Just when ordinary folk\u00a0have got used to the ‘new’ decorative style, with shabby chic sweeping out the old, pre-recession hotel-style d\u00e9cor, it’s all change again. Surf the net and you’d be forgiven for thinking shabby chic is already dead. But\u00a0that’s only if you’re a fashion-driven\u00a0interior designer, constantly chasing the next big thing.<\/p>\n
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The Spectator was going on about the \n\ndeath of shabby chic in 2010<\/a>, before most of us had even heard of it. The same goes for \n\nThe Independent<\/a>, which\u00a0joined The Spectator in 2010 proclaiming\u00a0the\u00a0look’s\u00a0death.\u00a0Several other respected publications, both here and abroad, also decided the style was as dead as a dodo in 2010, when it had only just started to go properly mainstream.\u00a0On the other hand, other articles sent out a rallying cry,\u00a0inspiring shabby chic fans\u00a0to gird their\u00a0loins and prepare for another year of tatty loveliness, tipping the style as hot through 2015 and beyond.<\/p>\n Many\u00a0of us have only just broken out of minimalism, never mind taken our interiors\u00a0in brave new directions.\u00a0So what’s going on out there in the world of home d\u00e9cor? Have you missed the shabby chic boat and if so, does it matter?<\/p>\n Some say it’s dead, others are just discovering it. Who to believe?\u00a0It’s a tricky one.<\/p>\n While the relatively few people who slavishly follow interior d\u00e9cor trends have probably already ditched\u00a0shabby chic years ago, the rest of us tend to tail behind.\u00a0As a hot\u00a0trend shabby chic’s\u00a0prime time may have come and gone five years ago, but all you need to do is visit\u00a0your nearest antique and collector’s emporium and you’ll find it’s more than likely still stuffed to the gills with DIY shabby chic masterpieces. The same goes for high street furniture stores, where French interior d\u00e9cor often\u00a0still rules the fashion roost.<\/p>\n Rather than coming and going quickly and obviously,\u00a0with a beginning, middle and end, the trend for shabby chic seems to have\u00a0gradually changed over the years. At first the most fashionable,\u00a0cutting edge\u00a0interiors were pale and interesting in misty greys and\u00a0warm creams, clean white and watery old rose,\u00a0the palest sage greens\u00a0and quirky eggshell blues.<\/p>\n As time passed the colours became more definite, less pastel cool and more funky fun,\u00a0and the style moved towards, then through, French country house style and out of the other end.\u00a0Black, deep sage green,\u00a0aubergine, magenta and scarlet\u00a0shabby interiors eventually took the\u00a0interiors high ground, but shabby was still the name of the game.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The thing is,\u00a0for most people\u00a0interior\u00a0d\u00e9cor is a personal thing, a comfort thing, a practical thing, a feeling at home thing.\u00a0It isn’t a fashion thing. We don’t tend to change our homes every year or two or every season in line with changing trends,\u00a0like we do with clothes.\u00a0We find stuff we like, whether it’s old or new, then\u00a0we live with it until we fancy a change or it falls to bits.<\/p>\n While many of us\u00a0get ready to dip\u00a0our toes in the shabby chic waters for the first time, the trend setters are busy creating something new and exciting. So what’s next on the interiors menu?<\/p>\n Turn on the telly and it’s everywhere. Trot down to your nearest fabric shop and you’ll notice a dramatic resurgence of 1950s patterns and colours. The shape of furniture is changing too, with new items taking on a vintage edge. Cutting edge interior designers everywhere are creating uber-funky\u00a0retro interiors stuffed with mid-twentieth century almost-antiques and\u00a01950s-1970s vintage delights. New\u00a0furniture and decorative items are being inspired by post war, post rationing, post-shabby\u00a0style.<\/p>\n As an interior d\u00e9cor style it’s colourful. It’s optimistic.\u00a0And it’s also great fun, since it’s eclectic enough for everyone to enjoy. Very few of us can afford a stylish 1970s living room cabinet from a top London vintage store, something by G Plan, Ercol\u00a0or similar, a piece that was excellent quality when it was first made and now retails at more than \u00a31000.\u00a0But most of us can swing to something equally stylish from a local charity shop, vintage emporium or furniture recycling outlet for a few tens of pounds or, worst case scenario, a couple of hundred.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Just like shabby chic, 1950s-1970s style is\u00a0taking its time going\u00a0mainstream. It might feel and look very different but it actually continues\u00a0the\u00a0recycling and re-purposing ethic that\u00a0shabby chic is so famous for. It’s\u00a0all about bringing vintage and retro stuff – until\u00a0very recently regarded as tat – back to vibrant life. It’s all about appreciating recent\u00a0styles\u00a0and giving semi-old, non-antique\u00a0items\u00a0a new lease of life.\u00a0While a\u00a0lot of us\u00a0still look at a piece of 1970s G Plan furniture and wince, it’s actually hot interior design property.<\/p>\n Are you<\/em> there yet? If you’re feeling the first stirrings of pleasure in a decorative style you either despised the first time around or are too young to remember, it’s time to learn the wood veneer basics, a staple of the era.<\/p>\n We’re in the business of making wood look good, so we’re always happy to talk veneer.\u00a0An awful lot of lower-end and high end vintage and retro furniture features veneer instead of\u00a0being made from 100% solid wood. Wood veneer is a thin sheet of real wood fixed over\u00a0a cheaper wood structure, often intended to make the piece of furniture look like an expensive\u00a0hardwood. Its strength depends on\u00a0the type of wood it’s made from, but all veneer should be treated with care.<\/p>\n If you’ve just bought a vintage piece and the veneer’s a bit iffy, how do you clean and maintain it? Here’s some useful advice for you to refer to if and when you ditch your\u00a0shabby chic\u00a0habit and go retro!<\/p>\n Here’s a link to an excellent resource\u00a0\n\nabout wood veneer maintenance<\/a>. And if you need to repair and renovate a piece of veneer furniture, here’s a good YouTube video showing you how to restore warped wood veneer:<\/p>\nHas the trend for shabby chic ended?<\/h2>\n
Shabby chic d\u00e9cor grows up<\/h3>\n
Is interior d\u00e9cor a fashion thing or a comfort thing?<\/h3>\n
About vintage-style\u00a0home interior d\u00e9cor<\/h3>\n
The joy of wood veneer – Vintage style hits home<\/h3>\n
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