Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide


Book Description

Describes what to look for at flea markets and garage sales, offers advice for cleaning and repairing purchases, and presents decorating ideas.




The Shabby Chic Home


Book Description

Shabby Chic designer Rachel Ashwell shows readers how to turn any house or apartment into a comfortable, functional, beautiful, and stylish home, in this bestselling guide to getting the most out of flea-market finds and vintage treasures.




Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Interiors


Book Description

Rachel Ashwell created Shabby Chic: a peaceful, practical way of living that embraces a respect for the things in our lives we hold dear and keeps them at the heart of our homes. Romantic florals reclining against pure white linen, ruffles of muslin skirting a bed base against bleached floorboards, the deep comfort of a simple nest of fluffy towels… This is Rachel Ashwell’s signature style that for the past 20 years has been a major influence in our modern lives. Chic Interiors—My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets, an eclectic book of quirky inspiration, falls into chapters according to location, and begins with Rachel’s breathtaking Los Angeles residence. Next, we wander into a photographer’s minimalist mountain-top home in the Hollywood hills before heading to the coast and a beautiful Malibu beach cottage. A truly bohemian hideout in southern California is next on the journey, followed by a peek at celebrity homes, including the house that once belonged to Marilyn Monroe. With rooms combining flea-market finds and objects of pure functionality—an elegant French mirror reflecting a painting, a bejeweled metallic candle holder sitting by a cluster of willow-patterned china, a single faded velvet pillow lounging under the twinkle of a vintage chandelier—this book celebrates all that is wonderfully Shabby Chic.




Shabby Chic


Book Description

Valuable flea market finds... A peeling, antioue vanity in muted sea green... An elegant, cracked chandelier... An enormous, slipcovered sofa with deep, cushions... Comfort, the beauty of imperfections, the allure of time-worn objects, and the appeal of simple practical living: these are the cornerstones of what has come to be known as the Shabby Chic style. Like the cozy familiarity of a well-worn pair of faded jeans, the dilapidated elegance of an Italian viIla, or the worn grandeur of faded velvets and mismatched floral china handed down from your grandmother's attic, the Shabby Chic style is a revived appreciation for what is used, well-loved, and worn. It is a respect for natural evolution and a regard for what is easy and sensible. The hundreds of lavish photographs in this book invite you inside the unique world of Shabby Chic. Rachel Ashwell, founder of theShabby Chic home decor stores, for the first time provides her invaluable and much-sought-after advice on how to re-create Shabby Chic style in your own home. With engaging text and easy-to- follow instructions, Rachel details the Shabby Chic basics in a way that will put even the most apprehensive or novice decorators at ease. From flowers to fabrics to lighting, Rachel illuminates all of the elements essential to this unpretentious yet truly exquisite style. A behind-the-scenes look at a flea market lets readers in on Rachel's personal secrets of how to cull hidden treasures from flea market trash--an old trunk, its paint peeling around the edges, can be given new life as a coffee table, while a chipped white iron salvage piece becomes the perfect frame for a vintage mirror. This book tells you not only how to restore these pieces but how to find the perfect place for them in your home. Gorgeous color photographs and accompanying text reveal how this relaxed look works with a variety of different styles, from Victorian to Mediterranean to contemporary.




Rachel Ashwell The World of Shabby Chic


Book Description

At the heart of Shabby Chic is Rachel Ashwell's unique take on characterful, time-worn, faded elegance underpinned with total comfort and a strong practical streak. In this inspiring book, published to mark twenty-five years of bringing her special brand of beauty, comfort and function to the global marketplace, Rachel shares with us the story of her life journey, the origins of her creativity, the ups and downs of running a business and a glorious abundance of fabulous Shabby Chic looks that range from the glamorously traditional to the pared-down and modern. The essence of Shabby Chic is a timeless, romantic and charming interior filled with beautifully worn and well-loved objects, a consistent palette of pales and pastels with captivating surprises, flowers in abundance and the promise of enveloping comfort. Celebrating the now-iconic Shabby Chicaesthetic, where beautiful objects, consigned to the flea market, are loved to live again, this book takes us to the heart of the enduring appeal of Ashwell's creations. Going beyond home decoration, Shabby Chic has become a lifestyle and worldwide design movement. With more than 250 photographs, The World of Shabby Chic is a lavish, thorough and comprehensive volume arranged in three sections. "The Story of Shabby Chic" relates Rachel¹s journey from a bohemian London childhood via pioneering the washable slipcover to running a global business. "The Heart of Shabby Chic" explores her design values from furniture, fabrics and flowers to palette and patina. "The Looks of Shabby Chic" features a fabulous variety of interiors demonstrating the diversity and evolving visual vocabulary of the well-loved phenomenon that is Shabby Chic.




