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Shabby Chic: Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things [Hardcover]

Rachel Ashwell
4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)

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Book Description

November 23, 2004

Rachel Ashwell uses her signature style to make any event a special occasion.

This beautiful, accessible book proves that entertaining need not be expensive. Making every day into an elegant extravaganza is a matter of inspiration and imagination, and shopping is a great way to get inspired. Travel with her to unique locations like a Chinese grocery store, local antique mall, a flower market, or a flea market to search for the perfect accents that will give your event unexpected charm without breaking the bank. Use the treasures you find to jazz up average items – sometimes it's as easy as adding a little paint, ribbons, or flowers. Decorate the chairs, create a themed meal, or custom design menus and place cards. When it comes to setting a scene, Rachel is an expert and with her easy how–to advice, you can be too. She has practical ideas for any occasion – baby showers to weddings, birthday parties to bar mitzvahs, even old–fashioned family dinners.


Frequently Bought Together

Shabby Chic: Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things + Shabby Chic Interiors: My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets + Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Inspirations
Price for all three: $79.18

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Over the last decade, since opening a home furnishing store in Santa Monica, Calif., Ashwell (Shabby Chic; The Shabby Chic Home; etc.) has built an empire around a decorating style that involves equal parts flea-market salvaging, craft work and mix-and-matching from different ethnic cultures. In this uneven fourth book, she instructs readers on how to create striking settings for entertaining and special events. While there are some useful ideas here for anyone who wants to create a unique party on a budgetâ€"for example, hanging flower-adorned thrift-store hats on the backs of chairs or mixing vintage pieces of glassware with more ordinary tumblers for a funky effectâ€"the usefulness of other do-it-yourself sections, such as a page devoted to instructions on how to make a traditional English maypole, may elude the average reader. Some might also be alienated by the celebrity sheen of other projects, which range from the makeover of a Pasadena, Calif., restaurant for Jennifer Lopez to a birthday party designed for Pamela Anderson's six-year-old son. Although this book is a bit more glitzy and produced than Ashwell's previous works, her old-fashioned yet fashionable style is appealing when she focuses on basic decorating tips. Newcomers to the shabby chic aesthetic might do better to seek out previous volumes in Ashwell's oeuvre, but confirmed fans will probably find something to enjoy in her ideas on how to transform a party space into something unusual and memorable.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

..".Rachel Ashwell [is] the founder of the Shabby Chic home-decor empire and the queen of secondhand stylishness...."Mary Daniels, Chicago Tribune"When she merged English country style with L.A. ease, Rachel Ashwell didn't realize she was unleashing a phenomenon."Hamish Bowles, "Vogue Style"If Martha Stewart's operation in New York has cornered the market on proper home decorating and style advice, Rachel Ashwell of Malibu is setting herself up as a funky West Coast counterpoint.... It's for those people who want a nice house, but who want to put not just their coffee cup, but also their feet, on the coffee table.... Ashwell has a penchance for breaking traditional design rules. Shabby chic favors slipcovered sofas, peeling paint and rusting patio furniture, a laid-back decorating style that works well in houses full of fabric and furniture from boomers' childhoods."Barbara De Witt, "Los Angeles Daily News"Shabby Chic [is] a down-home yet genteel style of decorating that blends European refinement with American practicality.... Rachel Ashwell describes her style in her beautifully-photographed, idea-filled new book, "Shabby Chic."Karen Tina Harrison, "New York Post"Decorator Rachel Ashwell's book is an instruction manual for decorating like a star, without a celebrity's budget. Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting & Decorating Guide is... filled with glossy pictures, how-to diagrams and tips for decorating and refinishing...."Rebecca Harris, "Westside Weekly"Judy Griffin, interior design chairwoman with the American College for the Applied Arts in Los Angeles, said the shabby chic look caught on quickly for two reasons: It appeals to people's yearning for the safety ofchildhood, and it provides an inexpensive way to redecorate.""Los Angeles Daily News"Little did Rachel Ashwell know in 1989 when she opened a small furniture shop named Shabby Chic on exclusive Montana Avenue that her "look..". would ignite one of the strongest furniture trends of the '90s."Helaine Olen, "Los Angeles Times"Let the foremeost authority on Shabby Chic aid in your attainment of that popular and practical style. "Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide leads you on a tour of flea markets, antique malls, and yard sales, describes how to discern trash from treasure, and even gives hints on restoration.... The best-selling "Shabby Chic more or less defined the style that in recent years has become widely imitated.... A terrific resource.""Palm Springs Life"You can... get the same laid-back style that celebrities like Madonna and Laura San Giacomo adore by following the advice of... guru Rachel Ashwell. "Shabby Chic: Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide... will help elevate your look to star status.""Seventeen""Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic" is a treasure-hunter's dream guide...."Africa Ragland, "Palm Beach Post"Exquisitely photographed and richly detailed, this is the essential, step-by-step guide to finding the treasures of a lifetime....""Bay News

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 208 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Design; 1St Edition edition (November 23, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 006052393X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0060523930
  • Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 0.8 x 10 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #337,531 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Rachel Ashwell founded the iconic brand known as Shabby Chic in 1989, opening Shabby Chic furniture and home décor stores, as well as Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture stores. Her vision and love of vintage style and flea-market finds have struck a chord with customers, who have found her comfortable, relaxed approach to design both reassuring and achievable. She has educated and inspired people through a series of books, including Shabby Chic, Shabby Chic Home, Shabby Chic: The Gift of Giving, Shabby Chic: Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things, and Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide, as well as through her television series, Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic On Style, which was shown on E! and the Style Network.

