Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic

I was so sad to hear the news today (yes, I'm always late with news) about Rachel Ashwell, Shabby Chic filing for Chapter 11. Rachel Ashwell & her story & her company have been an inspiration for me from Day 1 when I first started thinking about opening Pure Style LLC.

They're in the process of restructuring now & I just hope they make it through okay. Rachel's creativity is amazing & I have a feeling something even bigger & better will come out of all of this. So, I just wanted to share with you a few of my favorite photos from the Shabby Chic website.

I think when we typically think of "shabby chic," we imagine ruffles & skirts & flowers & feminine furniture, but as you can see from the pics on this post, that's not all the company & the aesthetic is about.

A lot of her pieces have a cool modern edge like the coffee table below:

And hmazing is this little pendant (below)?!

Check out this gorgeous tufted leather sofa: And how beautiful would this little pendant be in the corner of a room?:

I love how these simple, farmhouse lines take on a modern edge when paired with this clean-lined white sofa: (This is really perfection to me because of the lines, colors & natural feel of the raw table.)

This shelf (below)looks like an authentic rustic shelf that someone's grandfather could have built out of scraps of wood. Adding a piece like this to a room provides instant character & age.

This giant pendant light (below) has such a beautiful finish. I would love it over a desk floating in the middle of a room.

She offers such a variety of styles (compare the refined pic below with the simple one below it) and even just one of her items in a room add timelessness.

This one makes me think "beach" & reminds me of a piece I found at a thrift store, repainted & used as my outdoor potting station. And that's what's so great about Shabby Chic- you get inspired by the pieces they carry & they get your creative juices flowing. Rachel's whole company was founded on her love of flea market finds & it's easy to get excited about your own future projects by seeing what she has to offer.

I LOVE the lines on this bed (below). I used to have am English Caribbean mahogany 4 poster & loved it at the time, but over the years, my tastes have gotten simpler. It's in storage right now & if I could have an bed I wanted right now, I would probably have something very similar to this bed in a raw wood or mahogany... or an uphostered linen headboard... it depends on the room ;)

And, below, I just wanted to show this photo again. I really love this room. The paneled ceiling, the chandelier, the white upholstery, the amount of white in general, the raw wood table and the little modern ottoman/stool = beautiful. I love all the french doors & how airy & open the space is.

Anyway, if you get a chance you can head over to the Shabby Chic blog where Rachel is giving updates & I know that she appreciates everyone's support. She's an amazing person & I'm hoping her creativity & ingenuity will pull her through this & I have a feeling something even bigger is in store for her. She's been such an inspiration & I just want her to know that she's touched a lot of people.

xoxo,

lauren