Romantic, vintage style home interiors are having a resurgence and with Pinterest searches for ‘grandma core bedroom’ up 2605% and ‘vintage eclectic home’ up 1418%, it’s safe to say the nostalgia of our grandparent’s homes is inspiring lots of us. For those who love a feminine style, the founder of Shabby Chic, Rachel Ashwell has offered her take on getting the balance right in a family home.
Mixing modern interior styles with vintage, traditional pieces is becoming increasingly popular as homeowners continuously strive for sustainable shopping. In fact, over two-fifths (44%) of Brits said that they prefer to mix newer pieces with old, rather than opting for all of one or another.
According to Rachel Ashwell, founder of the home interiors brand Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell® – available exclusively at NEXT, creating an elegant, classic look is all about seamlessly layering and mixing and matching to create a warm and inviting home.
If you want to add a feminine touch to your home with an authentic Shabby Chic touch, but also want to keep the balance of it being a couple’s or family home, there are ways to do so:
“Balancing a feminine, romantic aesthetic at home is all about instilling a ‘less is more’ approach. It doesn’t mean you can’t have frills or florals, but when incorporating beautiful, traditionally feminine pieces, you need to give them room to breathe.
“If you’re looking for a more balanced look, I recommend using more of the neutral and textured scatter cushions in the living room, and save the hearts and laces for the bedroom.”
Vintage inspired florals, ruffles and lace being key features of this style, there should be a balance when incorporating these elements into a space successfully.
“When things feel like clutter, rather than curated, that’s when you’ve gone too far. I believe the key to curating your space is to ensure that pieces in your home offer beauty, comfort, and/or function.
“Don’t be afraid to mix and match, but when doing so, make sure each piece speaks to what it’s being layered in with, as part of its ‘story’. Whether it’s a colour story or a floral story, it needs to feel cohesive otherwise it can end up looking a mess.
“It’s a bit like an abstract painting – as abstract as it is, if it’s done well, it will have a cohesive story that highlights each individual detail.”
When it comes to achieving the quintessential Shabby Chic colour palette, there are certain shades that Rachel traditionally favours. Light, airy and often smokey pastels are a key feature, with gradually deeper shades in the same colour families layered in.
“What you’ll never see in a Shabby Chic colour palette are primary colours – red, black, yellow. But that’s not to say that the Shabby Chic palette doesn’t capture many shades and rich colours.
“I always start with pinks, greens, earth tones and blues – which range from baby palettes right up to rich tones.
“For example, from baby blue, to rich teal; baby pink to a rich raspberry; and beige/ivory earth tones to taupes and charcoals – it really does range from a pastel to a smokey palette.
If you love this aesthetic but live in a more modern home, you may feel it would be difficult to incorporate this vintage inspired aesthetic into your decor. However, Rachel suggests that mixing old with new is easier than you think.
“Typically modern homes and modern pieces have cleaner lines and finishes, because they haven’t had years to wear down. But the magic of vintage pieces comes in the patina and the lovely silhouettes, which can be easily welcomed into a modern setting. Bringing vintage pieces into a modern space is a great way to incorporate lovely details, detailing and charm that perhaps the house itself doesn’t have.
“Modern is clean and it’s simple, so it’s important not to bring in too many vintage pieces and make it look cluttered. It’s all about balance. Curate your space and again, think ‘beauty, comfort, function’. This way, every piece will feel like it belongs and it’s cohesive, but it won’t feel like it’s taking away from the beauty of having a lovely, simple modern home.”
Conversely, if you’re looking to renovate an older home, there are ways to maintain the character of the house whilst updating it for modern uses and tastes. If you’re starting a renovation project, these are things to consider:
“Firstly, it’s important to make an inventory of what character elements you want to keep. It could be a lovely textured wall, it could be magical moulding or amazing floors. But you need to make sure what you’re keeping is workable. For example, I love wooden floors but they do need to be functional. If they’re not, you can get reclaimed floorboards from reclamation sites. The same stands for moulding, if it needs to be restored, there are plenty of resources to help you do that successfully.
“I love charm, romance, authenticity, and original character – but I also love functionality and I love things looking really clean. So for the renovations of my bathrooms and kitchen, I went through the process of finding different suppliers who are able to supply materials that have a nod to the time period of my home. So when it’s installed, it’s lovely and fresh. It’s about finding that balance between authenticity in materials and detail and yet feeling fresh and clean.”
For those looking to capture the Shabby Chic® aesthetic in their home, Rachel’s key pieces to invest in are:
“Chandeliers are the perfect anchor piece to add romance to your home. They create a magical focal point in any room and will add a soft and welcoming glow to your space.”
“An oversized chair beautifully emulates my core values of ‘beauty, comfort, function’. It doesn’t take up too much space but is inviting and plenty big enough to snuggle on. The Antique Blue Velvet Snug Chair is a must in my home – I have one in my kitchen and my bedroom.”
“Flowers are a signature statement in any Shabby Chic® home – a beautiful and unique vase can add an elegant touch to any floral arrangement and can act as a centrepiece or a stand alone accent piece in your home.”
“For table setting, the Scalloped Fine China is the most magical set to elevate your table when you’re hosting. It’s crafted from fine china featuring a beautiful mixture of our iconic floral designs and finished with a delicate scalloped edge.”
“I favour wooden floors or beautiful tiles in my home, so rugs are the perfect way to bring texture and warmth to your space without covering up the beauty of the flooring.”
“Our bedrooms are our sanctuaries and having the most comfortable bedding, which is classic and timeless, is a must. The Broderie Anglaise Ruffle Bedding or Rosabelle Petite Ruffle Bedding are two of my favourite bedding sets from my collection. They perfectly capture authentic attention to detail of bedding from days gone by, but they’re fresh and are of beautiful quality.”
For more inspiration and to shop the NEXT x Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell collection, visit the NEXT website.
