Shabby chic (vintage, Provencal style, French country).

Translated from English, the word "shebi" means "old", "worn".
The name shabby - chic can be translated as "shabby shine" or "shabby chic", which will be its essence.

Chebby chic partially overlaps with the Provencal style in the interior, which, as the name suggests, originated in France. In turn, the shabby chic style appeared in America and became popular in the early 20th century. Also, this style intersects with the country style, denoting some aspects of rural American life and the relationship of man with nature. The vintage style has a great influence on the shabby chic style. Shabby chic can be called a vintage turned inside out, as the shabby chic decor suggests a kind of protest of excessive luxury.

The author of this style is considered to be Rachel Asheville. She was engaged in decorating old furniture and created the appearance of a touch of antiquity, made in soft pastel colors. Over time, her hobby marked the beginning of a new style.

The pieces of furniture can be both old and new, but painted in light pastel colors and worn in places. A characteristic feature of this style will be the presence of a large number of delicate textiles, napkins, pillows, ripped, in combination with covers on chairs and armchairs.

Shabby-chic is eclectic, but he does not allow for negligence. Harmony is the main principle of any interior.

The color scheme of the shabby chic style is quite bright, there are dark colors in it, but more often they are not used in their pure form, they mix, forming strange color combinations and creating the effect of a washed out color. In combination with the main colors, it is possible to use a milky white shade, pale pink, light blue, light green and ivory is quite acceptable. The range of shades should have the appearance of a scuff, as if they have faded in the sun.

For the shabby chic style, pretentiousness and vintage will be characteristic. The obligatory attributes of this style include curved lines, pretentious forms, numerous vignettes, curls, ornaments, instead of straight laconic lines. In the whole appearance of such an interior, elegance can be traced, which is noticeable to the naked eye. This style is distinguished by the elegance of the main elements of the decor, despite the obvious wear of the furniture, it should look luxurious and solid. This style does not tolerate bulkiness, the room should be spacious and a lot of light. During the day, its abundance is provided by large windows and free space, and in the evening an abundance of light is provided by pretentious and elegant lamps.

Roughly processed and unevenly painted walls that are specially aged will look good. Peeling paint on the walls will fully match the shabby chic style.

The floor can be wood from old cracked boards, you can also use old parquet or laminate imitating natural wood. The floor can be laid out with old or even split tiles.

The ceiling can be artificially aged, creating the effect of peeling whitewash, the grayish color of the ceiling will correspond to this style.

Shabby chic furniture is key. Most often it is white or unpainted, partially aged, by restoration or staining with white paint. There is a feeling that this furniture has served more than one generation of owners, because cracks and traces of old paint, chips are visible on it. It can even be torn or broken, the main thing is that the furniture looks as if you inherited it from your ancestors who lived in the last century, wicker furniture will also complement the interior.


An old chest of drawers and a rocking chair must be present in the interior in the shabby chic style. The shabby chic style easily uses not only furniture from different eras, but also furniture of different styles in one interior. The best choice for such an interior would of course be genuine antiques that have been used for many generations.

Decoupage is a popular shabby chic technique.

Decoupage (fr. Decouper - cut) is a decorative technique, which consists in cutting out colored images from different materials, which are then glued to various surfaces for decoration.
Anything can also act as a "decoupage motive" (a drawing that will be applied to the surface). But it is best to use classic materials: decoupage cards or decoupage napkins.

Most often, decoupage is used to create interior items, gifts, "semi-antique" imitations. For many people, needlewomen is a hobby, interesting and inexpensive.

All textiles for interior decoration must be natural and of high quality. Windows can be decorated with simple curtains with floral patterns or heavy curtains in dark colors.

In addition to the abundance of textiles, a wide variety of fresh flowers will be an indispensable attribute of the shabby chic style. Flowers can be everywhere, but no floral arrangements, only lush bouquets of freshly cut flowers, ideally a bouquet of roses. There are a lot of roses ... You can complement the interior in the style of shabby chic with fresh vegetation planted in wooden boxes or glass bottles.

This style is characterized by an abundance of decorations and decor. Many details should be manifested in everything, but it requires stylistic homogeneity, a few things will not be enough. Details and accessories will help to unite the composition together: mirrors, caskets, vases of various sizes and shapes, clocks and other elements. The main thing is not to overdo it with accessories, otherwise the interior will resemble an antique shop. The interior in the shabby style - chic can be called ambiguous, because both wear and elegance are present in it at the same time. This style must be felt, harmony must be observed in everything, although initially it seems that the interior in the shabby style is chic and spectacularly sloppy. But this is only an appearance, it is quite difficult to portray and maintain deliberate negligence, because any "wrong" is not the negligence of the owners, but a thoughtful move by the designer.

Shabby chic bathroom wall decoration is distinguished primarily by delicate, romantic colors. The color of champagne, milk, sorbet, marshmallow, mint and other delicious colors will be appropriate here like nowhere else. It is important that the overall appearance of the room is light. There should be no sharp contrasts here.

For wall decoration, either wooden panels are used, which can be painted and aged, or tiles that imitate bricks. Combined walls will also look good. The bottom can be tiled, and the upper half can be pasted over with wallpaper. It is preferable to choose a very light wallpaper, it can be in a small flower or a cell on a white background. The most stylish wallpapers are dull, as if faded in the sun. You can paint the walls. Do not be afraid of deliberate negligence, rudeness - this is within the framework of the style.

In a shabby chic bathroom, it is preferable to put wooden floors, reminiscent of the plank floors in a country house. An alternative to wood is wood imitation tiles. The ceiling can be whitewashed and also artificially aged.

A classic-shaped bathtub with ornate legs, white or decorated with paintings - just what you need. But besides plumbing, this room needs pieces of furniture that are atypical for a bathroom - for example, sideboards, dressers and a dressing table, vintage chairs.

Chandelier in the style of shabby chic - forged, with numerous pendants. You can hang different mirrors, the main thing is that they are all in the appropriate frames.

Hooks, cups for brushes, soap dishes and other little things, without which it is impossible to imagine a bathroom in the style of shabby, let them be in sight and make a harmonious addition to the interior.

Flowers in delicate vases, embroidered paintings, old candy boxes, candelabra and candles are the perfect finishing touches for this room. Also, textiles are actively used in the bathroom - delicate curtains for the bath and for the window.

This style will be good for people who want to create a stylish interior that has its own unique face, without spending a lot of money.

The boldness of a shabby chic design is more suitable for young people, as the older generation is unlikely to appreciate it.

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Thanks to me and the sources for the information.
Sincerely yours, Tatiana Antonchenko