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!

Buy The Flea Markets of France

Ancestral Collections 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.

Find out more at Ancestral Collections

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

I break glass and then attempt to put some pieces back together. It’s not about perfection. I’m currently living in the French alps, where I will be opening an atelier/gallery someday! You can buy some of my work on Etsy.com or by contacting me directly and/or arranging a visit to my studio.

(from her blog)
As she says her work is available via her Etsy Shop and you can also see much of it in her flickr stream. I think it is just stunning so dash over there and feast your eyes on some perfect mirrors and other goodies to go with your shabby chic furniture

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

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.