Shabby Chic a timeless style.

After spending time looking around at different interior design styles I thought I would write a blog about Shabby Chic.

This style  has been around for many years but over the last 20 years it has earnt itself a respectable title of  Shabby chic, which has become so popular in households that it is set to stay for a very long time.

Shabby chic is a form of design where both furniture and furnishings either new or mainly old take on the appearance of a distressed look to achieve the appearance of antique, vintage.

This wonderful example of Shabby Chic has been created by using pastel shades of pink. The dressing table is just stunningly beautiful  and has been painted in a Shabby Chic style using a vintage ivory colour and complemented with the use of wooden frames with a whitewashed theme and distressed on all corners to create a old English feel of country shabby chic. The room has been dressed with vintage charm and again painted in ivory cream to create this beautiful look. A floral theme has been added to the beauty of the room picking up in the pillowcases in shades of light pink, cream and white and delicate roses have been placed in a vase on the dressing table to add to this vintage charm. The gorgeous chair has been covered to compliment the style of the room and is extremely complementary to the bedding where the bed is covered by a white cotton with lace trim. The fireplace has been painted to truly bring this look together and an ornate vintage fire guard with a delicate buds of flowers stands proudly in front. There are so many gorgeous ornaments lining the surfaces of this fabulous example of Shabby Chic.

 

 

Get the look it really isn't as hard as it seems. I will give you a step by step guideline to help you on your way.

I would suggest you try on a small piece of furniture first, from a junk shop or a carboot sale that hasn't cost too much.

Firstly lightly sand all over your chosen piece I would personally use a 180 grit to create a good base. If the wood has been waxed use a wool pad, plus white spirit or turps would be best, however if it has been covered with varnish then you will need to use varnish remover and sandpaper. Don't forget to brush off all the loose dust and around you as you want to make sure you start with a good clean work station. I would suggest using a mask and make sure you work in a well ventilated space. 

Now your ready to start. Prime your chosen piece of furniture with a water based acrylic primer and make sure you use good brushes as this will give you a smoother finish and preparation is key to everything.

Apply your first coat of water based acrylic paint, apply thinly and once painted leave to dry. I would leave for 2 hours and it should be dry to touch. 

Once dry you can now apply your second coat, if you want to achieve a look like the above green dresser then I would apply the first coat in white and the second coat in your chosen shade of green. ( you can actually lightly sand the first layer with 180 grit if you want a better finish, but don't forget to brush off the surplus) Once the second coat is dry I would leave this for atleast 2 hours then you are ready to start the fun bit of distressing. Please note I would suggest using synthetic brushes with acrylic water base paints, but it really depends on what type of paint you choose to go with. What ever you choose it will all be a learning kerb to discover what is best for you.

To distress your wooden piece of furniture, you will need a fine grit sandpaper and gently rub over the parts that you want to distress and on corners of the wood that you'd like to go back to bare wood, if this is the look that you require. Once you are happy with the desired look you could actually go a little bit further if you have any ornate carvings on your wood, you could use a coloured wax in bronze, silver, gold what ever colour you fancy. This can then be applied with your finger tips or a soft cloth to make these areas really stand out.

Lastly we need to add wax to your new masterpiece. Fully wax the complete piece of your furniture. You can do this using a soft cloth in circular motions working into your furniture and buffing up your furniture piece to become your first piece of Shabby Chic furniture.

There are so many variations that you can do once your comfortable with your first Shabby experience. You can even add dark finishing wax over the clear and rub away leaving the dark in all the crevices, this looks fantastic over shades of pink.

So get practising you'll have so much fun and it's very addictive.

 

Why not try Sandi Hands this would probably make your life much easier to get in every little groove you can purchase these from  homerevivalinteriors.co.uk at £10.50 

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If you have some serious cash to burn why not utilise it for a few quirky features in your home to really make it special. Below are 18 different amazing ideas with something to suit everyone.

From a door that changes into a game of ping-pong to a table with swing chairs, we guarantee there will be something here that you'll want to get for your home.

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Monthly Style Update - Bohemian Chic

Bohemian Chic is very much the latest trend of the moment. The style is a throwback of the hippy days mixed with the Boho trend. 

