How To Introduce The Shabby Chic Furniture Style At Home

If you're already familiar with the shabby chic furniture look then you're probably

already ahead of where I was when one of my friends recently announced that she was going for the distressed look in her bedroom. I wasn't entirely impressed. I thought the distressed look meant not making the bed and creating piles of chaos to give the impression of being in a frantic hurry. I mastered that look years ago.

But she carefully explained to me that a distressed look is all to do with getting in beautiful shabby chic furniture such as mirrors, dressing tables, a bed and wardrobes (armoires as they're referred to within the world of French furniture).

It only took a brief glance at the finished room for me to realise just what a fantastic look it is. As I stepped into the room I was no longer in a suburban house in Middlesex, but was now in Provence. As soon as I saw the French furniture it became abundantly clear that shabby chic furniture is a wonderful style that is both incredibly easy to achieve, and tremendously evocative.

From the crisp white linen on the bed to the cream coloured French mirrors with a distressed edging, and from the shabby chic wardrobe to the French style cushions on the chaise longue the room had suddenly been transformed from run-of-the-mill ordinary to stylish, chic and a real escape from the stresses of the day. In a way it seemed ironic that the best way to de-stress was to have distressed furniture.

Having witnessed the transformation I started looking about for other examples of shabby chic furniture and how it could be used in different rooms in the home. I briefly wondered whether I could achieve the look myself, having seen them do it on various programmes on television. They make it look easy, painting an item of furniture, then painting a cream coat over it, then sanding it roughly in key places to give it the aged look.

Not only does it seem a little hit-and-miss unless you really know what you're doing, but it also looks incredibly time consuming. Then of course there's the fact that you can't create an authentic distressed look on furniture you bought in, say, 1983. It has to have the right look, and French furniture is the only right look that seems to carry off the shabby chic furniture look successfully.

It's possible to introduce the shabby chic look in almost every room of the house, from dining furniture, with a beautiful distressed table and chairs set (don't forget the mirrors and a classic French chandelier to finish the look), to the hallway where you can introduce items such as a hanger and wall storage unit.

In fact, there's no reason why shabby chic furniture can't work outside as well. With a garden table and chairs all that's needed is a pot of French lavender pervading the air with the evocative scent of a cottage garden and you might almost expect to see the an onion seller cycling up the garden path with a baguette under his arm.

How To Introduce The Shabby Chic Furniture Style At Home

By: Justin Arnold

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