Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide [Hardcover]

Rachel Ashwell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1998

Shabby Chic — the rich, inviting, practical, timeworn style created by one of America's top designers,

Lavishly illustrated with lovely and informative photographs and drawings, Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting & Decorating Guide shows you how to re-create this popular style. The book features invaluable treasure-hunting advice and tips for essential materials, furniture, objects and decorations, with which you can live a life of simple, but rich, beauty.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

By now most readers even marginally interested in home decorating are familiar with the democratic principles of decorating elaborated in Rachel Ashwell's first book, Shabby Chic: namely, that well-made vintage furniture and home accessories can add a cozy grandeur to your home, even if the paint's a little thin or the fabric a bit faded. In her second book, Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting & Decorating Guide, Ashwell shares her processes, from a stall-by-stall description of a flea market trip to pictures of her design boards scattered with photos, fabric swatches, and paint chips. Ashwell doesn't skimp on details: she tells how to decide on a fair bargaining price at flea markets, how to clean old items without harming them, and (step by step) how one ugly glass-fronted cabinet topped with old linoleum and mismatched shelf paper became an attractive, roomy storage piece that houses her daughter's books, dolls, and bedding. This is a friendly, intimate book in which Ashwell shares pictures of her own home and those of her friends--some of whom live in roomy beach houses and some of whom live in 450-square-foot cottages, and all of whom use the main Shabby Chic concepts of comfort, function, and beauty in deciding which objects to share their space with. Fans of the original Shabby Chic will find this follow-up every bit as useful, attractive, and accessible.

From Booklist

Who is Rachel Ashwell--and why should we care? Not really a Martha Stewart clone, she is the owner and quasioriginator of a line of home furnishings that recalls the aesthetic sensibilities of genteel nobility, the kind of clean but slightly neglected homes and interiors associated with a decline in income. In an intensely personal narrative, she invites readers to flea markets, to examine the old and unusual, and to tour her home (and those of four others), and all photographic wanderings are accompanied by gentle, almost subconscious instructions. An oversize round table, whitewashed and with cutoff legs, becomes a comfortable coffee table in a seaside cottage. Carefully scrubbed and washed, old Christmas mercury ornaments shine like silver in garden settings. Even a stained linen cloth and a pink sari have new lives. Barbara Jacobs

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Regan Books; 1 edition (July 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060392088
• ISBN-13: 978-0060392086
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #35,099 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Expert Advice > Rachel Ashwell
  • #72 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Interior Design > Decorating

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

64 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Lovely pictures, uninspired text, September 6, 1998

By 

Harvest Moon (Grand Prairie, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ashwell's previous book, Shabby Chic; and mistakenly assumed that the followup would be just as packed with interesting ideas and beautiful pictures--WRONG! The Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting & Decorating Guide is absolutely uninspired. The author spends far too much time describing her childhood and trips to flea markets with her mum and carries on longer than necessary about her present day trips to markets. I am not particularly interested in hearing what she had for a snack during her breaks from haggling with the vendors. Also, much space is given to nice but meaningless drawings bordered by text that is so fancy as to be almost illegible. I also found many of her helpful tips and pointers to be mainly common sense for anyone that has ever visited a flea market, auction, antique mall, or yard sale. Furthermore, I felt insulted by the author's almost hauty tone in describing how honed and refined her tastes are. The only redeeming trait this book posesses are the marvelous photos of Ashwell's enchanting flea market finds. Many of the pieces of furniture, fabric swatches, lighting fixtures, and baubles are extremely charming and the photographer did an excellent job of bringing their magic to the reader. If you just look at the pictures and discount the nonsense in between, you will likely enjoy the book.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiration for antique/flea market shoppers., December 10, 2000

By 

Julie Lovisa (Indiana USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide (Hardcover)

While some of the people who have read this book dislike Rachel Ashwell's chatty tone, I find it personal and very informative. I think that she has exquisite taste and is a genius at vintage decorating. This book will help you to ferret out the quality finds at a flea market or antique mall and put them into use by providing tips on what to look for and how to restore them to charming beauty. There are sections on collections, decorations, and vintage clothing, among others, and the book finishes with a look at some finished homes done in impeccable Shabby Chic style. The pictures are beautiful, the text is as if a friend were talking to you, and the whole package is entertaining and inspirational.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rachel has an eye for Design & Beauty!, December 22, 2000

By 

thecastlebookroom "thecastlebookroom" (Bakersfield, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide (Hardcover)

I thouroughly enjoyed this book. I deal in thousands of books and this book is one of the few that is staying on my shelf as a reference. Rachel thouroughly captures the art of design, and sees beauty in the simple but unique items that we run across in our everyday lives. I feel she helps people to see that decorating can be fun, whether were rich or poor. It is not a book of rules but creativity! Thanks Rachel! Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to your future books!