Shabby Chic is a style that focuses on the comfortable, worn, good quality, well-loved, sensible and rather dilapidated elegance of an Italian villa. The air is of good taste, although well worn and old fashioned. To achieve an air of shabby-chic, you'll need to find furniture that is distressed or rustic, simple and comfortable. Almost any piece of wooden furniture will fit into this kitchen if its painted white.

Collect pieces from garage sales, markets and attics, paint in either white or soft pastel colors (pink, mint green or soft aqua) and then sand it off a little to show the wood or other layers of paint beneath and to make it look older. You'll be surprised at how beautiful and quaint it will look! Choose a large table and chairs for eating and preparing food on, a couple of dressers to display your plates, jugs and teapots, some raffia-seated stools, a large range cooker as your focal piece and you'll have the core of your shabby chic kitchen. Use the same colors in fabrics - popular decor items are pillows of vintage linens or lace and cottons worn with age but of good quality, inspired by old French laces and linens.

Bleached and faded is the sort of 'look' that accompanies this style. To add a bit of vintage charm, look for old shelving and vintage open cabinets in place of new cabinets to hold vintage dishes and tea cups. Anything with roses printed on it is popular, and floral chintz curtains or sofas, go really well with large porcelain jugs of fresh flowers on lace tablecloths. For easy complementing of colors, perhaps pick a base color like ivory, and fit others around that. Shabby chic style allows for mismatched color and follows no hard and fast rules. Typically the cottage feel is defined through the use of lighter colors. Soft pastels convey country comfort, but when it comes to color, there are no hard and fast rules. As long as the exterior finish is worn, any colors may be used.

Other accessories in a shabby-chic kitchen would be silver chandeliers or candleholders, copper and pewter items such as candlesticks, cream jugs and gravy boats, that are displayed on open shelving with lots of crockery in whites and pale pastel colors. The decoration and detail is more important than the colors. Soft throw rugs or quilts can give a sense of warmth and comfort.  Wrought iron is a well-loved material that can be picked up at second hand shops quite cheaply.

There are stores that supply already distressed shabby-chic style furniture and accessories, but you'll have more fun collecting your own pieces and painting them the colors you'd like to suit your taste.  Add an old-fashioned wood fire and you'll have recreated your grandmother's kitchen with flair and elegance, and the sophistication of the present.