What is Shabby Chic?

Shabby chic is an interior design style that embraces a lived-in, relaxed appearance with feminine details. The style often incorporates slightly worn, antique furniture accentuated by scratches and nicks. Designers also commonly integrate furnishings distressed by sanding, glazes, or coats of chalk paint. Weathered metals that boast plenty of patina, and wood with chipped paint play to the time-worn heart of shabby chic.

Pastel, floral patterns, and cotton and linen fabrics also help define the style. Neutrals, like tans, creams, nudes, and blushes, lend shabby chic interiors a soft, romantic, and grounded impression. Updated versions of the aesthetic take in glints of gold and silver, and bold and colorful statement pieces to offset the omnipresent earth tones. The style is also distinctly textural, incorporating decor items like printed barkcloth fabric, chenille bedspreads, and jute rugs and curtains.

How to Achieve the Shabby Chic Look

Realize your shabby chic dreams by sourcing a few quality, antique furniture pieces from vintage stores, flea markets, or Chairish! Mix and match furnishings like French chests with cabriole legs, well-loved couches with ruffled skirts, and scalloped vintage accessories. To pull off shabby chic’s bucolic appeal, strike a balance between the homey humility of the style’s roots and the polished refinement of an intentional interior.

What is the History of Shabby Chic?

The origins of shabby chic lie in large European country houses. The aesthetic’s main design trademarks— faded fittings, old paintwork, and recycled fabrics — come from traditional British and French country homes. In the late 80s and 90s, the style gained mainstream popularity.

Designer Rachel Ashwell found success with her brand Shabby Chic and partnered with big-box retailers to mass distribute the style. Shabby chic’s cozy, comfortable, and pretty aesthetic provided a welcome change from the bright, bold, and sharply defined look of the early 80s.