Category — French Shabby Chic

What is it?
Shabby Chic is a very feminine interior design style where the home accessories are chosen for their signs of wear and tear or new items are modified to make them appear unfinished and give the illusion of age. It is often associated with the French country style.
I think that one of the reasons why it has been so popular for the past 20 years is the fact that it is a very versatile and inexpensive style.
It can be achieved by recycling much loved accessories and furniture or by using flea market and car boot sales findings. All it takes is a little creativity and a little time to breathe new life into them.

Image source: Coastal Living

I just love how Shabby Chic accessories can make a room feel very cosy, warm yet charming, glamorous and fresh.

Shabby Chic home accessories ideas

Colour palette
If you’re a fan of bold colours then the Shabby Chic style is definitely not for you. Shabby Chic is not all about pink as some might think. The emphasis is on light neutral colours, pastel and chalky colours combined with lots of white and cream.

Patterns

Image source (clockwise from left to right): Not Too Shabby, Direct Wallpaper, The Fabric Finder, Laura Ashley

My breakfast browsings have brought me to the world of decorative bird cages.
I’m sure you will have noticed too: everyone’s talking about them and you will now find them on all decorating magazines and websites.

Bird cages have become an incredibly popular and trendy interior design product because of their cuteness and simplicity. You can make them work with many different looks but it seems that these days they have mainly become synonym with the Shabby Chic decorating style.

I’ve got to be honest – I personally find Shabby Chic bird cages can be a bit boring on their own and this is why I’ve been looking into different ways to make them more fun and unique.

Here are my findings:

Plants

I love the idea of using a bird cage for holding  plant pots and I like the contrast between the white or other typical Shabby Chic pastel colours of the cage and the bright green of the plant. My personal preference would be something like ivy with trailing ends or even herbs! Image source: StyleHive

Candles

Placing a few scented candles inside the bird cage will completely transform it and, if using coloured candles, they will also provide a nice touch of colour.
Using candles will enable you to quickly update the look of your Shabby Chic bird cage.
How about having different types of candles depending on the time of the year? Ocean breeze in the summer, floral scented candles in spring and apple & cinnamon in the winter perhaps?
To avoid disaster, make sure you check the bird cage can handle the heat before you light the candles! Image source: Angel At My Table

Flowers and Potpourri

Another really quick idea to make your bird cage more unique is to place fresh flowers or a bowl filled with potpourri inside it.
Small bird cages decorated with flowers can also be turned into stunning table centrepieces. How’s that to impress family and friends?
Again, I love this idea because of it allows you to easily update its look whenever you fancy something a bit different. Image source: Wooldridge & Sleep

Other ideas that have been flying thru my head include:

- small perfume bottles
- books
- jewellery
- seashells

I guess the eaiest way to give you own creative twist to your Shabby Chic bird cage is to think of it as a display unit or decorative basket. The possibilities are endless!