Wonderful wide plank floors paned sash windows an old brick fireplace the charm of living with a home s small imperfections and making them a virtue These are just some examples of what makes up a Shabby Chic home

When she first saw what would be her future home Rachel Ashwell founder of the Shabby Chic line was put off by its dark witchy exterior gloomy interior and overgrown garden But for weeks afterward she couldn t get the house out of her mind She went back took a closer look and started to see the charm that lay hidden beneath the surface Excited by the challenge she bought the house and went to work on it

Inspired by the original design of the 1920s house Rachel was able to transform it into her bright cozy dream home one that had the hallmarks of a Shabby Chic home a practical amount of space a relaxed atmosphere and a comfortable beauty Through simple instructions and detailed before and after photographs Rachel reveals her decorating and entertaining secrets Even the most apprehensive novices will learn how to incorporate Shabby Chic style into their everyday life and home

Using her home as an example Rachel shows you how to assess what needs to be replaced in her home it was the dark tile in the pool and the bathroom doorknobs make small structural changes she exchanged a glass window for a glass door and keep costs down while adding personal Shabby Chic touches The gray marble countertop in the guest bathroom and the somewhat noisy glass front refrigerator were fixtures she would have never chosen but she left them alone and was pleasantly surprised by the character they added

In her previous books Rachel showed you how to recognize beauty in overlooked places Now in The Shabby Chic Home she teaches you how to find it in the nooks and crannies of your own home and then apply it to everyday life She reveals how work love a lot of white paint and Shabby Chic details can turn any new house into a comfortable functional beautifully designed home

In The Shabby Chic Home Ashwell walks readers through the renovation of her own 1920s home from the purchase of the originally dark and gloomy house through the repainting using layers and layers of white paint of the home and the rebirth of the garden yard and pool to the final decorating of the home for herself and her two kids Along the way readers receive advice on how to choose from among the thousands of paint colors how to decide whether to live with the old or buy new and why remodeling an older home might not be such a good idea The latter part of the book explains how to add touches of shabby chic style to every room of a home old or new for a finished look The result shown in dramatic before and after pictures is a home that s comfortable enough for a family to relax in but still elegant and beautiful

Don t let the floral patterns and chenille bedspreads fool you Ashwell s advice throughout is common sense and economical For instance she recommends not wasting your time looking through every decorating option if you like the first idea color or plan well enough save yourself the time and stress and go with it She also suggests resisting the immediate desire to throw out the old and bring in the new try living with things as they are for a while and you may find yourself surprised at how well you ve come to like the funky tile in the bathroom or the noisy glass door refrigerator Here lies the appeal of a shabby chic home sometimes old has a charm and lived in look that can t be purchased from a home improvement store Kris Law