Shabby Chic Furniture

Shabby chic furniture is usually, but not always, painted wooden furniture.

Paint Colours for Shabby Chic Furniture

Here are several suggested paint palettes perfect for painting Shabby Chic furniture.

Pastels

Best suited to furniture with curves and ornamentation. These pieces are most often painted white or cream. The effect is somehow French and hints at furniture which has seen better days.
Sometimes they can be pale pink, pale minty green and a soft light blue. This is usually a very feminine look and is often combined with cottage, floral or vintage print fabrics. It works well in most interiors.

Beach House Colours

A variation on the the pastels palette. This usually takes a very definite blue and white theme as its main colours with accents of navy blue and splashes of red. The theme can also be enhanced with the use of stripes and seaside accessories. Fabrics soften the look but try to avoid most floral prints. This scheme works best in rooms with lots of natural light.
In north facing rooms this can end up looking rather cold.

Gothic Colours

There's a strand of Shabby Chic furniture that tend towards the Gothic. It can be great fun and can warm up a rather cold room. Go for black glossy furniture paint and team it with touches of silver, chrome, or gold. Accent colours should be rich purples, reds and greens. For fabrics and accessories think tassels, brocades, velvets, deep bands of lace.

Prim or New England Shabby Chic Furniture

Sometimes described as a Americana palette. Here we take our inspiration from American Dutch (Deutch) folk art. Best used on plain pieces without curves and elaborate carving. This is a restrained palette of sage green, deep carmine reds, maybe a duck egg blue or a faded blue/green. These can be combined with touches of darker shades of deep green, dark blues and reds. This look works well with rag rugs, quilts in faded washed out colours and fabrics such as soft blanket flannels and ticking.

Vintage Palettes for Shabby Chic furniture

Here we move on a wider range of palettes and a wider definition of Shabby Chic furniture. These, usually 20th century, pieces are often best not painted at all unless you are aiming for a particular vintage look, say a 50s dinner for example. Shabby chic furniture from the 50s and 60s is often best left in its natural wooden finish. What you are looking for here are either the design classics, antiques of the future or examples of high kitch (like tiki drinks cabinets).
Exceptions are 1940s utility stuff. It looks pretty grim with its austere dark wood finish. This is something that can often be improved with a coat of paint and no one is going to accuse you of destroying a potentially valuable collectors piece.
Draw your colour inspirations for your vintage rooms from old magazines and books. Scour libraries or charity (thrift) shops for period lifestyle books. Inspiration can strike in unlikely places, even old films on TV!
These are just a few suggestions for Shabby Chic furniture