To be utterly utterly bored with vintage shabby chic cath kidston letters on the wall boringness...

[Pantone363]

3 friends at lunch all had Cath Kidston handbags with matching purses. We passed at least 4 shabby chic shops all replete with spotty tablecloths, rose print cases and wooden letters spelling out "home" "love" "wow" (thanks Kirsty).

It's IMPOSSIBLE to find cheap secondhand furniture (because I am poor) because its all been bought by people sanding, throwing on a coat of Farrow and Ball, artfully sanding it down again and flogging a chair for £200.

I've been on TWO vintage glam hen dos this year.

I'm sick of fucking cupcakes on flowery cardboard cake tiers.

Please tell me I'm not BU. it's the new twigs in cases isn't it?

[bettycocker]

Thanks Effie. I have already done the door frames, so not a problem. If only I had known about this Annie Sloan paint sooner! Thanks for the info, I am going to try it out on everything.

[EffieTheDuck]

I painted everything my boring B&Q kitchen doors with it and apart from a bit of rough handling around the knobs it has held up well.
I would not use it on door frames as it is too chalky but you could cover it with a water based varnish. I repainted a Lloyd Loom chair and sealed the paint on with Pledge.

It is good for slapping on to melamine as you don't need primer or sanding.

[bettycocker]

Ahh, thanks MadBusLady. I got all excited for a minute and thought I could slap it straight onto my doors, instead of having to do all the sanding and prep.

[MadBusLady]

Hm, not sure about woodwork. I wouldn't put it on window sashes or doors or anything else that regularly gets friction, I think it would probably chip off a lot more easily than an oil-based paint. And it's a chalky finish so it isn't going to give you the clean, smooth look an eggshell or a gloss gives you - that's part of why it works on old furniture.

[bettycocker]

So I could have been doing my woodwork with it? I'm going to just use Annie Sloan paint from now on, if it saves all the sanding and other stuff.

[Ambridge]

Ooh, Annie Sloan paint (Disclaimer: I bloody hate 'shabby chic' and Cath Kidston gives me The Rage).

But yes. You can paint straight over anything withougt priming.

Sorry for hijacking, Effie!

[PoppyAmex]

Effie I keep reading about the wonders of Annie Sloan's chalk but thought it was too good to be true.

So you didn't prime at all?

[bettycocker]

Effie, Thanks. The table is pretty big. I'll go for a 1 litre pot and see how I get on.

I don't think my home really qualifies for shabby chic, shabby maybe! I hav

I would like a more edgy decor, but I don't trust myself. It could go horribly wrong.

[EffieTheDuck]

Yes, paint straight on to varnished wood. The coverage is excellent. I did 2 kitchen chairs with three coats from a tester pot and had some left over.
Splashed out and bought a big pot of cream to paint a 1950 style kitchen cabinet and I still have 3/4 of a tin left despite painting the hell out of it. I never waxed the cabinet I could not be arsed but it looks brill and wipes with a damp cloth. Yes MadBusLady, if you are not bothered by family scuffs and marks, the old furniture does well.

[printmeanicephoto]

Yes the vintage stuff is all too pretty-pretty for my liking. I prefer decor with a bit of edge and balls.

[bettycocker]

Effie and MyDarlingYoni. Thanks for the tips, I am dithering now about whether to try and paint it with my F&B without sanding first. It's dark wood though, so I'm not sure.

I just checked out the Annie Sloan paint. What is the coverage like?

Can you even paint it straight onto varnished wood?

[MadBusLady]

I think the basic shabby chic idea is still sound - battered things can take family life better. And it is true that an easy shortcut to impact is having everything all one colour, though I like colour too much for that ever to work for me. The contrived bit is where the idea is used to sell stuff at all. I don't need to buy a "shabby chic dresser", I have my gran's dresser.

[Hullygully]

Everything in my bungalow is brown. Mid and dark brown. Everyone comments on how unusual it is.

[EffieTheDuck]

betty - yes you just paint straight on to the wood/metal/glass/plastic and you don't need to sand it. I love it.
Seal it in with the soft wax and it is pretty robust. Will take being wiped with a damp cloth.

[PoppyAmex]

MadBus I thought the same thing, it certainly didn't look "lived-in".

I actually find Rachel Ashwell's shabby chic style (i.e. pretty much all of Next Home's stock at the moment) much more contrived and irritating than Cath Kidson's prints.

[MyDarlingYoni]

I paint straight on with any paint, I need to re touch once a year with a quick dab here and there.

I have pieces that were sanded well down and ones painted straight on, you cannot tell the difference.

LOVE the on line mag, v v interesting how Caths home is remarkably free of her prints...

[MadBusLady]

The feature straight after the Cath Kidston one in that link is on Rachel Ashwell's London flat, and it's very faithful to her shabby chic brand. But then I wonder if it isn't her main home so maybe slightly more of a deliberate showcase than Kidston's home.

[bettycocker]

Effie, do you mean that you can paint it straight on without sanding it first? If you do, I shall use that! I'm not sure about doing a decolletage, as I don't have anything suitable.

I need to sort it quickly, as it is cluttering up the hallway.

[Bertrude]

I have just sent the 'fuck your' website to my mate who is an interior designer. I feel this will be our new Thursday afternoon game, finding our best Fuck Yourses. It used to be finding the best taxidermied animals, after an English Country Manor-style bar he was commissioned to design (we had fun with that one)

[EffieTheDuck]

bettycocker- paint it with annie Sloan paint as you can just paint it straight on. Cover the top with old maps/ pictures/ wrapping paper and varnish in.
Look in charity shops for tablecloths and dye them.

[PoppyAmex]

Funnily enough, Cath Kidson's house isn't that twee.

[SoupDragon]

There's a quote in that article, tagged as "the best advice Cath ever received"

Stick by your own convictions. If you love something, stick by it and don't be afraid.

I agree with this wholeheartedly :)

[Sidonie]

Cath Kidson's house in Lonny (online magazine) August/Sept 2010

[SorrelForbes]

Having look at some images online it appears that I grew up in something very similar to a Span house. my parents haven't decorated since 1973

[bettycocker]

I don't mind eating cupcakes, but what's all the fuss about?

I have a confession. Somebody had offered me an old dining table. I love the shape and the legs, but it has sustained a lot of damage and the top is water damaged.

There is no way I can restore it. I am not prepared for someone else to restore it either.

The only thing I can think of is to paint the fucker and then varnish it with matt varnish.

I have some F&B churlish green paint. Luckily, this is more of a yellow, limey green. Now I'm worried that my dining room will look like a shabby chic shrine. I already painted an old dresser duck egg blue.

As for what to use as a table cloth, I am at a loss. I don't want a polka dot oil cloth, but I do want to keep with my naice vintage theme. I have an old and rather quirky cottage, so I'm going for an old fashioned, rustic look.

Any advice here?