredibly chic and laid-back spaces.
So, if you refuse to choose between comfort and style, shabby chic might be just the style cue for your home.
The Fascinating History of Shabby Chic Interior Design
Most people think that shabby chic is a distinctively 21st-century interior design trend, but that’s as far as you can get from the truth.
Instead, shabby chic style—although not called so back then— emerged in Victorian Britain. The style attempted to evoke old-world elegance and charm, often overlapping several design forms.
Shabby chic was especially popular with artists, aristocrats (upper-middle-class) who had left their country estates to move to the cities, or anyone else who wanted to project an image of having nonchalantly good taste in old country houses.
Popular elements were threadbare chintz sofas, creaking hardwood floors, and battered but valuable artwork. Of course, Victorian shabby chic was far more ornate and formal than shabby modern chic, which began to take shape in the 1980s and 90s.
Clean solid neutrals usually replace chintz, and pendant lamps are more practical than brass candelabras in shabby chic.
Still, the general vibe and objectives of a house designed in this style remain the same—to turn a sterile, modern space into a home that you feel like you’ve lived there your whole life.
Tips to Incorporate Shabby Chic Style in your Interior Designs
Here’s everything you can do to turn your home into a shabby chic wonderland that is both timeless and trendy:
1. Work with a colour palette
To keep your shabby chic space from tipping over too far into being cluttered, unify all the unique elements in the room or house with a single colour palette.
For instance, light colours like cream, silver, and, of course, a crisp white are popular starting points because they can give even a hopelessly messy and cramped space a sense of clean freshness.
Accent colours in shabby chic interior design are generally pastels or muted shades like powder blue, navy, and olive green. But if you’re the kind of person who’s happiest surrounded by all the colours of the rainbow, don’t let convention hold you back! Jewel tones and even pops of neon can bring a room to life.
2. Hit the thrift store, antique store, or flea market
Most of us don’t have centuries or even decades-old pieces of furniture lying around, so our best shot at recreating the authentic old-school feel of typical shabby chic spaces is to buy them second-hand.
As an added benefit, of course, this will save you tons of money and give you access to high-quality, solid wood furniture that is getting harder and harder to find every day.
To avoid any surprises, though, make sure that the product you’re taking home doesn’t have any severe, unfixable defects. It’s pretty easy to reupholster a tattered armchair or even patch it up for a rustic look, but there’s very little you can do about a termite infestation in its frame!
3. Fake it till you make it
What if you don’t have access to thrift stores that sell high-quality furniture and decor? You might not be able to replicate the originals perfectly for your shabby chic makeover.
Still, you can get your furniture to convincingly look a few decades older or much more rustic and handcrafted than it is with just a few readily available tools and supplies.
Paint, for instance, is much more powerful than you think and allows you to change the look of your furniture without doing any permanent damage.
For example, to make a wooden piece look like it’s been painted multiple times, paint thin layer coats of different coloured stains on top of each other.
For something a little more dramatic, paint the piece one colour, let it dry and top it off with a crackling medium. This will create an effect where the upper layer will crack in places and allow the lower one to peek through.
Also, avoid using polyurethane to stain your pieces even though it is most commonly available today. Instead, Shellac or a beeswax-based stain will give it a more convincingly antique finish.
Finally, chalk paint can give your furniture a simultaneously modern and well-worn appearance.
You can also give wood a distressed appearance using physical tools like sandpaper to smooth down the edges and a small knife or another sharp device to chip off wood and make ridges at places.
You can even use small drills to recreate the wormholes that appear on old wood.
4. The devil is in the details
The essence of shabby chic is the combination of the high and the low, the luxe and the rustic—remember, it’s the Victorian era’s famous “double standards” you’re recreating in design.
Of course, the best way to do this is to throw in a special little (or not-so-little!) piece of decor. Paintings and sculptures have been a classic since shabby chic’s birth in the Victorian era, but you certainly don’t need to stick to the classical stuff.
Modern art and even digital media pieces ideally bring much more personality to the space.
Statement pieces like Japanese-style screens and chandeliers will undoubtedly turn heads, but smaller accents like clocks, books and even coasters are just as important.
Also, if you live in a city flat, potted and hanging plants can bring some much-needed life to your home.
5. Texture, texture, texture
Varied textures are a fantastic way to add character to your room, but it’s often overlooked, favouring more apparent features like colour and size.
Your walls are the most obvious place for textures but think beyond textured wallpaper and faux-brick accents to vegan leather or wood panelling of all kinds and even fabric like velvet.
If you want to stick with paint, go for a unique finish like high-shine lacquer or a hyper-saturated ultra-matte.
Textured linens like rugs, curtains, and throw pillows are just as crucial for both practical comfort and appearance in shabby chic. The combination of rich velvet and chunky knit wool is perfect for the winter, and smooth silk and crisp linen for the summer.
But in the end, as cliché as it sounds, shabby chic is exactly what you make of it. At Hipcouch, we can help you incorporate your childhood stuffed animal or your grandmother’s favourite jewelled brooch into your home’s interior design to create a space that is genuinely and stylishly yours. So contact us today if you’re looking for a stunning renovation.