What is Shabby Chic Interior Design? Features and Best Tips

With a stunning interior design, shabby chic is about sophistication blended into elegance, plus comfort. This is timeless and romantic, with a charm created by a perfect ambience resulting from mixing old & tumbled colors with textures.

Shabby chic interiors can be deemed as feminine, and in case you’re interested, allow us to demonstrate how to integrate it.

The Key Elements of Shabby Chic

The shabby chic style came to public attention in the late 1980s as a reaction to luxury interior design. Shabby chic furniture is old, refurbished furniture. This is highlighting the antique-looking elements and brings a cottagecore touch into the home. It involves a combination of elegant and rustic using neutral colors and pastels.

Tips for a shabby chic hallway, photo source: pexels.com

Tips for Shabby Chic Interior Design

Shabby Chic Bedroom

A bedroom decoration project in shabby chic design involves the romantic and charismatic elements, because every element of shabby chic furniture comes with a story. To bring shabby chic into your bedroom, you will need ruffles, subtle details, rustic accents and even feminine textures. Choose a bed with frame made of wood with iron patina details or a frame with an antique design. Include a mirrored dressing table, a vase with flowers on the bedside table and as many ornamental details as possible in your elements of furniture. 

Shabby Chic Living Room

A shabby chic living room requires a balanced mix of contemporary and antique elements, plus fabrics and upholstery with subtle floral prints.

Get inspired for a shabby chic dining room, photo source: pexels.com

The point of attraction in this decoration project is the sofa, with both a functional and aesthetic purpose. Add some decorative pillows, a wooden coffee table with curved legs, and curved arm art deco chair. Choose a solid wood bookcase with a vintage patina for your book collection, photo frames and decorative mirrors. A shabby chic living room should give you a nostalgic atmosphere. 

Kitchen

The furniture in a shabby chic kitchen can be painted white with an antique wood look. If you don't want to include an old piece of furniture, you could choose a new piece of furniture with French touches, lots of cabinets, and towel racks. Add a majestic and stylish chandelier over the dining area. 

Bathroom

The shabby chic bathroom should transmit the vibe of another era. Choose antique wooden look as furniture, with patina and light-colored shades like gold, pale pink, beige, yellow, or blue. Sanitary ware should match the vintage accent. So, choose freestanding bathroom sinks and a golden clawfoot bathtub. The bathroom mirror must include a decorative bathroom window or a metal frame bathroom window.

If you’re looking for storage spaces, go for light color wooden shelves that could accommodate flower vases, aromatic oils, and even scented candles for those pampering moments.

How to blend old and new for a shabby chic design project, photo source: pexels.com

Hallway

Although it's not a large space, you can turn it into shabby chic by integrating mirrored furniture with a vintage look. Use straw or wooden baskets for storage and use long candlesticks and silver or glass holders to decorate furniture pieces. Don't forget the flower vases, that should be as many as possible. 

Balcony

For the shabby chic exterior decoration projects, we have the same rules. Used furniture elements that might be refurbished and use pots with your favorite flowers. If your balcony space allows, place wooden shelves to store jams and pickles. Include a few light shades hanging pots.

A freestanding bathtub is recommended for a shabby chic decoration project, photo source: pexels.com

Best Tips for a Shabby Chic Design Home

Choose a timeless furniture

And here we mean specifically the shade of the furniture that we have told you about so far. Light shades, especially white, are the defining shabby chic interior design style. The details are crucial for shabby chic furniture. And, if you need genuine art works, you need to have gnawed edges, broken paint, and wood cracks. All those details will give you a romantic and intimate ambience. Carved furniture pieces such as chairs, tables, or legged cabinets are essential.

Tips for a shabby chic bedroom, photo source: pexels.com

Chandelier is a great choice

In shabby chic decoration projects, lighting objects should inspire elegance. Use baroque-style sconces or chandeliers for the living room, lamps with textile lampshades, and ruffles. Lighting in the kitchen is underlined in the dining table area where you should use opulent, eye-catching lighting objects. 

If you know the key areas for placing chandeliers, you will have an elite ambience.

Observe the wide color range in this decoration project, photo source: pexels.com

Use natural fabric for curtains

When we refer to curtains, we must keep in mind that in here cotton and linen are recommended, and also roses floral motifs or garden flowers. Use floral motifs also for tablecloths, tablecloths, curtains, or cushions. If you can add ruffles, the result is guaranteed. 

Lace is another must-have detail, that always complements cotton or linen. Roses are not to be missed and so are decorative elements with intense colors that will create interesting contrasts. 

A home project decoration with a shabby chic style can seem a challenge, especially if you need to buy furniture from flea markets, but the end result will make it worthwhile. Follow the tips I've outlined above, get inspired on Pinterest, and start your shabby chic decoration project. 

If you don’t want to use old furniture, this is a shabby chic decoration project with new furniture, photo source: pexels.com