Vintage on line

The style started in Great Britain and evokes the type of decoration found in large country houses where there are worn and faded old chintz sofas and curtains, old paintwork and unassuming 'good' taste. The end result of shabby chic is to achieve an elegant overall effect, as opposed to the sentimentally cute Pop-Victorian. Neither is it an expression of caring for the environment through recycling, even though recycling old furniture and fabrics is an important aspect of it.

The early forms of shabby chic were rather grand but the style has evolved taking inspiration from many forms of decoration. These range from 18th century Swedish painted decoration, the French Chateau as well as the American Shakers where simplicity and plainness was essential.
Shabby chic is mainly popular in interior design where furniture and furnishings are either chosen for their age and signs of wear and tear or new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.

Shabby chic items are often heavily painted with many layers showing through obviously worn areas. The style is imitated in Faux Painting using glaze or by painting then rubbing and sanding away the top coat to show the wood or base coats. Fabrics tend to be cottons and linens, with linen being particularly popular, inspired by old French linens. Whites and worn or bleached out pastels are favorite colours. Fabric is often stained with tea to give it the look of old fabric. Bleached and faded are terms often applied to the style.

The term was coined by The World of Interiors magazine in the 1980s and has since been used as a name for a US company founded by Rachel Ashwell.

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Designer Rachel Ashwell, founder of Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic, created the brand that is synonymous with her design sense and lifestyle. Rachel based the brand on the aesthetics of beauty, comfort and function. The company was founded in 1989 with the opening of the original store in Santa Monica, CA, which sold Rachel's washable slipcovered furniture and fabulous flea market finds.

Born and raised in England, Rachel Ashwell was already an innovative commercial and print stylist when the birth of her first child led to her original design concept. "I needed a versatile home that could handle children and a busy lifestyle," Rachel says. "The answer came to me in the form of slipcovers. They could be easily washed and gave a warm, open feel to the rooms." Her friends soon wanted their own set of Rachel-designed slipcovers.

Complementing the growth of the Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic brand was the publication of Rachel’s first design book, 'Shabby Chic' in 1996, with followed by four more books on home design, gift giving and parties. In Fall 1999, 'Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell' television series premiered on the E! Channel and Style Network.

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Doesn't there seem to be a lot of info out there that it was Rachel Ashwell that coined the phrase 'Shabby Chic' but as this article from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia states it was in fact a magazine in the 80's but I suppose Rachel Ashwell could have been the one who was writing for The World of Interiors, I'm not entirely sure, but obviously Rachel Ashwell was incredibly clever and registered it as a trade mark, although going by her website I think she has trademarked her name too!!!