It took a couple tries of my family moving to finally get a
feel for what they desired in a destination. After I was born, my family and I
moved to Oregon where we lived for about a decade. My mom was always a beach
lover, my dad used to say she was born to be at the beach. My mom and her
sister grew up living on the beach, which had an influence on their style
choices. They both fell in love with the shabby chic style. Shabby chic is
known to be an eclectic style that intertwines distressed antique-like looking
furniture, pastel and neutral colors (for example: whites, creams, greys, light
blues, pinks, greens, yellows), floral prints, shiny details, lace-like
features, and vintage collectables. Shabby chic can also be known as country
chic or vintage chic, but overall this style creates a delicate and dreamy look
to anyone’s home.
I remember walking
into my childhood home and being greeted with light airy colors and rustic wood
features. My mom strived to feel like she was at the beach every day and how
she showed it was through her decor in our house. She kept the walls all white
and decorated each room with mostly whites and greys but would have slight bursts
of soft colors. She loved to transform pieces of furniture by refurbishing them
and making them look distressed and rustic. To this day she still carries her
love for shabby chic, in the house my parents are currently living in she has
completely remodeled the interior. She painted all the walls with light colors
including the fire place. She used vintage aesthetics to compliment the beach-like
colors. Also, she chose a light blue and white rug to tie in the wood floor and
the painted walls and fire place.
My moms fire place My sisters fire place
Photo taken by Me Photo taken by my sister
Her taste in style rubbed off tremendously on my sister and me.
My sister lives the shabby chic fantasy, she upcycles furniture by purchasing
vintage pieces and gives them a make over (painting, distressing, etc.). She
keeps her walls white that way she can accessorize with pastel colors. Detail
is extremely important to her when it comes to decorating. She often hosts “get
togethers” at her house; this is an opportunity for her to show off the
exquisite aesthetics she creates with her décor. A common “get together” she hosts
are tea parties, she goes into detail with her design on the table setting by
using floral table cloths, antique china, flowers, silver napkin holders, glass
goblets, and many more eclectic items. Her “get togethers” always turns out
breathtaking.
A couple table settings my sister has accomplished
Photo taken by my sister
As for myself, the layout of my apartment reminds me of a
beach condo. This automatically kick started my love for shabby chic, the walls
are all white which gives me the opportunity to do just about anything with the
design for my apartment. I am currently in the process of making an abundance
of my furniture out of pallets. Once I finish all the furniture I am making, I
will be painting them light neutral colors with an added distress to the look.
Keeping the big pieces of furniture neutral such as, the couch or tv stand, provides
me the ability to spice things up with light pastel colored aesthetics.
Shabby Chic living room
Drawing by Me
Shabby chic style is aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The
designs are usually simple in color but flamboyant in detail. This gives
designers the opportunity to capture an eclectic feel and have fun with the
details.
Sources:
18 Interior Design Terms You Should Know. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.invaluable.com/blog/design-terms/
