The essence of shabby chic is to bring traditional, rustic and ‘pre-loved’ vintage items into your living spaces. There’s a warm and comfortable feel that goes with the look, and its great advantage is that you can incorporate just about anything you love into a room, without feeling any sense of discord or style faux pas.

Colour me chic

And what about the colours and tones? You might hear people say the look has to stay neutral: white, beige, cream and camel, perhaps with touches of grey, rose and delicate blues and greens. The clean, natural style is superb, certainly – particularly if you have a coastal-inspired theme. Lime-washed and distressed timbers, and cane and rattan pieces, along with faded chintz, linen and natural wool, create a distinctive ambience. In fact, though, the colour palette is unlimited. On the boho end of the shabby chic spectrum, especially, the décor is characterised by bold colour – bright-hued fabrics and vivid painted timber finishes, with the metallic sparkle of brass and copper and the glint of clear and coloured crystal.

The good life

The focus is on easy living – whether in open-plan spaciousness or cosy cottage dimensions. And how ‘easy’ to maintain the natural features of the rooms, as in original brick walls, exposed beams, scrubbed timber floors and original fireplaces and window frames. Retain them, or reclaim them. Be sure to make the most of whatever views or access to the outdoors the room allows. Bringing the outside in adds to the experience of vintage and rustic charm.

For even easier living, the style is wide open to both modern and traditional furniture and accessories. Love it? Then keep it. Did grandma love it? Then you can keep it. Not only is there the joy of treasured memories, there’s also the satisfaction of re-using pieces that once might have been (or have been) discarded, as ‘out of date’. New is good, too. Buy something of quality you know you will love for years, and you are collecting the vintage items of tomorrow. For timeless appeal, look at our range of bone inlay pieces.

Your choice of fabric can change the tone and the temperature of your room. Vintage and rustic style allows for a variety of materials, but natural fibres probably steal the show. Cotton, linen, jute and sisal, wool and silk are perfect. You might also like to add fur, leather and hides (they can be faux, if you prefer). Whether natural or dyed, they create the look and feel to match the mood or suit the season.

The obvious partners for natural fabrics are natural timbers. Consider teak, bamboo, cane and rattan. You’ll find them all featured in ‘tribal’ furniture and décor items. The look is super-chic right now, and the ideal illustration of ‘everything old is new again’. The style allows for the perfect fusion of vintage, rustic and modern in any room of your home. Don’t let that limit you, though. You might experiment with old Moroccan, French provincial, Australian colonial or American country styles.

Think themes

Be guided by your own interests.Vintage is about anything that recalls favourite memories. Did you love the sixties, or the eighties? Are you crazy about music, or cars? Perhaps you can’t live without being surrounded by books, or fossils. Maybe your focus is a country, an art style, or a particular animal. Create a corner, a wall or simply a tabletop collection – one focal point that draws the eye and becomes your personalised stamp of identity.

The theme might be set by one, spectacular treasured item that you decide to spotlight (perhaps literally). It could be a vintage armchair or dresser, a work of art, a family heirloom or framed photograph. And then, subtly, you can add other elements, either to complement it or stand out in direct contrast.

Enjoy the best of both worlds

Contrast is the basis of surprise. Your furniture and accessories can be a perfect match when they are deliberately mismatched. The combination of vintage and modern is always a winner – especially for those who love the eclectic look or just want to put their individual stamp on the room. Using vintage and rustic designs creatively avoids the impression of being simply frozen in the past.

Try placing traditional pillows, throws or cushions on a contemporary leather sofa. What about a beautiful handcrafted Moroccan vintage carpet or a decorative teak mirror as the focal point in an ultra-modern setting? A strong statement from a striking modern artwork can be heard easily in a quietly traditional room. Or let a timeless sculptural masterpiece stand proudly on an angular jazz age table.

Re-use and re-purpose

Apart from its rustic appeal, there’s a special brand of chic associated with the unexpected use of an everyday item. Our rustic timber stools are the perfect example: plant pedestal, storage option, décor piece, side table or... stool? You choose. Use an old, brightly painted garden ladder as a bookshelf or a towel rail. Plant old-world perennials in a rusting dairy pail, use a converted antique sewing machine table as a desk in your work-at-home nook, or an old filing cabinet to store bathroom linens.

If you give vintage and rustic designs a place alongside your modern décor choices, you can keep one foot in the past and one in the present and – surprise, surprise – you’ll still be on very safe ground.