Shabby chic furniture doesn’t have to be just white! This lovely reading corner shows just what you can do with shades of grey. This room is so soothing and calm!
The colour scheme might be a little cold for north facing rooms but the fan gives the clue that this room is not in the wintery UK but in the Georgia sunshine.
The room also shows that Shabby Chic furniture isn’t just for traditional interiors. This is a 50s home and I think Shabby Chic furniture works really well here!

cottage chair , originally uploaded by kimberlyannryan.

Shabby Chic Furniture Find

Don’t you just love this chair? Such a delicate duck egg blue and gorgeous hand painted roses! It comes from Kimberley Ryan, the very talented newest member of our Shabby Chic Furniture Group on Flickr.
Kimberley paints all these wonderful roses freehand!

You can see more of her work on her web site :Shabby Rose Studio and on her blog
Such talent we have in the Shabby Chic Furniture group now!

This video gives a good introduction to decoupage and I’ll be writing more about this technique in the near future.

Discover the secret of creating your own wonderful distressed furniture.

If you simply can’t wait then this book is a great starting point. It gives simple step by step instructions for over 50 techniques including distressed furniture and decoupage.

Bistro ~ Colour Photograph, originally uploaded by Italian Girl in Georgia ~~ Suzanne MacCrone.

Not only is this gorgeous Shabby Chic summer furniture but you can even buy it as a print! Isn’t it lovely?
Suzanne says:

This “Bistro” photograph was made in one of my favorite towns, Saint Helena, which is in the Napa Valley, CA. If I still lived in California, that is the town in which I would want to live! I love the red and white striped awnings and table for two. It feels very European to me, as well. Sit down and have a cup of coffee or a glass of wine…

This original colour photograph is currently available in my shop as an ACEO, 5 x 5, and 8 x 8 print.

It would certainly brighten up a grey summer’s day here in London, sigh…
If you want to order a print or see her other work have a look at the Italian Girl in Georgia etsy shop

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.

UK Based Shabby Chic Blogs

First up Designers Block - a wonderful source of design ideas and images, not all Shabby Chic but always inspirational. Designers Block is written by Di Overton of Ghost Furniture and it’s always full of visual treats. She just has a tremendous eye for design and her blog is very stylish.

Willow’s Wardrobe is the excellent blog of online store Sweetpea and Willow. It does sometimes feature items from the store but also mixes them with other design posts. The blog is a great way for customers to keep in touch with what’s available in the shop and it also adds a very human touch. Lots of bigger commercial bloggers could learn from this blog’s comfortable, easy style. Not as frequently updated as Designers Block but still very enjoyable.

Shabby Chic Blogs from other countries

Time Worn Style is a blog from Alicia who is based in Australia. She takes a more traditional approach to Shabby Chic and if you love roses and vintage postcards this is the blog for you! Though seeing all the gorgeous china she puts on ebay can be tormenting for me here in London

Constança’s blog, Saidos da Concha is full of her wonderful sewing projects mixed with some lovely Shabby Chic inspirations. The blog is written mostly in Portuguese but don’t worry as Constança includes excellent English translations for most posts.

Vintage Sue is based in the US. She shows us her wonderful altered art and junk treasures on her blog. She also writes really well about the joys of finding, rescuing and transforming neglected pieces into Shabby Chic.

More Shabby Chic Blogs Next Month

I’ve got so many great Shabby Chic blogs I’d like to share with you I’ve decided to make this a regular feature. If you have favourites I’ve missed please add them in the comments and watch out for another 5 fabulous Shabby Chic blogs in August.

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?

BRAMLEY 2 DOOR ARMOIRE

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