Shabby Chic is huge this year, which is excellent news for those of us who get a kick out of saving cash. Hunting down stylish bits and bobs for your home is great fun, especially when you get gorgeous things at bargain prices.  There are even plenty of books on the subject - Amazon discount codes can deliver great book discounts. Here’s a short list of Shabby Chic decor ideas to get you going:

  • group a collection of lovely old teapots together on your window sill or kitchen shelves. Attractive mass produced  Art Deco, 1950s / 1960s and Victorian teapots are easy to track down in second hand shops, charity shops and junk emporiums, for just a few pounds each. They also look fabulous as herb plantpots – a handful of pebbles at the bottom takes care of drainage 
  • collect old cotton, linen, lace and embroidered  doilies, tablecloths, bed linen and serviettes from charity shops. The quality is unbeatable - you’d have to spend a fortune somewhere like Harrods or Liberty to find anything near the same quality new. You can even sew them together to make sumptuous, unique cushion covers, curtains and duvet covers
  • instead of buying new matching sets of mugs and crockery, collect a variety of pretty, flowered Victorian porcelain cups, saucers, plates and bowls from charity shops, boot fairs and emporiums. They’re delicate, they’re stunning and they’re the real thing… much more stylish than expensive (and relatively crude) Cath Kidston stuff
  • old, worn, subtle, soft rag rugs and oriental rugs look beautiful on wooden floors and wall to wall carpeting, adding buckets of character to a bland room. And, as long as they’re not actual antiques, you can pick them up for a few quid