What is shabby chic furniture?
The main characteristic of shabby chic furniture is that it looks slightly old and well-used. This style of furniture is often homely looking, whilst still looking clean and stylish.
Where did shabby chic furniture originate from?
Perhaps the most common style of shabby chic furniture is French style shabby chic, which uses a lot of distressed cream or white furniture in a country living style. This style is widely thought to have been created during the 18th century, during a time known as the Baroque period.
However, the term ‘shabby chic’ didn’t start making it into fashion and interior design magazines in the UK until the early eighties.
Techniques to shabby chic restaurant tables and chairs
Done well, any of the following furniture and decoration techniques can be classed as shabby chic:
- A mixture of white and exposed wood
- Distressed wood
- Pretty floral patterns
- Ornate designs in furniture and accessories such as lighting and mirrors
- Pastel colours or multi coloured, mismatched furniture
Buy shabby chic restaurant tables and chairs
To achieve a shabby chic look in your restaurant, a good place to start is with the restaurant tables and chairs.
Shabby chic chairs
Something like this Chiavari Stacking Chair is a great example of white, distressed wood. This sort of style is often used at weddings, as it’s quite romantic looking as well as tastefully worn.
For a simpler style of shabby chic seating which is ideal for a DIY shabby chic project is this Washington Side Chair. Try distressing the wood yourself using steel wool or sand paper across the edges and corners.
Shabby chic tables
Almost any wooden table can be made to look shabby chic if you paint it white and distress the wood afterwards. What also works really well is to have a mixture of white wood and exposed wood, like this Shabby Chic Farmhouse Table. In true Baroque style, all it needs to looks as though it could have come straight out of a French farm house is some bread and cheese!
Where to buy shabby chic restaurant furniture
Trent Furniture has a huge range of affordable restaurant furniture, which includes chairs, tables, stools, sofas and outdoor furniture for restaurants. View our restaurant furniture pages to see our huge range of products.