If you nail the shabby chic look, you’ll create an elegant, warm and all-together cosy space in your home. Gently combining colours, aged fabrics and materials and a warm palette, shabby chic interior design needn’t cost you a fortune. Here’s how you can recreate the look in your home:

1. Embrace Vintage
If you’re going to get this look spot on, you’re going to need to get yourself to a few local car boots and antique fairs. Here you’ll find a vast array of vintage items that’ll really add that nostalgic look and feel to your home. From a tired-looking sofa that can be brought to life with a few cushions and a throw to distressed cabinets that create a focal point on your wall, the possibilities really are endless here – and we’re sure you’ll have plenty of fun rooting around for your buys.

2. Choose the Right Furniture
Finding a piece of vintage furniture can be a little difficult, particularly when you’re looking for sofas or armchairs. At the lower end of the price range, you’ll find upholstery that’s harbouring goodness knows what and looks like it’s been home to a few mice in its time. And at the other end, you’ll find elite pieces that have been preserved by families for years. But if you’re struggling to find this key piece, don’t worry. A lot of companies, like Cox & Cox, for example, boast the vintage-inspired designs but without the need to reupholster or pay a hefty price tag. Mixing these new pieces amongst your car boot purchases will complete the look perfectly. You might also want to have a go at upcycling different pieces. Nothing screams ‘shabby chic’ more than a piece of luggage being used as a coffee table or a French-style chair being used as a bedside table. Get creative with your designs and dig out those DIY tools.

3. Get the Colours Right
At the base of every shabby chic colour scheme is white. Everything you can see is painted white, whether it’s crisp linen white or ivory to antiqued effects where you can see the wood underneath the white. Try to combine as many whites as possible to create a real standout look. Then, layer up this design with different colours and patterns in your cushions and throws. It’s a good idea not to go too bold here as this will lose some of the shabby chic quality, but pastels, florals and blues and greens are great. Keep mixing and matching different styles until you feel you’ve got it right. One of the best things about this choice of design scheme is the fact you can regularly change out the soft furnishings and accessories to create a new look every so often – and without breaking the bank.