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Moss Bath Mat

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Monthly Style Update - Art Deco

The decorative art style of the 1920's and 1930's, characterised by precise and boldly delineated geometric shapes and strong colours and used in household objects and in architecture.

Art Deco was a globally popular style and affected many areas of design. It was used widely in consumer products such as furniture, cookware, china, textiles, jewellery, clocks and electronic items such as radios, telephones and jukeboxes. It also influenced architecture, interior design, industrial design, fashion, graphic design and vehicles.

Art Deco declined in popularity after World War II. It was referred to as gaudy and inappropriately luxurious. A re-surge of interest began again in the 1960's.

This particular style of design still continues to inspire designers and is often used in contemporary fashion, jewellery and toiletries and now once again has returned to our high streets.

Monthly style update - Mid-Century Modern!

Mid-century modern is a nostalgic retro style of design often with elements of minimalism. This style is a throwback to the 1940's – 1970's but is most commonly related to 1950 to 1960 design, in among the world of 'Pop Art'.

The main concept of this style is functionality and fuss-free décor. This involves the use of pared down forms and natural and organic shapes; this can evidently be seen in the iconic mid-century modern 'Egg Chair'. The whole idea is to achieve easy-to-use contemporary and to create a seamless transition from interior to exterior. It provides an uncomplicated, fresh interior whilst utilising contemporary patterns to create a medley of functional comfort and chic style. Bold geometrics, statement lighting, striking forms, strong sensuous curves, simple lines and bright colours in whimsical motifs for a strong graphic punch, are also very popular elements to Mid-Century Modern interiors. The thing that really sets off this style to others is the harmonious partnership of an earthy natural pallet paired with splashes of rich saturated colours. So say 'Goodbye' to all those pastel colours and 'Hello' to a whole new brighter you!

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These little tips for around the house may be the perfect solution for you!

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From the outside it looks too cute for words.

Sneak Peek!

Hi there!

Sorry for not posting in a while but we have fortunately been extremely busy working hard in the QuirkyCool office with new projects, updating the website and shop to make it super for you guys, as well as trying to promote the business more than ever!

Thank you for supporting us and keep sharing :D

Also keep you eyes peeled for our upcoming projects!

Here is a sneak peak of our latest project... Just look at that wonderfully enchanting view!

Industrial Design

Industrial design is a very specific style of design. The materials mostly used in this design are concrete, metal and wood however this style of design has now escalated into the use of Industrial Contemporary and Industrial Rustic.

Which style are you?

Each month QuirkyCool will cover a different style of Interiors.

QuirkyCool is now being viewed by larger companies so we are doing something right and are using some of our ideas and we take this as a compliment but nothing would be possible without all of your support!

Thank you!

Introduction and thank you from QuirkyCool!

Newly Designed Logo

Hi there!

Welcome to QuirkyCool's Blog, we're a new company with a lot of promise. We've been fortunate to hit the floor running with quite a few jobs already, which is always the dream for any new business. I thank everyone for their support!...

We are hoping to take social media with a storm and have set up an instagram, facebook page, twitter, our on website and now a blog! Also visit our shop for wondrously unique products! 

Please join us in our journey to conquer the world!

Our first project working on an apartment

We specialise in making dreams come true within a space at an affordable budget. As someone who is highly influenced by their love of interiors (which goes on way before my days of studying) and understanding the concept of realistic dreams, this is where I can help. From taking something quite plain and transforming it into something quite fabulous. There is no better satisfaction.

Helping people on low budgets is my speciality; as I know only too well when starting out that I wanted my home to be special but not having a bank balance to do so. I therefore learnt how to think outside the box as well as source alternative products of expense that still produces a Wow! factor. For more details visit our website!

Before and After of a Bathroom Design

We can design any project for you. The beauty of this is you are able to see how your room/home will look without having to pay for the products or the tradesman to carry out the work first.

We can add extras if you wish to see how a piece of furniture may look or we can add wallpaper you may of seen along the way. Just about anything; nothing is out of the question.

A bit of Quirky fun in a Bedroom

Thank you for all your support, we can't do it without you so keep checking out and sharing our pages!

The QuirkyCool Team