Shabby Chic imaginatively combines elements from classic living styles, country houses and vintage and presents them in a new way. However, complete room furnishings in this style can look undesirably girly and playful. To bring a fresh, romantic touch into the interior, rely on just a few deliberately placed small pieces of furniture and decorative elements. We'll tell you how you can make small shabby chic furniture yourself and arrange it tastefully.
Shabby originally comes from 'shabby', worn and placed next to chic takes on new meaning. Used items have value and contain countless stories. This is exactly the effect that cabinets and chairs in home style strive for. However, you can create the worn look yourself using simple means.
The style combines antiques with flea market items and homemade items. Such vintage furniture is usually very expensive because it is unique and only gets its characteristic look through diligent hand treatment. But that's exactly why, with just a little know-how, old grandma's kitchen sideboards can be converted into great pieces of vintage furniture.
Although the white color is predominantly characteristic of the look, soft pastel tones and other stronger tones, typical of the traditional furniture industry, are also permitted. However, the paint should appear rubbed off, peeled off or generally worn. Cracks, scratches and signs of wear are also part of the shabby look.
First, you should purchase a high-quality piece of used furniture. Good pieces can be found every now and then at the flea market or even in the bulky waste. Solid wood furniture is best suited for further treatments and repairs. Veneer furniture can only withstand processing to a limited extent and the surface should be sanded several times with fine-grain sandpaper.
The first step after purchasing suitable wooden furniture is to take it apart in all its parts. Fittings must also be removed so that every spot can be reached during the subsequent sanding and painting work. Then clean the wood thoroughly of dust, grease and all stains. Feel free to use soda or vinegar cleaner and warm water. But then you have to let it dry very well before you can proceed any further.
Before you can continue with the color design, all residues of old paint must be carefully removed. Remains of old surface treatments can prevent the newly applied paint from adhering. You can use a sander for large areas, but all the fine angles and corners are always sanded down by hand.
You choose the color for your new piece of furniture based on your own preference and in connection with the rest of the furniture, as well as the style of living in general. The furniture is traditionally painted white. Pastel colors are also a good choice. Another option is to work with two different colors. One is later seen as an undertone and creates effective transitions.
Apply one coat of light color and after it is completely dry, apply second coats of the more intense color. If the top coat is not yet set, wipe some areas with a damp cloth if the paint is water-based. Otherwise, use solvent, soak the cloth and smudge the overtone. For this wiping technique, it is better to use a foam roller for the first layer of paint, and for the second layer of paint - a large brush.
When the applied paint is dry, ideally the next day, the decorative elements can be installed. New cupboard handles individually selected give the piece of furniture a new look. Finally, arrange items that coordinate in color and style to enhance the furniture you have designed yourself.
In our example, the drawer fronts are uniformly colored in pastel mint green, while the body has a creamy undertone. The decorative carvings are effectively brightened and therefore stand out wonderfully.
With a few tricks and a small budget, an old heirloom in the attic can be upgraded and used in a new way. To make the piece of furniture look cracked and give it the typical worn look, you can apply the peeled paint effect slightly.
To create artificial cracks, it would be an advantage if the piece of furniture is stained or made of dark wood. This means you can save yourself a dark colored primer. Now you simply have to roughen the surface with sandpaper. First sand the surface unevenly with 80 grit, then treat the whole thing with 100 grit.
Then you apply the so-called tear varnish. It is advisable to only use it in certain places, for example where you previously sanded with coarser sandpaper. This means that cracks and scratches are imitated very realistically. Used as a whole, the tear varnish will cause the applied color to gradually run off over time. .
When the varnish has dried very well, apply a light acrylic paint. While it is still drying, you can see how the cracks form. These give the desired used look.
For optimal aesthetic effect, we recommend tastefully arranging home accessories and decorations in the selected color next to the self-designed piece of furniture. Flower motifs and vases made of porcelain or glass will create a harmonious overall picture.
Small furniture brings a fresh flair to the room design without attracting attention and having a great influence on the living style. In addition, small shelves, such as a side table and bedside table, can be made from other items. We provide you with instructions on how to make a DIY suitcase table yourself.
All you need in terms of materials is a suitcase and four table or chair legs of any size, tailored to the size of the suitcase. Now carefully sand off the paint that is already on it and remove the sanding dust afterwards. You can use coarser sandpaper for this.
Then apply a base coat of acrylic paint and when it dries, start to lightly roughen the surface. To do this, use 200 grit sandpaper. Then apply a second coat of topcoat and let it dry thoroughly.
Finally, you can achieve the typical look through fine sanding. Use the fine-grain sandpaper to remove the applied paint layer by layer, but only in places, so that in some places the lower layer of paint and in others even the pure wood becomes visible. Sealing with clear varnish or similar is not necessary. Because a layer of gloss will take away the typical character of the vintage look.
