Shabby Chic Furniture Helps Give a Rustic French Country Decor

Part of the mystique of French country decor is the feeling that you’re enveloped in a warm, comfortable home that has been part of the rural hills of France for years and years.  Most of the furniture looks antique or at least very old.

When designing your French country home you can either go out and purchase some very beautiful French antiques, or you can take some newer (even brand new) furniture and give it that rustic look yourself.  That’s where “shabby chic” furniture comes in.

According to Wikipedia, “Shabby chic is a form of 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.” [Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabby_chic]

To create shabby chic furniture, you can paint your piece with several layers of paint, then give it the distressed look so as to give a time-worn appearance.  It does not really work with natural wood stains, and it works best with different shades of whites, beiges or even softer pastels.

As mentioned, if you do not happen to have any older furniture around, you can find newer unfinished wood furniture and distress them yourself.  Start with different coats of paint to start the aging in appearance.  From there, you can sand around certain corners and edges to give your piece that worn-down look.

One of the “magical” ways to complete your shabby chic decor is to purchase real antique handles or knobs.  If you cannot find antique hardware, there are many stores that sell replica handles or knobs.  This gives your shabby chic furniture the instant genuine look of rustic, period pieces.

Before you run to the flea market, look around your own home.  Is any of your furniture looking old and tired?  They are candidates for the shabby chic look. Wicker is really popular, as it is easy to find used, light weight to transport, and spray painting it is a breeze.

Another way to add a distressed look is to use “crackle” paint.  This is a paint finish that actually looks like the paint is cracked, chipped or pealing, giving your shabby chic chair or shabby chic table a quick aging.

Whether you use a basic whitewash base or some other concoction of painted layers, you can have fun experimenting with your shabby chic decorating.  Try making a shabby chic chandelier or other accessory.  The shabby chic decor is not just for furniture.

Keep in mind that French furniture is charming, beautiful, and lavish.  Most of French furniture was considered works of art.  Create your French country design while making your own shabby chic furniture.