How To Beautifully Decorate Every Room With Shabby Chic Aesthetic

☾ Affiliate Disclosure: The Mood Guide celebrates women’s moods and versatility. Even though we may earn a commission from some of your purchases, we encourage you to shop with the right intention. Focusing your energy on what you feel confident and comfortable in is empowering! ♥︎

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Like the name states (and according to Rachel Ashwell, the queen of Shabby Chic decor) it’s the “combination of fancy elements with imperfection. A world that was beautiful but not intimidating, a world that was nurturing but supported a busy and active life”.

The Shabby Chic aesthetic is remarkable: whimsical, nostalgic, soothing, cushy, cozy, romantic, beautiful, and uplifting. It’s like living in a bucolic countryside cottage, but with a hint of sophistication and plenty of functionality. It is not cluttered and everything is so pretty that even the appliances may double as decor. Finally, it’s timeless. Whereas it’s vintage pieces from flea markets, DIY patina, or bought new from the store, shabby chic aims to be heirloom, not disposable.

The quintessential furniture and decor to create any shabby chic room are: soft colored or white cushy sofas, timeworn wood furniture, chipped paint pieces, florals, vintage wall art, glam chandeliers, lace, cotton, whitewash ceramics, ruffled, linen, pastel colors, antiques, hand-knit accents, and rose gardens. It works wonderfully as a slow-decor process, almost like sewing a quilt, piece by piece.

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How is it different from Farmhouse and French Country?

To make it short: all of them share the same core values of simple elements from life in the country, but the shabby chic is visually more romantic, delicate, and feminine.

What differentiates them: the rustic dark wood furniture from the Farmhouse gives place to the chipped white paint. Neutrals and dark tones are replaced with soft pastel colors. Also, you’ll find more rough materials, like galvanized metal and ropes. While the French Country is also romantic and feminine, its color palette is more vibrant and cheerful. You’ll see plenty of cooper and rusty gold and a more contrasting mix of woods.

What they have in common: antique aesthetic, handmade-look, use of natural materials like wood, linen, and cotton, and the love for flowers!

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When she opens her eyes, snug in her soft white bedding, she takes a deep breath. An overwhelming joy fills her heart as she gets out of bed. Today marks 1 year since she started getting out of bed every day. Only she knows what a victory it is. She gives thanks that she is finally in control of her mind and she opens the curtains. She needs daylight to blossom, just like a flower does. For a long time, there was no light in her room. For a long time, there was no room for light in her life. As she engages in her ritual of making the bed, she feels ready to face the day, no matter what comes her way. She does it even in hotels. It’s a meaningful daily victory that she doesn’t take for granted.

More than anything, a shabby chic bedroom is romantic, even if you sleep by yourself. On a personal note, I see the bedroom as the most sacred room in the house. A restful night of sleep is a privilege many of us simply can’t afford.

To set the beautiful soothing mood in the bedroom you can start with shabby chic bedding. Soft linen comforters, embroidered hems, lace trim, ruffles, floral patterns, and pastel colors quilts, shams, duvets. Delicate accent pillows, white bedding, and pink bed sheets sets. If you want a shabby chic bedroom go for vintage / antique furniture. Timeworn beds, vintage dresser, antique vanity, mirrored chest, shabby chic nightstands. To wrap it up, delicate blackout shabby chic curtains, vintage tugs, faux fur accents, and of course, flowers.

Ruffled White Bedding & Shabby Chic Curtains & Antique Dresser & Shabby Chic Chandelier

Linen Bedding & Cute Decorative Pillows for Bedding & Shabby Chic Night Stands & Pink Bedding

Vintage Shabby Chic Bed & Floral Bedding & Vintage Quilt

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She had been anticipating this moment all week. Her cushy favorite couch calls her. Not so fast. First, she must set the mood. She fills the diffuser with a cheerful blend of mint, roses, and vanilla. Next, she opens her adorable ruffled curtain. Oh, she loves those curtains. The computer is charged and her new book awaits. Yes, she will read and she will binge watch her favorite show. She took the entire day to herself.

Patiently she puts together an effortless afternoon tea at her coffee table. She is not as much into cooking as she is into eating. Therefore, everything was bought from a local bakery. Even the tea bags. Completely guilt-free. The flowers came from the grocery store. She lives in a one-bedroom rental. She has no garden. As she looks at the perfect day she prepared for herself, she breathes in joy. No matter how much she owns, everything was bought with love because she works hard for it. It’s all worth it. Now, to the couch.

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A shabby chic living room is ultimately welcoming and practical, bright and homey, comforting and decluttered. Whether you are big on hosting or recluse (hi!), the living room is a more social area of the house. You can go full-on clean with white cushioned sofas or create your concoction of floral chairs and pastel decorative pillows. Vintage rugs and timeworn coffee tables will add warmth. They are the perfect home for vintage books, shabby chic lamps, and candles. On the corner, an antique bar cart, with vintage cut glasses on a beautiful tray. On the eyesight, vintage wall art, like old cinema posters or botanical illustrations walk hand in hand with sheer flowy shabby chic curtains. Delicate touches of lace and embroidered balance with cotton and linen. Up in the ceiling, romantic sophisticated chandeliers. Finally, as many flowers as you wish.

Shabby Chic Curtains & Cushioned White Sofa & Shabby Chic Coffee Table…

Romantic Shabby Chic Chandeliers & Chipped Coffee Table & Vintage Wall Decor…

Vintage & Pretty Shabby Chic Wall Art

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Pastel Cute Throw Pillows & Floral Sofa & Vintage Bar Cart…

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Through the window, she feels the warm rays of sunlight kiss her face gently. Although spring is around the corner, it’s a crispy afternoon outside. Right now the yellowish burning logs in the fireplace make a cozy soundtrack. Like an uplifting ceremony, she has her best floral tabletops set, delicate small plate, and blush teacup in place. A fragrant cinnamon perfume mixes with the sweet jasmine tea and involves the entire kitchen. Gingerly she dresses her flowery mittens and opens the lukewarm oven. She could not have better company than this homemade apple pie. That’s her beloved late grandma recipe and it takes her back to those few happy childhood moments. This is her happy place. And she created it for herself.

You can choose to have a complete shabby chic kitchen with vintage cabinets, a chipped dining table, linen bar stools, retro kitchen appliances, romantic chandeliers, garden aprons, antique dinnerware, floral tabletop, hand-knit rugs, vintage wall art, lots of flowers in whitewash pots, and stovetop tea kettles that whistles! Or you can pick as many accents as your heart wishes and create your inspiring fairytale kitchen. Here are some lovely ideas!

Delicate Farmhouse Sink & Vintage Kitchen Decor & Shabby Chic Dining Table…

Floral Tabletops & Garden Aprons & Shabby Chic Fabrics..

Vintage Dinnerware & White Ceramic & Shabby Chic Shelves & Floral Teapot…

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As idyllic as all those scenes look, have you noticed that more and more people are looking for ways to incorporate those elements into their daily lives? See the latest decor trends: cottagecore, farmhouse, french country, and boho. All of them are trying to achieve some of that simple life vibe. In a way, they balance out the sober minimalist Scandinavian and the modern mid-century styles.

Plus, as much as we love wonderful Instagram feeds of houses that have one specific style, in real life most of us are attracted to more than one. Maybe you want a Scandinavian living room. But oh, a farmhouse sink in the kitchen or laundry room would be exquisite. But the guest bathroom would look amazing with a more vibrant french country wallpaper. It doesn’t mean we lack style. It means we are complex multidimensional human beings, with different needs. And that’s wonderful!

Therefore shabby chic can be more than a design style, it can be a lifestyle, even if you live in a rented 1 bedroom in the middle of downtown.

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♥︎ The Shabby Chic Mood ♥︎

So, is it for you?

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♥︎Why should you consider your mood when decorating? ♥︎

We believe wholeheartedly that every single choice we make has the power to change our lives. Not drastically, but it can be a baby step for better or for worse. Think about yourself: how would you like to feel when you come home? Now, think about the environment around you: how does it make you feel?

Unlike the clothes we wear or the makeup we put on, we are in contact with the same decor and furniture for long periods of time. Whatever we surround ourselves with has the ability to interfere with our mood, emotions, and therefore with our decisions. On that note, something as trivial as a tea mug or a food container can make a difference at the end of the day.

However, it doesn’t mean going on a shopping spree. Nothing you can buy is guaranteed to give you peace of mind or happiness. But when you must shop, because we all need things, why not think of every single detail that speaks to your heart? More than the immediate adrenaline rush of shopping, picture that object in your home. And like Marie Kondo says, if it sparks joy, it’s a keeper. If it just an infatuation, why not let go. Life is a complex entanglement of happenings and emotions and as much as we wish, there are no shortcuts to feeling good.

That’s why here at The Mood Guide we always focus on how things make you feel. Our life mission is to help women shop with a soul purpose, in a way that improves their lives, rather than just empty their wallets. 

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