Shabby Chic by Glynis Costin, Rachel Ashwell (1996, Hardcover)

This was her first and perhaps her best. The subsequent books in my opinion do not match up to the information in the first. The cover on this is truely beautiful and inspiring. I use this one on my coffee table as presentaion. I feel it gives my guests a snapshot of the look I am hoping to create. This edition is worth it's weight for both information and cover design!

While written in 1996, this book will never be old. For those of us who were decorating "Shabby Chic" before it was "in style", this book will always be a treasure trove of inspiration.

I refer back to it again and again, and as dog eared and weathered as my copy is, I still find new ideas I didn't spot before. "Oh, I never thought of applying THAT in this space over here..."

For people who are obsessed with fashion, shabby chic was something in vogue to adopt. For those of us who enjoy cozy cuddly comfort, aged patinas, and a look of timeworn effortless elegance, shabby chic is a mode of self expression that will always be fresh and creative!

This is a great book. I love it. I love reading it and looking through the pages. Even though the book is one of Rachel Ashwell's oldest (if not THE oldest), it still works perfectly for our time. How talented she is. How I love her for teaching us how to see furniture through her eyes and understand items through her mind.

I love this book. Of course I love Shabby Chic but i have all of her books and this is my favorite. The pictures are great and give you great ideas of things to hunt for and ways to arrange and redo furniture. But I just love the look of everything in here and the info is great!

I purchased the book about two weeks ago and found it full of new ideas for decorating my shabby chic rooms. I can't wait to try some of her creations and suggestions.
Thanks, Rachel.

I am redecorating my house and needed some inspiration. I bought the book to get some ideas but it does not have as many ideas as I had hoped.

I love that it has lots of pictures and good info. I wanted the book because that's the style in which I'll be decorating my room and wanted more pictures on this particular style.

Rachel Ashwell is the Gold Standard for Shabby Chic. Simple pieces of good quality brought together to create a beachy, cozy, elegant and inviting vibe. You feel elegant, but not stiff and pretentious. There's so much beauty and character in quality pieces that have aged well.A single flower placed carefully in a chipped old teacup, instead of a huge expensive bouquet in a huge perfect vase.

Wonderful book ! It is a book that rivals one of your favorite magazines (you know, the kind you keep for years cuz you can`t bear to part with it)you refer back to it & always find a new idea .
Absolutely love it !

for the shabby chic lover, decorator, collector, etc. this book is the 1st of rachel ashwell's and a must to have in your collection. she's the creator of the concept of shabby chic. there will always be buyers for this item and at reasonable costs as it retails for $35.00 new of course, but i am willing to own one in good condition use and i paid $12.50 on ebay. hope this helps

It was a good book. If you love the Shabby Chic look and are new to the ways of decorating with this style, this is an excellent book. It gives the basics of Shabby Chic. I did find it to be slightly (and I do mean slightly) outdated after all it is 12 years old. The Shabby Chic style is timeless and much has not changed in the 20 years since the craze began. I find that it is in fact more main stream and harder to find some of the genuine Shabby Chic accessories. I look forward to reading the next book by Rachel Ashwell. I think anyone would enjoy this book. If you like the Shabby Chic look this book gives the basics and is a must read to any new comer. Enjoy!

This book has great photos. I always love to flip through and look at all the pics first and then go back and read the text.

I ordered this book because I so love the Shabby chic decorating style, and thought I'd get some good tips since the show isn't on anymore, and there are so few dvds of the show available. I love the pictures, and there is good information in the book, but it's much more"wordy" than I would have expected or preferred. It's more like an encyclopedia than a pictorial guide.

If you enjoyed Shabby Chic home, I believe you would enjoy this book as well. It provides more in the way of inspiration than how to, but the photos will give you good ideas for decorating and are peaceful and pleasant. I enjoyed the book immensely. Of course if shabby chic is not your style, then the book may not be the one for you.

I was hoping for more shabby chic info. Not about what the authours house was like before and after she painted it. I would not have purchased it if I could have looked first. I did buy another book about the same person and that one was just what I was looking for.

Please don’t get me wrong….. I love this book, I enjoy the photos…..But it is plain to see that this is the kind of book that is written in such a way that you have to buy the next book the author writes to complete the learning experience.

I wanted this book a long time ago so I'm very happy. Buy this book and you will have thousand greaat ideas (easy and not expensive) for all the rooms of your home !

I love the shabby chic look and thought that I would get some ideas(and did). Anything shabby chic catches my attention. Good book for the price.