Shabby Chic furniture from France, what could be better? Well, how about bargain French Shabby Chic furniture and accessories at knock down prices? That’s what 2.5 million visitors, (yes I did say 2.5 Million!) will be hoping for over the next few days in Lille.
The heart of Lille is Vielle Lille, the old quarter, is a treasure trove for Shabby Chic enthusiasts to visit at any time of year with it’s pretty red and mustard Flemish style buildings, quaint shops and delicious cafes and restaurants. During the Braderie though the whole of the city of Lille is converted into Shabby Chic heaven.
Of course this is France so there will also be lots of excellent food. The restaurants compete to see which can build the biggest pile of mussel shells so you should expect to eat moule and frittes at least once over the course of the weekend. Apart from that there will be all sorts of street food and don’t miss a visit to the epitome of Shabby Chic, The Molinaire Tea Room. Have a reviving tissane, or what about a bottle of specially brewed Braderie beer? Just don’t have too many though, as the beer is very tasty and refreshing but incredibly strong.
What is a braderie? It is a huge French/Belgian flea market and Lille is just about the biggest of them all. The Braderie takes over the whole city with stalls crammed into every space. This slideshow of images will automatically update over the next few days as the Braderie progresses.
People are travelling from all over Europe and beyond to be at Lille Braderie as you can see from this real time twitter search. If you are there you can use this to spot where the best bargains might be found and if you are not there maybe it will just inspire you to be there next year!
If you can’t get to the Braderie this gorgeous book is one of my favourite and it might just give you some inspiration and an insight into Braderie style:
My new Friday feature on the Shabby Chic Furniture blog will be Shabby Chic Book of the Week. This week’s book is a little gem. It just makes me want to pack a bag and jump on the Eurostar!
Shabby Chic Furniture -The Flea Markets of France
This gorgeous little book tells you all you need to know about 30 French flea markets, including times, dates, special things to look out for. It also gives you advice on where to eat and other things to do in each area. Not that where to eat is ever really a problem in France! The book is small enough to pack in your suitcase yet big enough to give the armchair traveler (Hello, me too ) plenty to dream about. Practical and inspiring. Go on treat, yourself to a bit of affordable luxury – it’s on special offer just now at only £6.74!
Oh my, isn’t this the most gorgeous Shabby Chic mirror?
Gorgeous Shabby Chic Mirror
I think it is totally delightful, in a European opulent shabby sort of way. The colour is quite hard to define, a slatey, pewtery greeny blue with that lovely pockmarked gold. The glass has been aged as well.(Sighs contentedly!)
Now you are asking the price, aren’t you? Well, it’s not cheap at £399 but it’s not outrageous either as it is huge. The mirror is nearly 68″ high and 36″ wide. (That’s over five feet high and about a yard wide!)
It would take hours and hours to create something like this yourself. Of course you might prefer to do that and if that’s the case just enjoy this for inspiration.
You might think you’d need a big room for a mirror this size but big mirrors work remarkably well in small rooms. All that reflected space and light can really help a small room feel less cramped.
The wonderful Dianne at Ghost Furniture is having a massive clear out. There’s 50% off everything in her current range. That includes this fantastic Shabby Chic chair:
The chair is covered with fabulous vintage fabric. Just read what Diane says about it:
This fabulous, huge chair with the most wonderful curved back slats, was found in a cellar of a medieval house just outside Paris. The sad and tired old covers were discarded and replaced with a fantastic linen and crewelwork, fully-lined fabric taken from a throw purchased back in the 1990s from The English Home Sussex House collection.
The throw itself cost £450 originally . We have covered the cushions in such a way as to show off the best and most ornate parts of the crewelwork. The chairhas been painted with Farrow and Ball White Pointing Eggshell. This is one seriously comfortable chair – ideal for curling up in with a good book and a hot chocolate.
The chair is reduced to £600 – that’s half price gorgeousness to you!!Run over there fast -there’s lots more shabby chic furniture in the sale too, including some very modestly priced items.
) plenty to dream about. Practical and inspiring. Go on treat, yourself to a bit of affordable luxury – it’s on special offer just now at only £6.74!
Entries (RSS)