Photography: Caz Machin / Styling: Lisa Hilton
The interior world’s current obsession with floral bedding and ruffled furnishings is feeling eerily familiar. There’s just something about all of these delicately printed quilts and flowery wallpapered bedrooms that feels very, dare we say it, shabby chic.
All of a sudden, Rachel Ashwell, the founder of the iconic Shabby Chic brand and original aesthetic, is back on the trend radar, with new collaborations with both British retailer Next, and Chicago home furnishings brand, Cloth and Company. While Loveshack Fancy, a very shabby chic-coded clothing and lifestyle store, has just released a new line of ruffled, floral bedding with Pottery Barn.
Whether the sight of white, chalk-painted wood is enough to trigger some sort of shabby chic era-induced PTSD, or you happen to still hold a soft spot for the trend, shabby chic is officially back.
What is shabby chic?
Shabby chic was one of the most popular interiors trends of the nineties and early 2000s. The term was coined by Rachel Ashwell, whose brand of the same name also largely defined the aesthetic.
At that time, shabby chic was all about vintage-inspired, lived-in interiors. French provincial style was by far the biggest style influence with shabby chic furniture often having a salvaged and distressed appearance, and the softer furnishings featuring white linen and delicate floral prints. These more lived-in items were contrasted with ornate, hyper-feminine features, like chandeliers and frilly lampshades.
Some of the era’s most iconic shabby chic homes included Meg Ryan’s townhouse in You’ve Got Mail and of course, Pamela Anderson’s real life shabby chic home, which was featured on an episode of MTV Cribs.
The new shabby chic
It might have been years since the 90s design trend held us all in a distressed furniture chokehold but shabby chic has been quietly making its return under the guise of ‘new’ TikTok-approved trends like cottagecore and the coquette aesthetic. Gen Z, who were too young to appreciate the trend at its peak, now seem to be the ones swept up in the new wave of shabby chic ardour, with a slew of TikTok videos and Pinterest boards presenting shabby chic as an aspirational lifestyle.
While delicate floral prints, vintage furniture and a mainly white-and-pastel colour palette are still being heralded as core components of the trend, the latest iteration more closely follows New York City clothing and lifestyle brand, Loveshack Fancy. With climbing roses, French provincial furniture and lines of pretty printed dresses and homewares, the brand is like a bigger, sparklier version of Rachel Ashwell’s original Shabby Chic store.
Even those not subscribing to the all-encompassing shabby chic lifestyle will find its most defining elements permeating down into the mainstream trend cycle. For example, Matilda Djerf, the Gen Z it-girl who has amassed a cult-like following for her cool-girl style, sells a line of printed bedding, robes and pyjamas that would not look out of place in a Rachel Ashwell catalogue.
While on the runway, Chloé’s Summer 2025 line of floaty nightgown-like dresses has been credited with bringing boho back into style. You can easily draw parallels between those vintage-inspired bohemian gowns and the embroidered lace fabrics that have always been part of the shabby chic aesthetic, with both emulating the same dreamy, hyper-feminine spirit that’s currently dominating our fashion and furnishings.
Even Kendall Jenner, one of the Kardashian sisters, has chosen to bring the shabby chic aesthetic into her new home, sharing her new white and green floral couch and a very pretty printed wardrobe in an Instagram story in April.
No longer a dated decorating trend, shabby chic is officially back on our radars.
Shop the best shabby chic pieces for 2025
While the new shabby chic still embraces floral prints and ruffled pillowcases, there’s less distressed furniture and white wood. With darker timbers coming back into style, you can easily bring shabby chic to your soft furnishings and bedding, without turning your home into a shabby chic shrine. Alternatively, if you love the distressed furniture look, balance these pieces out with more contemporary fabrics and soft furnishings.
01
Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell Pink Rosabelle Petite Ruffle
$127 – $208, Next
As part of the Rachel Ashwell X Next collaboration, this sweet floral bedset is the perfect way to bring shabby chic back into your bedroom in 2025.
Key features:
- 200 thread count
- 100% cotton percale
- Duvet and pillow case
02
LoveShackFancy Blue Rose Pillowcase
$89.00 to $99.00, Pottery Barn
If you don’t want to go full shabby chic then these pillow cases are a subtle way to add an element of shabby chic to your space. Simply pop them on with your classic white linen sheets for a stylish look.
Key features:
- Made of 100% cotton
- Envelope closure
- Loveshack Fancy X Pottery Barn collaboration
03
Body cos case
$17.49 (usually $24.99), Cotton On
These sweet quilted makeup cases are all over shabby chic TikTok and Pinterest. They’re perfect for travelling with your makeup but also could be the perfect gift for your younger, shabby chic obsessed loved one.
Key features:
- Quilted detailing
- Multiple colourways
- Zip closure
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