shabby chic

/ˈʃæbi ˈʃik/

noun

A form of interior design where furnishings are either chosen for their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear or where new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.

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Meanings

nounshabby chic (uncountable)
  1. alsoattributiveuncountableA form of interior design where furnishings are either chosen for their appearance of age and signs of wear and tear or where new items are distressed to achieve the appearance of an antique.

    Are they shabby chic or just shabby? Are there places for people to sit and chat, to read, watch the sun set, or enjoy the views?

    2007, Entrepreneur Press, Start Your Own Bed and Breakfast: Your Step-By-Step Guide to Success, Entrepreneur Press, →ISBN, page 54
    4 more examples

    To be sure, she wasn't stylish--one would hardly look for that at Madame's--nor was there anything about her costume that suggested even the shabby chic.

    1901, John Albert Sleicher (editor), Frank Leslie (contributor), Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper - Volume 92, page 139

    Some furniture is described as shabby chic. I am just shabby. A person would not be concerned about spilling wine on me, much less my rug.

    2009, Charles A. Shoemake, Apotheosis of My Butterfly, Xlibris Corporation, →ISBN, page 162

    Can the rumpled elegance and mismatched opulence of shabby chic find happiness with cutting edge digital tools and techniques? We say yes, it can — even though shabby chic is perhaps the most difficult style to do well digitally because […]

    2011, Jeanne Wines-Reed, Joan Wines, Digital Scrapbooking For Dummies, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 72

    Pros: quirky character; beautiful setting. Cons: sometimes shabby rather than shabby chic; not much to do in vicinity; minimum stay required.

    2012, Fodor's, Fodor's England 2013: with the Best of Wales, Fodor's Travel
  2. uncountableA similar form of fashion in which clothing is made to appear aged or damaged.

Origin

First use appears c. 1901 in Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. See cite below.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

shabby chic. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shabby%20chic

MLA

“shabby chic.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shabby%20chic. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “shabby chic,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/shabby%20chic.

Source: shabby chic on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.