Rachel Ashwell: Shabby Chic Classic Comfort Never Dissapoints

Photo: Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic

Heavenly Comfort. Beautiful Simplicity. California Casual meets the English Countryside. Rachel Ashwell's shabby chic has gone much farther than collecting antiques and flea market finds. She's shown us a mindset, a way of looking at our worlds in a simple, relaxing, yet elegant way.

What makes Ashwell's method of designing so appealing to me especially, is the fact that as long as you spend some money on the basics; a good sofa, comfy armchair,an ottoman, the rest of the things you need to decorate a house can be acquired on the cheap. As long as you slipcover your finds in unifying colors, you will never go wrong. White is Rachel's canvas for her design, and I believe you can never, ever misstep by having things all white. But there is a danger here, I don't mean the "blah" basic apartment white. There IS a difference. There are MANY shades of white, it has many tones. You can play with these tones in your scheme and make a beautiful space for yourself and your family.

Slipcovers are family and pet friendly. You don't have to worry about spilled drinks from kids, (or party happy sloppy adults either!) when you can simply whip off the cover and throw it in the wash. Pet hair problems are easily remedied this way as well. I find most of my slipcovers on e-bay. There is a wealth of choices online this way and they sell covers from Pottery Barn and Surefit for a fraction of the price.