Rachel Ashwell Couture Prairie


Book Description

Think Marie Antoinette in jeans and a cowboy hat—that is Rachel Ashwell's prairie style. Rachel Ashwell Couture Prairie takes her signature pastels, ruffles, and whimsical prettiness right to the heart of cowboy country. This is a journey in pictures and words, following Rachel through the fields of a little town called Round Top, home to one of the largest, most eclectic and vibrant antiques and flea markets in the world, and then back to Rachel’s bed-and-breakfast in Texas. Here Rachel’s inspired finds, her creative imagination, eye for detail, and her commitment to beauty, comfort, and function have finally come together in one location: The Prairie by Rachel Ashwell—an irresistible destination. This book takes Rachel in a new direction, bringing her eye for cherished patinas and pastel prettiness into the endless landscapes and diverse architectural styles of Texas. Here you will see how her style adapts to corrugated metal sheeting and weathered timbers, and how it brings new life to elegant period mansions. Chapter by chapter, the book leads you through Rachel’s little houses on the prairie, from the Ranger’s Lounge where hearty breakfasts are served, to the Pearl Barn, scene of wedding parties and celebrations, stopping off at the evocatively named guest accommodation: Blue Bonnet Barn, Cornflower Cottage, Meadow Manor, Faith Cottage, and Liliput Lodge.




Shabby Chic


Book Description

Provides an inexpensive approach to casual elegance, showing how to give one's home unique charm--for both everyday and special occasions--through the use of materials acquired in a local antique mall or flea market.




What I Know Now


Book Description

If you could send a letter back through time to your younger self, what would the letter say? In this moving collection, forty-one famous women write letters to the women they once were, filled with advice and insights they wish they had had when they were younger. Today show correspondent Ann Curry writes to herself as a rookie reporter in her first job, telling herself not to change so much to fit in, urging her young self, “It is time to be bold about who you really are.” Country music superstar Lee Ann Womack reflects on the stressed-out year spent recording her first album and encourages her younger self to enjoy the moment, not just the end result. And Maya Angelou, leaving home at seventeen with a newborn baby in her arms, assures herself she will succeed on her own, even if she does return home every now and then. These remarkable women are joined by Madeleine Albright, Queen Noor of Jordan, Cokie Roberts, Naomi Wolf, Eileen Fisher, Jane Kaczmarek, Olympia Dukakis, Macy Gray, and many others. Their letters contain rare glimpses into the personal lives of extraordinary women and powerful wisdom that readers will treasure. Wisdom from What I Know Now “Don’t let anybody raise you. You’ve been raised.” —Maya Angelou “Try more things. Cross more lines.” —Breena Clarke “Learn how to celebrate.” —Olympia Dukakis “You don’t have to be afraid of living alone.” —Eileen Fisher “Please yourself first . . . everything else follows.” —Macy Gray “Don’t be so quick to dismiss another human being.” —Barbara Boxer “Work should not be work.” —Mary Matalin “You can leave the work world—and come back on your own terms.” —Cokie Roberts “Laundry will wait very patiently.” —Nora Roberts “Your hair matters far, far less than you think” —Lisa Scottoline “Speak the truth but ride a fast horse.” —Kitty Kelley




Shabby Chic: Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things


Book Description

Creating beautiful, sumptuous settings for any occasion! Top designer Rachel Ashwell, founder of the Shabby Chic line, is known for her trademark style of transforming drab interiors into warm, inviting spaces. Simply by incorporating a few design elements and a splash of color, Rachel is able to make any environment, whether it's a home or a special event, beautiful and fun. In Shabby Chic: Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things, Rachel proves that her style isn't simply about creating an attractive home but also about creating joyful and pleasant settings for those we love. In this beautiful volume, Rachel applies her distinct eye for style to six very different locations and celebrations, and offers helpful tips on how to host whimsical and unforgettable events. Whether it is casual or formal, big or small, this beautiful book proves that entertaining need not be expensive. From flea markets to local antiques malls, Rachel reveals that the trick to making any event or space something elegant—without breaking the bank—is simply a matter of inspiration, imagination, and the discovery of a fabulous buy. Inside, you'll find practical ideas for any occasion, baby showers to weddings, birthday parties to bar mitzvahs. When it comes to setting a scene, Rachel is an expert and with her easy how-to advice, you can be too. Rachel Ashwell is the creator of the Shabby Chic style. In 1989, she founded the Shabby Chic home furnishing stores and then later, the Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture stores. She is the author of Shabby Chic, Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide, The Shabby Chic Home, and Shabby Chic: The Gift of Giving.




Rachel Ashwell's Painted Stories


Book Description

Rachel Ashwell brings her decorating inspirations together in this enchanting and very personal notebook which is an insight into how she sees, feels, what inspires her and what she loves. Divided into themed sections which focus on fabric, wallpapers, lighting, bed linens, curtains, slipcovers and upholstery, furniture, rugs, objet d’art, and flowers, Shabby Chic Painted Stories is a truly inspirational sketchbook of ideas and is a must for anyone who has an appreciation for beauty. Interwoven with practical thoughts and tips are Rachel’s thoughts about beauty and aesthetics, and poetry that illuminates her thoughts. Illustrated with watercolor illustrations from a variety of artists, including Ben Peck-Whiston, Rachel believes the ambiguity of artwork over photographs gives a more mindful and timeless approach. This allows the reader to more easily layer in their own thoughts and observations and hopefully be inspired to tap into their creativity by pulling together a notebook of their own favorite things which tell their story.