Design Style: Elements of a Shabby Chic Interior

Shabby Chic has no particular style, but it is defined by slip-covered sofas and distressed furniture, along with antique pieces, old-fashioned patterns and romantic, feminine touches.  It balances elegance with old and worn, through the use of distressed wood tables, soft throw rugs, vintage accessories and pastels fabrics.

The goal of a Shabby Chic room is to invoke the feeling of comfort and relaxation.


1. Soft Delicate Colors

The usual accent colors in a Shabby Chic room are soft whites, muted greys pale pinks and faded greens. But you can throw your on colors into the mix as long as they are muted, light or washed out. Remember that you are going for a gracefully aged look!

2. Combine Patterns and Colors

Combine stripes, checks and floral fabrics to achieve a warm and inviting look. You don't have to follow traditional rules of combining prints, but for easiest mixing keep the background color the same.. typically white or ivory. Then choose one color to repeat in almost every fabric, such as a soft green or pale pink.

3. White Painted Furniture

Almost any piece of wooden furniture will fit into a Shabby Chic interior if it's painted white. Collect pieces from flea markets, garage sales, Etsy and Craigslist. Spray with white paint, sand of the corners, sand off the corners and rough it up a little, to give that aged look. You'd be surprised how a coat of pain transforms a dark dingy chair or table.
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4. Think Outside the Box

Not every chair has to be sat on. Not every table has to be used as a surface to put things on. Try using a sturdy, painted chair as a bedside table or next to a sofa to hold a vase of flowers. How about transforming a coffee table into a bench at the end of the bed. Or, an old steamer truck can serve as a coffee table. You can stack wooden boxes at the side of a chair to hold books and flowers. Be creative and use what you have.

5. Flowers and Candles

Fresh flowers are a natural addition to a Shabby Chic room. A handful of pink roses plopped into a china vase, floral fabrics and candles create a romantic mood, and makes the room feel more homey.

And now, few tutorials for a DIY Shabby Chic Headboard

1. The Plank Headboard

Tutorial via The Pinstriped Penguin

I love this tutorial because it gives you the basics for creating a plank headboard. Just remember you can make the headboard any width you want, or you can even cover the whole wall. This tutorial is meant to be a source of inspiration.  

2. The Framed Headboard

Tutorial via Better Homes and Gardens 

With crafts store supplies, you can make a DIY headboard that nods to a classic wrought-iron bed-frame silhouette. Assemble two 36x48-inch frames from crafts-store canvas stretchers. Positioned side by side, the frames will fit nicely behind a full-size bed. Paint frames and let dry. Cut two pieces of off-white linen, leaving enough material on all sides so it can be pulled tautly across the backs of the frames and stapled. Sketch half of the headboard design on each piece of linen with a pencil, and cover the outline with a black king-size permanent marker. Lay the linen facedown on the backs of the corresponding frames. Use a staple gun to secure linen to frames. Staple the center top first; stretch the linen and staple at the bottom. Repeat for the sides. Continue stretching and stapling until linen is secure. Mount the framed canvas headboard on the wall with sawtooth hangers -- two per frame -- and secure with removable adhesive strips.

Tutorial via Better Homes and Gardens 

Spice up a bedroom by creating a framed headboard from a graphic print. Stretch fabric over heavy cardboard or foam-core board and secure on the back. Insert the panels into two inexpensive poster frames spray-painted a coordinating color.