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:

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

photo credit: dangermain

Happy Shabby Chic Easter

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!

Buy The Flea Markets of France

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.

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

Isn’t this the perfect accessory for your shabby chic furniture? I was wandering around flickr, as I do too often(!) when I came across the work of Pamela Angus. She’s a very gifted designer and maker but I’ll let her speak for herself:

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

The Shabby Chic furniture group on Flickr is happy to welcome a new member. This gorgeous furniture and the matching lamps are the work of the very talented Dan. He gives us more details on the lamps and 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

Lots of lovely Shabby Chic furniture in the Flickr Shabby Chic Furniture Group

Corner of My Living Room, October 2008, originally uploaded by theunquietlibrarian.

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!