New Rachel Ashwell Book!!!!!

THIS is the kind of thing I get excited about! Rachel Ashwell has a new book coming out September 1st: Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic Interiors – My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets. Rachel Ashwell is a self-made businesswoman who founded the iconic brand known as Shabby Chic in 1989 when, as a single mother of two young children, she looked to open a small shop where she could sell “pretty things” without spending much time or distance from her children. Rachel opened her first store on trendy Montana Avenue in Santa Monica, California and now has a brand that is known worldwide.

For those of you who are not familiar (!), Shabby Chic is a laid-back take on traditional decorating. Rachel Ashwell’s signature style is known for its faded color palette, generous doses of white and creams, heavy use fabrics such as cotton, linen, and muslin, feminine details such as ruffles, and loosely-slipcovered sofas and chairs. Now, I don’t go “all in” for her design style, but she has had a major influence on my design choices over the last 2 decades. She really brought together a new look and philosophy about decorating that is amazing. Her previous books are beautiful and inspirational – I’ve read them all dozens of times.

Her new book, Shabby Chic Interiors–My Rooms, Treasures, and Trinkets, is said to be an eclectic book of quirky decorating inspiration. It falls into chapters according to location, beginning with Rachel’s breathtaking Los Angeles residence and continuing with a photographer’s minimalist mountain-top home in the Hollywood hills, a beautiful Malibu beach cottage, a bohemian hideout in southern California, and a peek at a number of celebrity homes. With rooms combining flea-market finds and objects of pure functionality–an elegant French mirror reflecting a painting, a bejeweled metallic candle holder sitting by a cluster of willow-patterned china, a single faded velvet pillow lounging under the twinkle of a vintage chandelier–this book celebrates all that is wonderfully Shabby Chic.

Here’s the good news! If you click on the Amazon link here, you can pre-order Rachel Ashwell’s Shabby Chic Interiors for 34% off the list price. I’ve already heavily suggested to my husband that he would be wise to order it for my birthday :).

Rachel Ashwell also has a few DVDs on Amazon that I have not seen, but am very interested in. Apparently, Rachel had a short-lived series on the Style channel. It appears that while the production values were lacking, the content is very good. I am officially putting the Festive Details and Entertaining DVD on my Christmas wishlist!