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.

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.