Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Interiors by Rachel Ashwell

From the Publisher

This Fall marks the twentieth anniversary of the creation of Rachel Ashwell's iconic brand, Shabby Chic, and CICO Books is delighted to publish Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Interiors, the designer's first book in five years. After the personal and professional ups and downs of a career spanning two decades, Rachel finds herself entering a new chapter in her life and getting back to her roots and her earliest inspirations.

An exploration of the beauty of imperfection, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Interiors truly epitomizes the Shabby Chic philosophy that has always been close to her heart. A deeply personal exploration not only of her growth as a designer but also as a person, Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Interiors conveys-through images and a thoughtful narrative-how her own life has impacted her designs. Brimming with photographs of the gently worn furnishings, comfy slip-covered couches, and vintage decorative elements that have long been the Shabby Chic trademark, this glorious volume also ventures into new territory for Rachel and for Shabby Chic as it reveals the evolution of her work.

From her stint in New York where loft-style living inspired her to open up the ground floor of her Malibu beach cottage to her fond memories of her own parents which gave her an appreciation for the beauty of well-loved objects, this book explores the influences on Rachel's style through an intimate and informative text accompanied by hundreds of photographs.

While white and delicate pastels continue to play an important role in her welcoming interiors, Rachel describes how her signature palette is now enriched with gold, purples, deep faded colors, and dark wood-an excitingdeparture from her earlier work. The rooms showcased in this book demonstrate her passion for the original paintwork and patina of spaces and objects, which beautifully complement her lifelong love for white in all its forms and textures.

Readers are taken on a tour of her "Home for all Reasons" where she shares with us the meaningful items she has collected, her affection for a cozy nook, and her abiding love of elegant, timeworn pieces that, because they allow us to create inviting, personal interiors of our own, have earned Rachel such a large and loyal following. Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Interiors also takes us into the tranquil almost chapel-like Hollywood home once lived in by Marilyn Monroe, the longtime New York City apartment of Betsey Johnson, and the homes of several of her own friends, all of which share the Shabby Chic aesthetic. While these homes are as diverse as the personalities of those who have lived in them, they share the qualities that epitomize Shabby Chic: serenity, comfort, and a lived-in look that is created by a harmonious, never restrictive blend of lovely and idiosyncratic decorative elements.

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