I always try and design product that is flexible in its use. when weather permits, love bringing indoor furniture outside.
Staying true to my aesthetic is something very important to me. To do so I have to gain my inspiration from quietly observing life. I was in London for the announcement of Prince William and Kate Middleton. I was most moved and impressed by their maturity and careful consideration for the role models that they are........inspiration for all on many levels.
Designing furniture and bedding as I have for so many years, it is always important for me to bring in new and fresh ideas, but preserve the core values of beauty, comfort and function. While the world goes whizzing by, and newness comes and goes, I will always protect the world that we all seem to feel safe and comfy in.
Funny how sometimes the simplest things in the world can be the most complicated to develop. These were one of those tricky things. But so worth it.
Another simple special new treasure.
As I mentioned in my last blog, I am going to try and try and try, and take moments here and there, to stop and smell the roses. or gazing out at the ocean too.........
To see these and other treasures, please come into any of our stores or go to www.rachelashwellshabbychiccouture.com
58 comments:
these photos are so lovely. Especially the last one, it just looks so relaxing, that view is to die for. I would probably spend hours gazing out the window and never want to leave. I hope you have a wonderful day :)
After reading your posts, I feel as relaxed and happy as I do after yoga class.
Congratulations on a gorgeous new line!
I'm going to snuggle under my softie blankie from Target now and sleep with sweet dreams.
Bisous,
Sandy @ My Shabby Streamside Studio
http://myshabbystreamsidestudio.blogspot.com/
Here's to all those deep breaths and making them count.
Beautiful photos, so inspiring during these cold, California days, Rachel.
Grasping life here too!
~Tracie/My Petite Maison
wow that view is absolutely amazing! That bean bag is def going to be one of my next Shabby purchases!
Shabby chic is my ultimate face look in decor. Thankks for posting.
lovely photos...
i miss the sun, it doesn't visit us very often during the winter and even sometimes into the spring. But we have green all year when most have more than their share of brown, so it all evens out...sort of.
Rachel I swear you are the epitome of living in grace. Simply beautiful !!!!
What a blessing to wake up to that view! Wow! Incredible.
The large vase of roses is perfect!
I love the chair covers and mismatched chairs.
Thank you for sharing! <3
These photos make me dream. Such a great view , I could happily spend a holiday in this house.
Geneviève
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
As always your photos leave me feeling relaxed and refreshed with new inspiration! I'm glad you are taking time to enjoy those fleeting moments in time that can so easily be missed if we don't capture them on purpose.
Dawn... The Bohemian
Lovely photos and food for thought for inspiration...something I am lacking right now...could be the blizzard outside right now or the winter doldrums. Nothing like the Shabby Chic aesthetic to soothe my aching eyeballs...:))
Madam:
Along with greeting would like to express my deep admiration for the style you develop, I find it great, I have followed your program for a long time, and I do not really exhausted, my house today has changed little by little, this trend you are really special, all very beautiful, a fan from Chile, with love, my page is http://angiedelasmanualidades.blogspot.com/,
blessings
oh how i love this!
What a lovely post! We have been slammed with winter weather here in Central Alabama. I needed to see the California sunshine! I love the embroidered pillow and the new line at Target. I am so happy that things are going well for you, Rachel!
Fabulous
What a wonderful view
Love it all
Thanks for the great eye candy
Pam
Just Amazingly Fabulous, I love it, especially the Bedding.. Love the mulit use pieces. THanks for Such Inspiration as ALWAYS..
Karryann
Gracefully Vintage
I want to dive into one of those beds with a good book and a strong cup of coffee. So welcoming and fluffy.
Rachel, my budget would not meet your "regular" lines but I sure am thankful for your Target line. I looked for pure cotton white sheets for over a year. Tried the Target ones with the ruffle trim. They are perfect. I didn't want satin or sateen. Just cotton.
Thank you for helping keep it simple.
Love your blog, it gives me so much inspiration when Im trying to decorate our 100 year old apartment in Nice- big windows and a big arch- just missing the little extra touch with some shabby chic design so Thank you!
The light at the beach calls to this L.A.-born girl...how I love the photos! I so know that winter light at the SoCal shore.
And, gosh, do I know what you mean about not being able to find Misty Rose at Target. The green pillow went online for a nanosecond and disappeared as out of stock before I could whip out my credit card info. But I got a twin comforter and can't wait for it to arrive. Got the light green floral ottoman, too; now just waiting for its chair to reappear, if ever. When these items apparently first became available, I was out of pocket and, well, when it comes to Simply Shabby Chic, the early bird catches the worm. I have literally run between three Target retail stores in my area trying to find things before they're snatched up. I'm not kidding. I've often wondered if the store clerks don't get first dibs, having seen them reverently finger the fabrics and ooh-ahhh as they stock the shelves...of course, can't blame them! As they open up the cartons, it's no different than being a kid set loose in a candy store (of pink peppermints!!).
