Decorating Shabby Chic Style
It All Starts with the Walls

Oh, one of my favorite topics! The design possibilities are truly endless! The walls of your home are blank canvases begging for your personal touch to adorn them! Decorating shabby chic is as simple and clean as the style itself. The following design options are your "bare bones" options. Choose only one for each room you are decorating. Mixing two or more in one room will look too busy. You will build more depth as you add things from other categories on the navigation bar to the left.

First, choose a background.

*Typically, this will be your paint color. If you want to add more depth or texture at this stage, consider adding raised plaster before painting or a faux finishing layer after painting.

Wallpaper is a great alternative if you want something unique. Have you seen the cool patterns out there lately? If you haven't ventured here since the 70's, please do so before you make your decision. Trust me, they are gorgeous and you will shocked with excitement! I have found over the years the BEST papering websites out there!

Stencils also can be added on top of your base color. You can use stencils to create border at the top, middle or bottom. Or you can repeat stencils as I did in my bedroom giving the illusion of wallpaper. My bedroom is done in a calming sky blue with one wall covered entirely with a white Victorian stencil and the opposing ones with the same stencil but only used as a border at the top. It is soooooo easy to do, quick to apply and your guests will always touch it to see if it is paper!

Also, there are decals , sometimes called "wallies". These little gems are "stickers" that peel and stick and when removed leave not a trace of tacky residue behind. Pure genius! And decals are perfect for kid's rooms because themes change continuously as kid's interests change.

*And then there are murals. Wow, murals! You can find a mural to cover your entire space, ceiling to floor, corner to corner. Murals adhere like wallpaper. But instead of pattern, they display themes. I've seen a giant Parisian cafe' scene in a kitchen and a breath-taking beach scene in a bathroom. If you are decorating a small room, murals are great because they open it up and make it look much bigger than it really is.

*And lastly, my passion, accessories, hangings and art. This is where your shabby chic style buds and your unique style blooms! I have some great vintage needlepoint framed art leaning against the space on top of my living room mantle. I also display an old, distressed yellow wooden child's chair just hanging out, and a life size grandfather clock handpainted on another.(I admit, this was my idea but I hired a local muralist to paint it!). It all blends so nicely together and I never once "planned" a thing. I simply display the things that I love and that I think are beautiful. My goal is to guide you in doing the same. Check out this great website for more unique ideas to use when decorating the walls of your home!

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