"Shabby" Plus "Chic" Equals Magic

Did you know when you enter the word Shabby into the thesaurus you get these results:
-bare, bedraggled, crummy, decayed, decaying, decrepit, degenerated, deteriorating, dilapidated, dingy, moth-eaten, tackey. 

Those are just a few!  Sounds awful.

When you enter Shabby Chic you get no results.

How about just Chic?  This is what pops up:
-clean, current, dapper, elegant, modern, stylish, trendy...

What happens when you enter Shabby Chic together in a search engine?  Pure Magic!
 
Once I discovered blogs I also discovered the beautiful world of Shabby Chic.  I started noticing it everywhere.  Countless blogs are dedicated to the style and love of Shabby Chic, lots of pictures on google images and so many more on Pinterest.  Many of the local shops I visit have a strong shabby chic influence.

Something I've observed is there are different styles that fall under the umbrella of shabby chic.  All however tend to share the tendency to lean towards being both romantic and a bit feminine. 

One definite style of shabby chic is casual cottage shabby as seen below.

Via: Costal Living

                       


Another style is what I like to call rustic shabby.

Then there is the romantic elegant shabby. 


I just sigh when I see a picture like this.

  
There are so many other styles.  There's the country shabby, the victorian shabby, there's even a more modern clean lined shabby as seen in the kitchen below.



Via: Rachel Ashwell

 I would have to say my style leans more towards rustic shabby.  You see, my home is dominated by quite a bit of testosterone.  Even our sweet dog Albert is a manly man. 

It is really tough to pull off too much white and pastel when there are a lot of men around.  I'm not saying it can't be done.  I have seen it done beautifully in many homes as I read through some amazing blogs.
In my house it just wouldn't work. 

There is a Pinterest member who has a board I follow (indulge in, cherish, savor, who am I kidding-I roll around in it!).  She calls it French-Nordic Country Style.  I see a lot of shabby chic influence in her picture selection.  Her Pinterest name is Kristyn and this is her board:  French-Nordic Country Style .  If this is your style, then you will get lots of inspiration from her. 

Here are a few samples of what she has pinned on her board:






 

 

I am now breathless.

-Lisa