Styling a room with Shabby Chic style is very easy and simple to do, as this decorating idea is mostly about painting or staining your existing furniture for a second life that will transform the look of each piece into something beautiful and unique.
Give a new life to your old furniture with some paint!
If you have one of those chairs which leg has been broken, don’t throw it away but instead give it a makeover by stripping off any remaining varnish or polish on the surface, sand it lightly and apply some primer before you proceed further with the base color – white if possible – allowing it to dry properly between coats. Next you can choose the color of your choice for the final layer – here we chose a dusty pink tone which looks very feminine and charming.
Combining different furniture pieces
Don’t be afraid to combine furniture pieces of different styles, like this old dresser with modern lines, with more traditional style chairs (which has seen better days, but you simply cannot part with them). In our opinion it is best to paint some smaller items as well as larger ones as this increases your options as far as creating eclectic fusions goes. If you are passionate about Interior design and want to create the design of your own home, you can check the free courses at Home Design Institute (www.homedesigninstitute.com).
In some cases though if some piece might have some sentimental value you might prefer to leave it untouched or just sand down gently , without stripping off any varnish before painting in a light cream color and then distressing slightly on purpose by sanding its edges or parts of the surface which you want to look well-used and loved – a wooden chair with a romantic feel could for example be left intact, but simply painted in white color.
Use some lovely texture and finish. So, let’s take a look at how we can achieve this?
First thing you need to do when trying to adopt a Shabby chic style, is choosing a color for your walls which will be your starting point in creating a charming environment. If possible, choose white, even if it might seem boring at first, but keep in mind that there are so many ways to create stunning decorating ideas with white as base coat – from painting furniture pieces, using different textures or simply accessorizing properly.
For example, painting one wall darker than the rest of the room will create an impact and this is one of the easiest ways to create some contrast without spending much on decoration. If you are brave enough you can even cover all walls with some light pastel color, but it might be tricky so don’t forget about furniture pieces which will obviously have to be painted in white or cream tone. You can also choose blue, which is a very popular shade right now, especially if you have a view over nature outside your window – however this color requires more courage as it can consume more space than you think.
Another way of adding French style in the living room is by finishing decorative elements with distressing technique – just remember that Shabby chic décor is not too perfect nor too neat look, so you shouldn’t be too careful when applying this technique. Also keep in mind that distressed pieces fit well with furniture which looks old, so you can either buy antique or simply sand down each piece of new furniture before finishing it with a fresh paint job.
If you are a fan of Shabby Chic style and French-inspired pieces of furniture, you may be interested to see the great ideas and inspirations of French Chateau for sale!
Consider some eye-catching art elements to hang on the walls
When it comes to decoration it’s always best to use what you already have instead of spending much on attractive but sometimes very unnecessary items – for example think about family pictures where all people are smiling and looking perfect, now imagine these images displayed on shelves or walls in your home… can bring some “unwanted” cheerfulness into the room don’t you think? So why not display some more natural shots instead? Another great idea is adding botanical elements like dried flowers left inside glass jars, leaves pressed inside books or even creating your own wall hanging from some old branches or pieces of fabric.
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