romantic style that looks comfortable and inviting, and is usually associated as feminine. Masculine shabby chic would be "rustic", with deeper or richer colors, Rustic furniture using unfinished wood, denim, burlap, sailcloth and homespun. Variants of shabby chic style include: Cottage chic Beach cottage chic French country Gustavian (Swedish) History The style started in Great Britain and evokes the type of decoration found in large country houses where there are worn and faded old chintz sofas and curtains, old paintwork and unassuming "good" taste. The result of shabby chic is to achieve an elegant overall effect, as opposed to the sentimentally cute Pop-Victorian. Recycling old furniture and fabrics is an important aspect of the look and was especially popular with modern Bohemians and artisans that made up a sidelined counter-culture movement during the 1980s when expensive quality decor became very fashionable with the upper middle classes. The original shabby chic interiors were usually considered in themselves works of art. The early forms of shabby chic were rather grand but the style has evolved taking inspiration from many forms of decoration. These range from 18th century Swedish painted decoration, the French Chateau as well as the American Shakers where simplicity and plainness was essential. Rachel Ashwell founded a furniture chain called Shabby Chic, and in 1996, published a book around the aesthetic she described as "the aura of old money, cushy comfort, and crafted indifference." An offshoot of shabby chic is a trend towards 'relicing' of guitars and bass guitars to create a 'roadworn' appearance, from mild wear to extreme abuses almost never seen in genuine vintage instruments. Origin of term The phrase was used descriptively through the 20th century for both fashion and décor, and was popularized as an interior decorating style by Min Hogg in The World of Interiors magazine in the 1980s. It became popular in the United States in the 1990s with a certain eclectic surge of decorating styles with paints and effects, notably in metropolitan cultural centers on the West Coast of America, such as Los Angeles and San Francisco, with heavy influences from Mediterranean cultures such as Provence, Tuscany, and Greece. See also Cottagecore Cottage furniture Country bohemian style Dacha Industrial style Rustic modern Primitive decorating References Decorative arts Fashion aesthetics Interior design