Shabby and Country Style with a pinch of Chic!

corsi d'arte milano

In recent years it has become increasingly common to hear about shabby chic. But What exactly is shabby chic style? What differentiates shabby chic from country chicA transitional style or an evergreen?

Everyone talks about shabby chic and country styles, associating them with weddings or interior design. These styles can take shape and be created by hand, and I believe knowing shabby chic techniques is a great asset for any setting: being able to create something using humble materials can be a huge asset in our work.

And this is why I created a series of courses in Artistic Techniques in addition to those in pure Floral Art: I have always been convinced that combining multiple art forms is a great resource, which can lead to wonderful discoveries and above all to new and original ideas with surprising results.

The terms Shabby and Country are often associated with the term Chic, however not everyone knows exactly why.

I asked Laura Oldani, set designer and wonderful teacher of Shabby technique in my courses:

“I will try to explain the two trends simply,

it is a combination of two apparently antithetical terms, namely the word SHABBY literally means shabby, worn, aged, frayed, ruined; while CHIC is a word we all know well and, as we well know, means chic, elegant.

SHABBY STYLE in interior design is characterized by furniture, objects, furnishings and accessories that appear old; in fact, the more ruined, worn and deteriorated they are, the better the style is represented.

The SHABBY CHIC style, combined with the world of weddings, currently represents one of the most popular trends for a wedding.

For this reason, Laura and I are preparing a course of artistic techniques that can help all professionals in the events and wedding sector.

Highly popular with brides as well as wedding planners and designers, the SHABBY style is predominantly colored in white, ivory, powder pink, dove gray, light gray, and even pink in all its shades. All the arrangements are curated with these color tones and, above all, with natural materials, such as wood and porcelain.

In the shabby chic style, lanterns, vases, and cages adorned with flowers and butterflies are often used to enhance the setting, which must appear extremely fresh, clean, yet lived-in.

In a shabby chic wedding, attention to detail and refinement are key elements, which, when combined well, create an unforgettable atmosphere.

Lace and embroidery are generally used for details, while the quintessential flower of the style is the rose. Flowers play a key role, never invasive, with their soft pastel colors.

Another style that is very popular in the wedding world is the COUNTRY CHIC, a style very similar to SHABBY CHIC, but with the substantial difference that here natural materials such as wicker baskets, fruit crates, wooden vases, jugs, etc. take center stage…

The colors that characterize this style in the wedding world are cream, ivory, beige and brown combined with pastel colors.

The most suitable flowers for this style are wildflowers combined with more important flowers such as the peony.

For the details, you can use cardboard ribbons, string, jute... in short, all natural and raw materials that recall the countryside atmosphere.

Shabby chic and country chic have become highly sought-after styles among brides in recent years. Both have an irresistible glamour, and for this reason, many wedding professionals create truly spectacular settings for their clients that echo these two styles.

I'd say it's time to learn! If you'd like to learn more about this technique, the next Shabby Chic-themed art workshop with Laura Oldani and I will be very soon. We're planning a day dedicated entirely to Christmas!

To consult the course calendar and find out about upcoming events click here!

Happy creativity everyone!

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