Shiny, shiny, Shabby Chic, Islington, originally uploaded by LindaH.

All this gorgeous, glamourous Shabby Chic furniture was outside a shop in Islington yesterday. It just goes to remind us that not all shabby chic is painted.
There’s just a whiff of decadence about this sort of furniture. It makes me think of glamourous starlets in those silky 30s or 40s dressing gowns you only ever see in black and white films. You can almost smell the perfume and I can just imagine the sort of bright red lipstick that ought to sit on that dresser!
The big mirrors are totally over the top with their ornate decorations, a bit less Deco than the furniture but still great fun.
You would think this stuff would be very expensive but I was amazed at how reasonable some of it was. You can find this sort of
glamourous shabby chic furniture quite easily or if you are brave you could try to re-create the look yourself. I’ll post more about the DIY techniques for this sort of shabby chic furniture sometime over the next few weeks.

Dining room mantel Halloween style., originally uploaded by melissann.

It might not be exactly what you think of as Shabby Chic. Furniture doesn’t really feature unless you count the fireplace but I still think it’s worth highlighting. Melissa created this gorgeous effect after a creative dream:

This mirror had been long abandoned in our basement until recently, when I dreamt about painting it black (Freaky for me, because I’ve never had creative inspiration come from a dream before!). So we did, and now it’s enjoying a new life as part of our Halloween / Fall display.

The wonderful little “boo!” pictures were an idea borrowed from the Pottery Barn and what a perfect touch they add! Shabby chic furniture isn’t always about clutter and a minimalist approach can sometimes be much more effective.