Shabby chic and cottage style bedroom decorating have a lot in common. Both rely on texture and aged charm to add interest instead of bold colors or patterns. Both use designs and materials that are vintage or vintage inspired. Many cottage and shabby chic bedrooms are also predominately layers of white on white color. The bedroom pictured here is a wonderful example of shabby chic meets cottage style in a bedroom.
This bedroom’s walls are covered in a classic cottage detail: beadboard. Having paneled, beadboard, wainscoting, or board and batten walls give the room instant architectural detail. Painting these wall treatments white or staining them with a white wash gives them a lightness that natural wood does not have. Paired with white washed or painted wood floors, this type of wall treatment envelopes the room in a light, airy feeling, reminiscent of a beachside cottage.
Keeping the wall and furniture colors very similar creates a monochrome palette in the room. Against this monochrome palette the slightest variation is going to stand out. The buffalo check pillow on the bed is done in a winter white and tan yet pops against the creamy white of the bed and wall.
Varying lines also adds interest in a cottage chic bedroom. The paneling of the walls is echoed in a smaller version on the night stand. The linear quality of the nightstand and paneling is nicely disrupted by the curves of the headboard and carving. Mixing up straight and curved lines is another way to bring interest to a room.
