Vintage shabby chic living room furniture: an amazing flavour

By 27 September 2019Furniture
Vintage shabby chic living room furniture

The creations from the Chelini 1898 collection take inspiration from the past and recreate styles that have become universal reference points in the field of luxury furniture. The historical Florentine brand Chelini manufactures state-of-the-art vintage shabby chic living room furniture that recreates the timeless aesthetic standards while abiding by stylistic accuracy and balanced proportions.

tavolo da pranzo design 1

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 1261 + Top Art. 6000 |

tavolo da pranzo design 3

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 1261

tavolo da pranzo design 7

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 2130

tavolo da pranzo design 6

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 828 + Top Art 6002

tavolo da pranzo design 8

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 2142

tavolo pranzo shabby chic provenzale bianco

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 1074

tavolo shabby chic: Art. 2145 + Top Art. 6000

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 2145 + Top Art 6000

tavolo shabby allungabile

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 2152 + Top Art. 6014

tavolo da salotto country

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 5007/G

tavolo salotto 2061

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 2061

tavolo 5501_P

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 5501/P

tavolo salotto 1085

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 1085

tavolo 5005

Shabby Chic Table |  Art. 5005

tavolo salotto 1188

Shabby Chic Table | Art. 1188

tavolo salotto 2094

Shabby Chic Table |  Art. 2094

tavolo 5030

Shabby Chic Table |  Art. 5030

tavolo 5013

Magazine table | Art. 5013 |

tavolo pranzo 204+top

Dining table | Art. 204 + Top Art. 6000

The shabby chic style, which is very trendy at the moment, is a blend of the charming Art Deco, French style and British Victorian style. The result is romantic, glamorous and vaguely nostalgic.

vintage shabby chic on line

Paint flaked off ad hoc, intentionally matte nuances, rounded off edges and small imperfections made on purpose to lend a worn look to the furniture: these are the elements that characterise this romantic, vintage furniture style, which radiates charm and warmth by combining harmoniously ancient and modern with taste, class and great attention to detail.

It’s a peculiar style that stands out for its fascinating mixture of vintage elements, rustic finishes and sophisticated details. The result is sober, elegant and, at the same time, very warm and welcoming.

Vintage shabby chic living room furniture: what is it?

The expression “vintage shabby chic living room furniture” refers to those pieces of furniture and furnishing accessories that undergo pickling, which is a French decorative technique that dates back to King Louis XV’s reign. The pickling treatment was actually born for practical reasons rather than for decorative purposes. Indeed, it was originally used in the French countryside for protecting wood from woodworms.

Very precious decapè literally means “to remove the covering” in French. Baking soda was used to get rid of impurities and remove the top layers of paint from the pieces of furniture that had been attacked by parasites. Then, a coat of lime was applied to favour disinfestation of parasites and xylophagous insects.

This technique is merely decorative nowadays, and is much appreciated by the shabby mood furniture connoisseurs, as it brings out the wood’s veinings and provides an alternative finish to the natural one with a romantic retro flavour.

Vintage living room furnishings are artfully stripped, decoloured and antiqued, and usually display a predominant colour, while they are sandpapered ad hoc at the edges and in certain points to reveal the underlying hue.

In order to maximize the antiqued, used and worn effect, wear marks are sometimes artfully recreated on vintage shabby chic living room furniture, such as small grooves, splits, holes and a fake craquelure, that is a thick interweaving of small cracks with a romantic, shabby allure.

These furnishings are usually restored and painted with pastel colours, or they are new but characterised by an antiqued style especially made, such as the creations offered by the Florentine brand Chelini available in shabby chic furniture stores.

Decapé living room

Nothing is left to chance in a decapé style living room. The effect is only apparently accidental, shabby and tattered. Everything is actually planned down to the last detail to recreate an old-time atmosphere that is relaxing and, at the same time, sophisticated, refined and romantically seducing.

To furnish a decapé living room we suggest that you use:

not too bulky furnishings with soft lines;
pickled wood elements;
antiqued paintings and mirrors;
British style striped wallpaper;
ceiling lights with an industrial flavour;
shelves;
raw wood door and window frames.

A decapé style living room is the perfect location for wooden tables antiqued with the best traditional Florentine decorative techniques, chairs with high backrest and sofas with soft lines and capitonné padding, that can be white or in the lightest shades of beige.

The colour palette includes pastel colours and light nuances that illuminate the rooms and convey a pleasant sensation of spaciousness. White is predominant in all of its shades and hues, from creamy white, to ivory, to cream, to milk white, followed by:

pastel colours;
dove grey;
pearl grey;
beige;
ecru;
sand;
champagne;
sage green;
mid blue;
light dusty pink;
lavender.

Whereas the most intense shades are to be assigned to the details, which, if wisely measured, make the decapé style living room even more captivating.

Shabby chic designer furniture for the bedroom

Romantic decorations, worn-looking furniture and bleached light-coloured wood are the main elements of a shabby glam style bedroom.

The wrought-iron canopy bed is the star of the room. It’s enriched with a macrame texture and embellished with lace, pillows and fabrics that have delicate, dusty and matte colours such as dove grey, light dusty pink and warm grey.

Next to the bed, intentionally worn-looking pickled bedside tables, retro chests and wooden étagères are must-haves that lend a vintage touch to the room.

In front of the bed is the perfect place for a large stripped wood chest of drawers with burnished brass knobs and an artfully antiqued finish, a big pickled wood wardrobe and a round dresser with a large antiqued mirror and drawers with handmade decorations.

We suggest you add a few vintage details, without overburdening the room, such as a table lamp with a fabric lampshade, decorative wood, iron or cast iron dressmaker mannequins, and old dressing tables made of wrought iron, brass and ceramic with a washbasin and a marble surface, that can be found at thrift stores and antiques markets.

Shabby chic furniture for the living room

The favourite material for shabby chic style furniture is wood, delightfully flawed and artfully antiqued. The must-haves in shabby glam style living rooms and dining rooms are:

a sofa made of natural fabrics such as cotton and linen;
an armchair with capitonné padding;
a wooden table;
chairs with high backrests;
painted wooden coffee tables;
a console table with a vintage look;
a white-painted wooden étagère;
a round one-legged guéridon;
a wrought-iron chandelier;
an open or closed sideboard with elegant glass doors, one or more drawers and a large surface, that lends a delightful dash of cosiness to the entire room.

A decapé style living room is also the perfect location for an elegant secretaire desk, with its typical drop front desktop and the classic drawers. It can also serve as an original liquor cabinet if you wish.

Tinware, candles, glass details, lanterns, old wall clocks and refined decorations with floral patterns complete the picture. Also mirrors with bleached or intertwined wood frames integrate harmoniously in a shabby chic room.

Shabby chic designer furniture by Chelini

Chelini offers vintage shabby chic living room furniture and furnishing accessories manufactured ad hoc to lend an intriguing retro flavour to the rooms. Consult our Chelini 1898 catalogue and contact us for a quote.