An addendum and a confession: I came into the shabby chic world really late, just 7 years ago or so, and the Simply Shabby Chic displays at Target were what stopped me dizzily in my tracks on one particular shopping day. Who was Rachel Ashwell? I wanted to buy everything I saw with that name on it! It was serendipitous; a discovery of something I didn't know I loved because I hadn't stumbled on it yet. Here was a connection, something of which...was something about ME. So, as I've done the backdive into what shabby chic is all about, my home library holds every single one of your books...except the very first book! The original Shabby Chic from 1996, still very much available and timely as a hardcover, and brand-new from Amazon, so I bought it (15 years later!!), received it this past week and, I swear there's no other word for it, I MELT when I see photos of Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic decor. Melt, into a puddle of blissful contentment. There is nothing like the real deal Shabby Chic. It is ESSENTIAL living if a person is in need of comfort, to be soothed, to find relaxation. I feel like a kitty cat, purring, padding softly across a floaty, cushy bed or sofa of beautiful cloth that's also so easy on the eyes. Escape to the softness and the visual feast. I think I have just described what your Shabby Chic is to me, and I thank you for it, Rachel Ashwell! Your concepts and designs and products shield me from what's all too often a glaring and harsh assault of TV, computer screens, images that jerk and shake us or just too much busy-ness in a world of sometimes just too many choices, too much glut and a lack of authenticity. When I see a pulled-together Shabby room, I'm instantly sucked into it like a magnet and it's where I live best, transported to a gentler and more lovely place. Sanctuary. Healing. Where the breathing is easier. Shabby Chic is good medicine, providing lasting relief from a lot that ails us.
Vicki-
Sadly, a lot of the more popular shabby chic items at Target get snatched up quickly by people who list them on ebay to make a buck. That has been going on for years. Wishing you lots of luck though!
So happy to see you relaxing and smiling!
Good way to start off the new year!
just gorgeous. As always, you are an inspiration to me.
Love that view and those gorgeous furniture & bedding pieces. Thank you for years of inspiration! Keep it coming...
- Susan
"Thank You" so very much for Wednesday! Sorry I missed you.
Take care, Sue
Very interesting, thank you for sharing!
Very interesting, thank you for sharing!
This firt picture is so inspiring !!! beautiful blue sky, white furnitures and a rose bouquet ! Perfection, as you said eye candy !
Longtime follower of your blog, Rachel, and wishing you all the best. You have such a definite personal style - I wonder if you might do a post about your wardrobe?
I have a beloved Shabby Chic quilt and matching pillow shams that we got at "Target" a couple years ago. I just wish they carried your accessories too : ) Your post has the best things in life...pink roses, white furniture and blue sky ! And of course - family and friends. Happy 2011 to Ms Shabby Chic - a great designer
Non so se è più bella la luce o il rumore delle onde che comunque si riesce a "sentire"da queste bellissime foto.Bacio Annalisa
What a wonderful view! I love the pink roses and the white furniture.I just purchased the misty rose comforter set and the white simply shabby chic headboard.It is so beautiful together.Thanks for bringing us The simply shabby chic line at Target. Glad to see you are taking time to relax.
I LOVE your blog! Beautifully written and inviting. Thanks for sharing so freely.
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
It is freezing here in south west of France so THANK YOU for sharing such wonderful photos !
Your posts are always full of meaning, the best thing in early morning !!
Rachel I love everything you do. You are the genuine thing in a copycat world.
Isabel, Los Angeles
I have been following your blog since so many months now and everytime I come here I get transformed to a world so beautiful and simple...its so unbelievable!
Keep writing and posting photographs! Thanks a ton! I hope you visit my blog sometime...
Thank you for the lovely summer photos-so beautiful! I am looking forward to all that you do, can't wait for your next book, and the
new bedding too. Love all you do!
Lisa xo
Hello Rachel, I'm a late bloomer!...after spending a few years in your lovely target duvet set, that will never seem to wear out, I'm a sold out believer in your line of goods!...But what I'm needing help in is the perfect shade of gray~blue for my kitchen cabinets. do you have any suggestions?...Thanks and LOVE you lots. With your wonderful books i hope to own soon, I'm going to slowly transform my house into a warm inviting home. Thanks Rachel, for your wonderful Shabby Chic Lifestyle.
Oh goodness, such beautiful photos.
love
Alison
x
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
Keep the faith, my Internet friend.
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
Keep the faith, my Internet friend.
Keep the faith, my Internet friend. You are a first-class writer and deserve to be heard.
hooray, your writings on theater and writing much missed!
This is such a lovely post. Thanks so much for the inspiration!
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