Nowadays, more and more people are drawn to streamlined and practical aesthetics. This is the reason design plans such as Japanese and Scandinavian varieties are all the rage. Many interior designers receive requests and job orders from homeowners who want to make their spaces beautiful.
While these designs are truly captivating and practical, they may not be your aesthetics. You may be even looking for something warm and familiar. You are looking for that homey yet appealing design that will make your home much more welcoming. In this regard, you may go for shabby chic.
Shabby chic is imperfect. Its beauty lies in the appeal of the imperfections and mismatches. In a way, it is the Western equivalent of Japan’s design philosophy called wabi-sabi. What is good about shabby chic is that it is easy to create. You can materialize the design by simply looking around you and finding materials that you can dismantle, rebuild and repaint. Here are some of the things you may consider.
Recycle and Repurpose
When you do shabby chic, you will not have to spend big on new furniture pieces and fixtures. You can look around your house and find things that you can repurpose or recycle. For one, if you have a wooden daybed, you can repaint it and then use it as a seat or sofa for your patio. Your mason jars that you have not used for some time can be turned into candleholders. The possibilities are endless; you just need to try exploring.
Go for Antique
While you are at repurposing existing items, why not go for antiques? Antiques and old items are among the defining characteristics of shabby chic aesthetics. As such, you may consider visiting your local store that offers antiques. If that is not possible, you can go online and check with stores that offer antique pieces. You can find a wide variety of products, from old paintings to antique English copper planters for your gardening.
Use Light Colors
Do not forget the colors that you will apply to your shabby chic design. The best that you can do is that you use light hues. In this regard, you will never go wrong with white and pastels, such as pink, sky blue, cream or even yellow. Whatever the color is, make sure that you only use high-quality paints. See to it that paint that you will use does not have harmful chemicals, which may have negative effects, especially to kids.
Mismatches Are Okay
The current trends in design nowadays make you focus on the standard: the clean, symmetrical designs. However, you should not follow this rule strictly. If you have known the basics, you are free to toy with different ideas and items that will make your home truly beautiful. Asymmetry can be beautiful, too.
These are only some of the things to keep in mind if you want to achieve a shabby chic look and feel for your home. You can also review magazines and interior design resources online.