SHABBY CHIC BEDROOM
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Well, there's no longer a need to wonder what to do with that old painted headboard and vanity. Thanks to the shabby chic decorating trend that kicked off in Great Britain back in the day that has caught fire all over the planet in recent years you are more likely to be haggling with your kin over who has the privilege of using the old, wood furniture in your shabby chic bedroom makeover than arguing over who has to pay for storage rental or make room in the garage.
WHAT IS SHABBY CHIC DECOR
I like to call it furniture and decorative items with layers of character and history. What labels a piece of furniture shabby is layers of white or pastel chipped paint that shows area of wear where no efforts to disguise it have been utilized.
The bedding and window treatments associated with this style are faded, worn linens made of cotton that make excellent shabby chic bedroom decorations. In addition to quilts, coverlets and curtain panels, anything made of old fabrics that wear their stains proudly and display patterns and prints reminiscent of vintage French linens will blend beautifully. Preferred colors are pastels and whites with popular patterns being dainty florals.
FAKING IT
What is a girl who would like a shabby chic bedroom that has no such family heirlooms to do? The most entertaining recommendation that I have to offer would be to spend your weekends scouring flea markets, estate and garage sales. You will make friends and pick up lots of shabby chic decorating ideas. But even then there may be a need to take some new stuff and distress it by painting it and then lightly sanding it down to the bare wood to imitate the worn areas of genuine, vintage furnishings.
You can also transform a modern comforter set into a shabby chic bedding set by washing and drying it several times in the sun. Another trick to make a quilt or coverlet seem older than it actually is would be to tea stain it.
WHAT TO SHOP FOR
To avoid wasting time cruising the second hand stores searching for bedding and bedroom decorations, here are some suggestions for cottage style decorative items that you might want to put on your shopping list.
- Anything made of dainty rose print fabric
- Chipped, iron chandeliers and light fixtures that are good candidates for re-wiring.
- Chenille bedspreads consider that even if they are “holey” they can be used as “cutters” to make throw pillows and chair cushions
- Vintage embroidered bed and table linens. If the fabric is crispy, creamy and monogrammed, grab it. It doesn’t even matter if the initials are not yours.
- Some decorators like to use vintage, barkcloth curtain panels in shabby chic bedrooms and others prefer to use lighter fabrics in their window treatments; you be the judge.
This just a guide and you should avoid getting caught up in a list. The goal of shabby chic bedroom decor is a cottage style of relaxed, femininity that is both comfortable and romantic that speaks to the personality of the owner and that is something even the most savvy decorator can’t include on a shopping list.
If you have some pictures of a shabby chic bedroom that you designed, I hope that you will come back to Bedroom Decorating Ideas and Designs and share your ideas with us!
SHABBY CHIC BEDROOM DECORATING TIP
Do you have a tip on where to find some cool bedding or decorations or have a decorating question? Here's the place to ask...just type!
