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?

[MoominmammasHandbag]

Shabby chic is just so fakey fakey contrived try hard cluttery nonsense. And all this mid century malarkey...why would I want a house that looks like someone's Nan's?

[WafflyVersatile]

I didn't bother my arse to redecorate my flat for over ten years even though I was coveting all the chandelier glammy boutique hotel stuff from years back so I just went for it anyway in the bedroom even though it was all about the bunting by that time. And there are 'hints' of mid century going on in the living room. There would be more but I kind of abandoned the job half way through. (bedroom tired me out)

I'm so behind the curve.

On the other hand when I get round to reredecorating my bedroom in another 10 years I'll be able to pick up loads of cheap recycled upcycled shabby chic polka dot cupcake bunting.

[WafflyVersatile]

Whatever, it's all better than minimalist laminate flooring, cream/white walls, blinds instead of curtains, keep it bland or no one will buy it decor!!!!!!

[pollywollydoodle]

we have had FART in the toilet and SNORE in the bedroom for longer than i care to remember

[uncongenial]

"I really needed a coff table and found one at a car boot but it had paint/varnish peeling off it. I sanded and painted it and decoupaged old maps on to the top under the glass."
Very shabby chic!

I don't like it, but I prefer it to those feature wall, brown leather sofa, wooden and laminate floor rooms.

Bunting is too try-hard at being jolly. And I hate, yes hate, cupcakes.

[JulieCarp]

If I remember correctly it was Laura Ashley who started it.
There was a time when you could work out when your friends last decorated by the matching wallpaper,curtains,accessories etc.
The trouble was it dated very quickly and so the whole room got completely redone in a new style.

[MrsJamin]

Have just moved house had of our two new home presents they are both shabby chic :( I love mid century style, am getting a bit obsessed with it, but it suits this house as it is of that era anyway. No cath kidston, orla kiely or Emma Bridgwater allowed! Don't want to be a yummy mummy cliche.

[TheRealFellatio]

YANBU

[Gingerodgers]

I am on the other side of the world. This style is all over people's beach houses, not because it is or was stylish, just because the old junk from your grans house ends up there. Original vintage, often orange and brown, as opposed to muted pastels, and I have to confess, I rather like it. It seems completely odd to me tho, that people buy new stuff that looks old.

[ToysRLuv]

I'm seriously considering CLUTTER or MESS for the living room.

[Bonsoir]

Any kind of slogan or word as decoration in the home is totally naff and should be removed immediately.

Cath Kidston prints should be reserved for the utility room, and even then only in moderation.

[Meringue33]

Our local has a new menu, it's basically the same as the old menu except they have written "vintage" next to everything. They are advertising "vintage pies" which sounds a bit off putting somehow.

[Bonsoir]

"vintage" is the new "traditional" or "home-made"

[ToysRLuv]

Meringue: That's awful!

[ToysRLuv]

POOR, LETHARGIC or STRESS for bedroom.

[SorrelForbes]

Devora. Have you been to The Imperial War museums and walked through the 1940s house? It's brilliant. Just like visiting my Great Aunt Annie's!

[PoppyAmex]

Just worried about Scandi Retro and Industrial Vintage - love both styles and started seeing them a lot more.

[50shadesofbrown]

Vintage pies - Yuck!

HOME - put above your bed. HO above your DP & ME above yourself. Or the other way round if you prefer.
BOAK in the living room. Or MESS.
SHIT in the bathroom. Or FART, CRAP.

I used to like the vintage flowery stuff, not now as it's everywhere & way overpriced. Like a uniform for the house.

I do like cupcakes though. Have done for years, far longer than they have been fashionable. I want to know, why would anyone put filling in a cupcake? It just makes them sickly & vile.

[CambridgeBlue]

Vintage pies sound gross!

We were in a garden centre that sells those wooden letters the other day and some naughty person had rearranged the display to spell out slightly rude words - made me snigger and wish I'd thought of it!

I quite like a bit of shabby chic/CK in moderation - it's when a house is top to bottom in it that it looks wrong - some flowery tea towels and pretty storage jars brighten up my kitchen so I don't care if they're a bit twee. I can't bear Keep Calm crap or Union Jacks though, totally 2 years ago and horrible even then.

I've just read Cath Kidston's book as I work in a similar industry. It's a bit dull and badly written (the Orla Kiely book is much better) but it's interesting to read about how she started the trend for vintage stuff when everyone else was doing 80s brash and also for putting patterns on everyday objects which I don't think had been done that much before.

[ScarletLady02]

I'm not a fan of Cath Kidston stuff at all, or Kirsty "I wasn't born, I was knitted" Allsop. However I know someone who does "upcycling" (I hate that term too) and she is absolutely amazing. Her stuff is actually really unique and she's VERY talented, so it's not all bad.

On the subject of cheap non-upcycled furniture, there's two massive charity shops in Colchester that sell cheap furniture, so it is out there. I got a dining table and chairs for £35 and a chest of drawers (good ol' pine) for about £30. Does Emmaus exist nationally? I'm not sure if it's a local charity or not.

[ToysRLuv]

My house is quite (genuine) scandi retro, but as a Scandinavian I'm allowed.

[Purplecatti]

Kath kidston my arse. I can't stand knitted kirsty either.
Cupcakes???? Noooooooo they are FAIRY CAKES and should be saved for school fêtes, along with bunting.
It makes me furious. My home was vintage in that I would scour junk shops for shabby gems and ram my house with them, now its everywhere and no effort needed.
I'm going for victoriana now. All red velvet and china dogs

[MrsHelsBels74]

This thread sums up why I love MN

[ToysRLuv]

Fairy cakes are revolting. All sickly icing, virtually no cake. The cake equivalent of creme eggs

[EffieTheDuck]

It ruined my day to see knitted cupcakes. Wtf is the point of that?

I wanted to punch them.