Shabby Chic

Author:Rachel Ashwell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins

Older knobs and handles with more character can be found at vintage hardware stores such as Liz’s Antique Hardware in Los Angeles. They can also be discovered at some salvage yards, or can be scavenged from other pieces of furniture. (See Resource Guide.)

If the knobs or handles on a vanity are too new or unattractive, or if they are missing, they easily can be replaced with detailed antique porcelain, glass, or crystal fixtures. Ranging in price from about seven to forty dollars per knob at vintage hardware outlets (they may run slightly cheaper at salvage yards or flea markets but are harder to find), antique fixtures are not a bargain. But they are well worth the expenditure, as they add to the quality and interest of a piece. The pieces needn’t match, either. If you keep an underlying theme—all glass knobs of the same size but with different designs etched on them, for example—the effect can be even more charming than a perfectly matched set.

When the top of a dresser is beyond repair, marred by too many scratches or worn out pieces of wood, I might cover it with a piece of vintage lace then top the lace with a sheet of glass (glass costs an average of fifteen to twenty dollars per square foot—slightly more if the glass has beveled edges). I may also conceal the damaged area with a slab of marble, which I often use to rejuvenate the tops of consoles or side tables. I opt for dull rather than shiny, glitzy finishes and for marble that is gray, white, or cream with gray or brown veins, as these colors are more versatile, working well in a variety of surroundings. Marble from a marble and/or glass specialist can run anywhere from about seven to one hundred dollars per square foot, or more, depending on its quality, color, and thickness; the marble dealer I use has more than one hundred different styles to choose from. The edging treatment of the marble can also add to its cost. A three-by-three-foot slab of a basic marble with rounded rather than flat edges costs anywhere from $250 to $325. Where appropriate, I prefer rounded, bull-nosed edges; these cost a little more but create a facade of extra thickness.

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