Customer Reviews

I will have to buy more copies for my friends!! Shabby Sista  |  5 reviewers made a similar statement
A book to devour over and over with a lovely cup of tea ! Juda  |  4 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars A little disappointing... January 12, 2005
Format:Hardcover
Firstly, let me say how much I love Rachel Ashwell's previous Shabby Chic books...she is so talented and a real inspiration for people like me who love the casual, beach, Caribbean, French and English styles all mixed up to create the fabulous Shabby Chic.

However, this book was slightly disappointing. I honestly think Ms. Ashwell should stick to books about her amazing decorating, and treasure hunting guides. I, like so many others was trying to get a glimpse into Pamela Anderson's house, as I hear she has a very shabby chic residence, and that would have been a nice touch for the book.

We the fans read these books to glean ideas and to be creative with them, and I am not too sure if I would use some of these ideas in the "sumptuous settings" version. They are okay, but I think Ms. Ashwell's strengths lie in her Decorating and putting together of homes and restaraunts. The pictures of Madres, Jennifer Lopez' restaurant are lovely - what a great job was done there.

Please hurry and do your next book Ms. Ashwell, but please, please keep the theme along the lines of the first three books!! We love them!
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars She almost got it right... December 22, 2004
By Austen
Format:Hardcover
I am glad Rachel has done a book about entertaining. As is her special talent, she showcases great new ideas for vintage items. However, I would love to see her do a book about entertaining in general and not for celebrities. I would give this book more stars if so many pages had not been devoted to Jennifer Lopez's restaurant - and I couldn't figure out why J-Lo had a tight budget. (I'm also wondering how the 'accidents' that happen in restaurants are going to keep those vintage china pieces in tact.) Next time I'm hoping for birthday parties for women, men, boys and girls. I would love to see Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day, Thanksgiving, or just theme parties for no reason. The photography, as usual, is gorgeous.
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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful picture book. August 27, 2005
Format:Hardcover
I was in great anticipation of this book because I found her previous ones (with the exception of the Gift Giving one which I have not read) to be beautiful, inspiring and filled with great, new to me, information. I wasn't expecting another book like the first ones and had I, I think I would have been disappointed. What I was expecting, however, was just another beautiful book filled with wonderful images to give my brain a creative spark. And it did just that.

It's not really a how to, it doesn't lay things out easily, and it's not really for home ideas and living. But it is beautiful, thoughtful, unique and true to Shabby Chic. So if you're in the need of some more inspiration and love her books, this would be a great match. If you're looking to learn more about shabby chic for home and how to do all that, her other books are much, much better.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect book for those seeking Shabby Chic settings.....
Very pleased with the content and pictures in this publication. This selection will be used as a reference and added to my collection of Shabby Chic books by Ms. Ashwell.
Published 12 months ago by Sue Yaker
5.0 out of 5 stars very inspiring
The book is one of my favorites from Rachel Ashwell. It is not so much as a "how-to" book as it is a design inspiration book. Read more
Published on July 20, 2010 by misscolette
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Girly
I love the pretty, feminine things featured in this book. The pastels and gorgeous textures are so eye-catching.
Published on November 9, 2009 by BlueDiamond66
5.0 out of 5 stars Magic and Absolutely Must-Have Book
This Book, I would say this dream world, is a must-have for any person who loves true design, home or garden decor, flea-markets finds and/or who has children (or even just one... Read more
Published on July 17, 2008 by Yael Bolender
5.0 out of 5 stars Shabby Chic Settings and Lovely Things
The ideas and photos are just superb! Rachel is a romantic Goddes with all that soft and lovely collors and treasures! Very inspiring!
Published on November 17, 2007 by M. Telles
5.0 out of 5 stars Shabby Chic Gorgeous
As usual Rachels books never fail to delight the eye with the sumptuous photography, attention to detail and her style of putting together the simplest objects to create visual... Read more
Published on June 14, 2007 by Juda
4.0 out of 5 stars Shift in Focus to Parties, Away from Home Decorating
Maybe "Elegant Shabby Chic" would have been a better name for the book. The photos are gorgeous. The events the author created are lavish affairs for Hollywood socialites. Read more
Published on February 14, 2006 by Virginia Allain
5.0 out of 5 stars best cottage style reference
If you like the casual comfortable look of overstuffed slip covered furniture, this is the best reference you could buy.
Published on August 9, 2005 by bera
5.0 out of 5 stars Looking for Femininity
This is a great book! With having only sons and a husband, I am a minority in my household. I am constantly surrounded by comic book hero toys and other action figures. Read more
Published on July 6, 2005 by M. Vickers
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice book but where is the DVD?
Hello like alot of people we love Shabby and we love Rachel's style. I did like her first 2 books better. More shabby decorated rooms is what I need. Read more
Published on June 9, 2005 by Joanna Donahoe
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