Sophisticated Shabby - and yes, it's Chic

Lately a couple of people have told me that they like Shabby Chic, but they are worried about how to do it in a way that seems a little more sophisticated.  And it's true...some Shabby Chic can get the Shabby part right, but not so much the Chic.  And some Shabby Chic can quickly become Shabby Granny.  It's a style a lot of women are drawn to because it seems homey and cottagey.  But sometimes it loses a sense of sophistication in the process of all that homeyness.

Here are some reference photos of Sophisticated Shabby, and here's why they work:

First of all let's be honest, those two paintings make this room.  But I am of the opinion that any large scale artwork in a soft pallet could help sophisticate almost any Shabby Chic room.  I think the softness of the pallet has to remain or else you're wandering into other territory and straying from something that is an essential premise of Shabby.  But just the right notes of blue, pink, green, yellow or purples (or perhaps peach) in a large scale painting really add a great flavor to a room.  It kind of says "yes, I like to be comfortable, but I'm also smart and stylish"

What I like here is the shabby side table becomes just a little more sophisticated when that more mid-century chair is placed beside it with the more modern print on the pillow.  The light fixture keeps it all Shabby though, so there's no doubt of the intent.  

Can a colorful room with a mid century style fireplace be Shabby Sophisticated?  Well, yes, in this case I think it can.  The style of the furniture and an abundance of white and a mixing of pieces and lamps keeps this firmly in Shabby territory.  All the fun color makes it Chic and Sophisticated.  

Here, I'm again in love with mixing in the mid century stool, just that one thing really elevates this. I also love that they've kept things fairly clean and simple and they've let the outdoors coming in through the windows add the drama to the room rather than tons of accessories.  The globe is a nice touch too. 

Okay that glass jar/vase is awesome and would look good in any room, but it's really great here.  Look at how much texture is going on - that's why this totally white pallet really works.  Completely Shabby but completely Sophisticated too. 

what kind of struck me about this room is that it has an old world charm.  There aren't too many accessories and there is a restraint that is sometimes lacking in a Shabby Chic room.  

I love this and to be honest, it's BARELY Shabby, I probably should be calling it more transitional, but I think all the white, plus the peek in to the other room beyond, keep it just inside the Shabby territory. 

It's a great kitchen.  

Here we're nearly crossing into a kind of French provincial or english cottage look, but again, with the color pallet we stay with Shabby.  Don't be afraid to mix woods, but at the same time you have to be careful to keep the tones on the light side using only a few darker pieces. 

Those doors as headboard are really great. 

Again, more color than we usually associate with this style, but it still really works here because the background is kept light.  (all the sunshine helps too)

This is nearly transitional too - but because of the style of the furniture, I think still fairly Shabby by intention.  

Just really pretty and simple.  Even though a lot of Shabby Chic tends to pile on the layers and the accessories, if you hold back a bit, it gets a lot more sophisticated looking.  

I think there are lots of people out there who feel like Shabby Chic is kind of over - but I feel like it can stay current as long as you follow some of these tips.  And over-all, you have to like your space.  You should never plan your decor around what you think is "hip" at the moment.  Live in a space that feels like home and reflects something about who you are!  

Modern Rustic, French & English Country, Spanish Cottage and other primitive styles.

A friend of mine may have the opportunity to completely decorate an entire house sometime in the next year or so.  And that can be a kind of daunting task.  Especially if you're pretty much starting from scratch trying to build a whole decor and style that reflect who you are while being fun and new and hopefully current.

We started brain storming what her tastes are, and she had a pretty good idea of the sort of things she likes - many of the elements, without necessarily knowing what the over-all style would be.  She referred to it as 'eclectic'.  Which I often hear people say when they are at a bit of a loss for how their various components and styles all fit together.  But we came up with some styles that are definitely her and then we came up with a way for her to incorporate them all into something uniquely perfect. 

And this process is something you can do yourself if you aren't positive what your style should be.

We started out knowing she likes shabby chic (kind of - she likes many of the elements of it but she's not sold on all the white washed stuff and the pastels):

Although lots of cute things here, it isn't quite exactly what she's looking for.  And the shabby thing feels kind of tired sometimes.

Next up we looked at french and english country:

 

There are a lot of things she likes here, though some elements get a little too cluttered and stuffy.  Then we looked at Cottage Style:

Here some of the farm house elements are appreciated.  But it's still a bit of a confluence of styles that really appeals to her.  Next we looked at Modern Country:

The cleaner lines of modern country are a great element here.  We also looked at Rustic:

 

and here, it kind of felt like we were getting someone - a mix of different styles combining elements of things she likes and defining her own goals and style.  What ended up being discovered is that she loved the idea of creating a sort of new genre (though not totally) - and we kind of dubbed it Spanish Cottage.  Since she will be (more than likely) in a stucco home, and she loves aboriginal art and artifacts from Mexico, Central and South America, combining elements of all of these felt like it would be creating a beautiful Spanish Cottage.

Maybe a little like some of these elements: 

I love this idea.  It was fun kind of trying to figure out how to mix styles and elements to come up with something that would work to incorporate all the things she likes.