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!

 Update – the traditional Braderie Moule shell contest has begun!

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:

Buy Vintage French Interiors: Inspiration from the Antique Shops and Flea Markets of France

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.

How about this idea for instant shabby chic furniture? If you just happen to have some old suitcases why not try it? Ideal for that Ghost furniture look we love so much but do remember it’s not easy to get that perfect smooth white finish and messy just won’t do for this look.

old cases painted white and turned into a side table

this hall console set with mirror is given a finishing touch by adding a pair of hurricane lamps, also finished in my lacquer and distressed. The colors are the same, but the lamps are given a very subtle glaze that tints them slightly more amber. The mirror and table are the same finish, to match, with no glaze. In this way we can finish objects with identical matching finishes, giving the impression they are original as a set. Or we can add objects of the same color with tint variation, to give a harmonized impression of decorating with found objects of the same color theme

Dan says:

Friends have long told me to join Flickr, but I’m just not the type who does personal photos. It never dawned on me I could find ‘shabby friends’ here
My name is Dan, but I have been dubbed the Sheik of Shabby- this is as much due to my profession as it is a jab at my corny sense of humor.
My business is Kitsch-n-Kaboodle.com, and I have made a career out of furniture restoration, specializing in high-end shabby finishes and custom restorations. I have one of the top used furniture stores on ebay, and I paint furniture year-round. I take custom-orders and ship globally. I am out to change the world of cottage decorating. My finish is as sleek and smooth as a baby’s bottom. I use no latex paint, only oil-based paints, lacquers, and varnishes. I offer customers over a dozen color choices including varying shades of white and others. I started as a wood refinisher and apply that knowledge and standard to furniture in paint colors. I treat my shabby furniture like any other wood restoration, and I fix anything & everything. If you need some tips on creating accessories out of old parts, applique work, where to get supplies, carving & veneer repairs, rebuilding chairs & other things, I am your go-to man.

We’ll be checking in with Dan for more great painting tips I can see! But Dan doesn’t like everything Shabby Chic. Like many men he’s not too keen on the overblown rosy cottage look:

Don’t take offense, but I don’t like roses…. I prefer the fun flapper and exuberant Gatsby looks of the 1920s. The occasional blossom is ok, but I tend to keep them to a minimum, unless a customer asks otherwise. But hey, I have an excuse- I’m a guy! Lately I am interested in taking distressed furniture into new territory- I have plans for some outsider-art decorated pieces, hallway stands made from old headboards and doors, and I’m painting some Heywood Wakefield black!! I call it ‘Urban-Chic’. Looking forward to sharing….

Well, Dan, I like all sorts of Shabby Chic stuff and I’m quite fond of a bit of Outsider Art too so we’re going to get along fine
Dan has an ebay store which you can find at Kitschnkaboodle.com

Egg Chair by Squint

Let’s just be clear on one thing first, before you get your hopes up. This egg chair, though gorgeous, is a madly expensive, (and I mean expensive!), unique work of art. Unless you have a minimum of £3000 (that’s$6000!) to spend on a recovered vintage chair don’t even torment yourself by visiting the web site where you will find:

Vintage Egg chairs to commission from £3000.

along with lots of other gorgeous re-covered vintage goodies that you absolutely can’t afford, but we can dream, right? (£200 for cushion ! ) This is turning into more of a nightmare than a dream..!

Squint – the web site and the shop

Sculptor and painter Lisa Whatmough opened her shop Squint in East London about three years ago.She was a collector of antique textiles which she began to use to re-cover vintage furniture in a very modern take on patchwork. The shop recently moved to bigger premises at 178 Shoreditch High Street, London. Shoreditch is becoming a very trendy area of London

Who do you sell Shabby Chic Furniture to?

I’ve just spent the morning doing the rounds of some gorgeous Shabby Chic blogs and Etsy shops for a blog post next week. (Sneak a preview in our Shabby Chic Friendfeed Room) Some of the work I’ve seen is just as gorgeous and stylish as this chair yet most of it is very modestly priced.

I wonder if you are under-selling yourselves ladies? Rich people love Shabby Chic furniture and accessories too y’know!

Watch out for more Shabby Chic Furniture Fantasy Shopping posts.

My favourite Shabby Chic range at the moment is from Laura Ashley. Their Bramley range is rather gorgeous. The range includes a charming dresser, 2 door armoire, chests of drawers, dining table, choice of chairs and other items. All of them come in either a distressed creamy white or a lovely faded green. I first spotted them as I wandered past their shop window in Richmond the other week and thought “Yum!” It’s more faux than fake unlike some of the ‘new’ cottage style furniture I’ve been seeing recently. They’ve recreated the style and finish of old shabby chic furniture without trying too hard. They would look gorgeous in a Shabby Chic kitchen.

The best news though is that they’ve got a summer offer on. There’s 25% off the Bramley range! Can you think of a better reason to indulge yourself?

right part of my living room, originally uploaded by cottonblue.

Do you remember the gorgeous White Shabby Chic Livingroom I posted a few weeks ago? Well, our treat today is to see the other end of that room.
There’s much more colour here with the olive painted shelves and their colourful contents. I think the effect works well, with the Shabby Chic shelves and cupboards adding interest.
I would have been reluctant to line up three large pieces of furniture in this way but I really think it looks good! I like the feeling of space that she’s created in such a small room. It could easily have looked overcrowded but the central space avoids that impression.
Cottonblue says:

I have no idea where should i put those 3 big shelves, therefore just line them together.

What do you think? Is it too much or do you love it?
BTW if you think she’s got great taste you really must check out her Cottonblue Etsy shop!

a corner of my garden., originally uploaded by tempoandato.

I love wicker and this shabby chic wicker garden set is gorgeous! I just want to settle down there with a nice cup of tea and wile away a sunny, dozy Bank Holiday Sunday morning! The setting shows the furniture off to perfection. The dark red wall is a bold choice but it works really well with the toning terracotta patio tiles. Of course the pretty flower arrangement and the crisp white tablecloth play their part too That glimpse of lace at the window hints at the pleasures that await inside and luckily for us we can take a peep inside this gorgeous Italian shabby chic home.

Me? I’m eyeing up a couple of old Lloyd Loom chairs we’ve got and wondering where I might find a low table to match……. and cushions, lovely, soft, cotton cushions.

Upolstered chair with ruffle, originally uploaded by sunshinesyrie.

This chair would be just perfect for what I want. It’s high enough to be really comfortable and the fabric’s got a nice soft, slightly distressed look. It’s the sort of upholstery chintz that haze that soft glazed feel that’s always smooth and slightly cool to the touch.

I love the lace ruffle too It’s what my Granny would have called a ‘sewing chair’. It’s got a good straight back and the arms offer good support for propping your elbows up to sew or read.

So what’s not perfect? Sigh, the chair is in Michigan and I’m in London!

The search continues, as sadly I cannot afford gorgeous brand new Laura Ashley shabby chic armchairs!

Sad