From Publishers Weekly
Over the last decade, since opening a home furnishing store in Santa Monica, Calif., Ashwell (Shabby Chic; The Shabby Chic Home; etc.) has built an empire around a decorating style that involves equal parts flea-market salvaging, craft work and mix-and-matching from different ethnic cultures. In this uneven fourth book, she instructs readers on how to create striking settings for entertaining and special events. While there are some useful ideas here for anyone who wants to create a unique party on a budgetâ€"for example, hanging flower-adorned thrift-store hats on the backs of chairs or mixing vintage pieces of glassware with more ordinary tumblers for a funky effectâ€"the usefulness of other do-it-yourself sections, such as a page devoted to instructions on how to make a traditional English maypole, may elude the average reader. Some might also be alienated by the celebrity sheen of other projects, which range from the makeover of a Pasadena, Calif., restaurant for Jennifer Lopez to a birthday party designed for Pamela Anderson's six-year-old son. Although this book is a bit more glitzy and produced than Ashwell's previous works, her old-fashioned yet fashionable style is appealing when she focuses on basic decorating tips. Newcomers to the shabby chic aesthetic might do better to seek out previous volumes in Ashwell's oeuvre, but confirmed fans will probably find something to enjoy in her ideas on how to transform a party space into something unusual and memorable. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Book Description
Rachel Ashwell's trademark design style features a lovely palette of soft, feminine colors, fresh white paint, and a love for the finishing touch that may be slightly imperfect yet is filled with meaning. But her style is about much more than simply decorating an attractive home -- it's an intimate, warm approach to creating thoughtful occasions and comfortable environments for those we love. In Shabby Chic: Sumptuous Settings and Other Lovely Things, Rachel uses six very different celebrations and locations to show how to make a joyful, lovely setting -- whether it is casual or formal, large or small. This beautiful, accessible book proves that entertaining need not be expensive or intimidating; it's simply a matter of inspiration and imagination -- and it all starts with the beautiful things, carefully chosen, that you surround yourself with every day. As Rachel says, "A sumptuous setting is a place of abundance and generosity, the necessary backdrop for any party. This is easy to accomplish when you allow a love of beauty to be the foundation of your daily life." From a baby shower with the playful theme of a tea in an English country village, to a magical bat mitzvah celebrating two lovely young girls who adore the arts, Rachel provides hundreds of sweet ideas and imaginative details that will add sparkle and whimsy to every occasion. And this inspiring book will also help us find the beauty and freshness in our lives every day.


About the Author
Rachel Ashwell was born in England and has spent the past eighteen years in Malibu, California. She created the Shabby Chic style in 1989 and is the founder of the Shabby Chic home furnishing stores and the designer of a line of slipeovered furniture, bedding, and fabric sold worldwide under the Shabby Chic by Rachel Ashwell label. She is the author of the bestselling Shabby Chic and Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting & Decorating Guide, and is the host of E! Style Network's Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic on Style.Amy Neunsinger is a freelance photographer who lives in Los Angeles and New York City. Her work has appeared in numerous magazines and ad campaigns ranging from beauty to travel. She is currently working on a fine art book of flowers.Deborah Greenfield, Rachel Ashwell's sister, was born in London. She studied art at the School of Visual Arts and Parsons School of Design in New York. She is a cho reographer and an award-winning flamenco dancer She lives in Los Angeles, where she divides her time among illustration, acting, and dance.

FROM OUR EDITORS

When British-born Rachel Ashwell launched her Shabby Chic concept in the '80s, she viewed it as a personal imperative, not an aesthetic revolution. "I needed," she confessed, "a versatile home that could handle children and a busy lifestyle." Notwithstanding its humble origins, Shabby Chic is today a worldwide design style phenomenon. This stylish gift book instructs readers on the fine art of constructing a party or special event on a shoestring. Ashwell's budget-minded plans include innovative ideas for decorating rooms, creating themed meals, and even designing menus and place-cards.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly