The vacation season is here and with it the long-awaited period of relaxing weekends by the sea to enjoy the sun, long walks on the beach and swimming in the salt water. Then arrange the style of your seaside house so that it becomes a real vintage beach house in a shabby chic way. Find out how to do this here.
Which style to choose ?
If you've recently bought or rented a beach house to enjoy your seaside vacation and a few weekends out of town, it's also time to think about the right way to furnish it. The effect to achieve is to open the doors of the vacation home and find yourself in a welcoming and relaxing environment, which will allow you to enjoy a good period of relaxation. The layout of the vacation home will certainly allow you to give free rein to risky and original ideas.
You will be able to bring out your creativity by making different do-it-yourself furniture that would be out of step with the style of the house in town. This is a perfect opportunity to play with retro and vintage. The furniture should be well designed, bright and fresh. The colors must be clear. The fabrics are supposed to reflect the summer light that enters through the windows and spreads throughout the rooms. If you don't want to fall back into the "beach marin white and blue" style you've seen before and prefer something more sophisticated and original, the most appropriate choice would be the shabby chic style.
What is shabby chic style ?
Shabby chic is a style that has its origins in the old English country houses. It is characterized by the use of light colors, such as white, pearl grey, turtledove and all pastel shades. Don't be fooled by the meaning of the word "shabby" (which means "aged and worn out"), the final visual result will be very far from this idea.
Shabby, on the other hand, refers to the condition of the furniture used. It can correspond to any age and any material, but stands out better with a vintage style rich in inlays. The result is a set of furniture in which each component resembles a worn-out piece of furniture.
Thus, even the paint must be peeled off, roughly distributed and covered with dust. All the rooms of the house and even the garden must be in harmony with the style for a good rendering.
All these effects can be reproduced using the technique of miserable, excellent for giving cabinets, tables, posters and bookcases a lived-in look. If it is a vacation rental, you can ask for free delivery of the necessary items once on site. All you have to do is make a few rounds on vintage furnishing sites online.
What are the essentials ?
It is true that the shabby chic style is very varied and leaves room for the free creativity of those who furnish. However, it is necessary to follow a few simple tips to avoid being disappointed in home decoration. In order to obtain a refined and elegant result, it is necessary to be careful in the choice of tones, materials and accessories. The first thing to decide on is the colors to make your gite look good. It is necessary to forget the strong, vivid and decisive shades. In shabby chic, the protagonist is white, in all its variations from cream to off-white. Other colors such as beige, pink, blue, sage green, grey, lilac and yellow can also be combined with the white background, always in very light and soft tones.
Note that there are no precise rules in the choice of material and style of furniture to be used. However, shabby chic makes winks at antique and vintage pieces and furniture, preferably made of wood and richly inlaid, excellent for being repainted in white. So give the green light to old sideboards, armchairs, trunks, chests of drawers and cabinets, posters recovered from your grandmother's house or attics, ready to be refurbished.
The ideal materials are as natural as possible, such as wood for furniture and floors, while linen and cotton are perfect for tablecloths, upholstery and curtains. Accessories are certainly not to be forgotten. They are essential to give an extra touch of vintage to the furniture. Wicker baskets and containers are indispensable and also very pleasant in a beach house. A beautiful effect can be achieved simply by filling a basket with a few delicate and colorful flowers, such as bouquets of daisies or lavender.
To find retro art, you can for example use a wall clock or hang some pictures on the walls. The teardrop-shaped crystal chandeliers and the cotton-covered footstool in soft tones like cream will be perfect in the living room. For the bedroom, you can place old mirrors with worn frames, cushions and blankets in pastel colors, perhaps crocheted.
Arrange the bathroom in a chic style.
For most of the rooms in the gîte, the characteristics that guide the choice of furniture are common: light colors, antique furniture and themed accessories. Rather, a dedicated and more in-depth discourse is needed for the bathroom decor. In this room, the style chosen must necessarily intertwine with the practicality and functionality of the furniture. Especially in a beach house, the bathroom must be as functional and easy to clean as possible, while maintaining a look consistent with the rest of the house.
The center of attention is undoubtedly the bathtub: choose a retro-style bathtub with inlaid feet and showy faucets. It will give the whole bathroom an elegant, refined and vintage look, typical of chic and dingy furniture. Other bathroom fixtures, such as the sink, toilet and bidet, will be perfect if they are made of white ceramic, perhaps in combination with a retro faucet that is reminiscent of the general decor.
Above the sink, it would be ideal to hang a mirror that recalls the style of the rest of the house. You can opt for a slightly worn wooden frame to be repainted. A more modern and simple mirror, perhaps oval in shape, is to be preferred. Wall art is also very popular. As with the rest of the rooms, pay attention to every detail: choose a soap dispenser and a light-colored soap dish, as well as a glass for the toothbrushes obtained by recycling an old jam jar. Bathroom furniture follows the same guidelines as the rest of the house.
It would be interesting to also combine lively metal structures and pastel-coloured cabinets where towels and accessories can be placed in view. As a finishing touch, don't forget scented candles, a beautiful beach picture and flowers in glass vases.
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