Abbey Road Shabby: Very, Very Shabby Indeed

Let's begin with Very Shabby indeed. The euphemism is Distressed, and there is great beauty in decay done to perfection, which is why Venice is the world's most beautiful city. It takes a great deal of courage and skill to know when leaving something is more right than fixing it up. Most shabby ethos dictates that everything should have a worn, loved and old feel, and sometimes that's one or two items carefully selected to enhance a room. More a contrast when the device is used in an ultra sleek contemporary setting. But here, if you will, we'll start at the core and work backwards, to genteel distress from the genesis of outright, wonderful, masterful decay. Londoners, having such historical jewels at their fingertips, are eminently qualified, and rich in treasures.

The chandeliers just make it, do they not?

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Faded glory, courageously untouched and just as beautiful for it.

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Somehow it seems wildly decadent to revel in such precise decay, but even though it may have been judged to have seen better days, without originally having rich opulence it wouldn't speak of the ghost of it quite so eloquently.

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If not for the statement of historical wealth this room would seem spartan. The importance of the pieces lend themselves to the idea of past grandeur. You can't do this with IKEA. Just sayin.

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What a treasure finding these kinds of period details must be. Utterly beautiful.

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The principle is the reverse of ego - not showing off. Or showing off that you have such elegance and grandeur that you're laisse-faire about it. The diametrical opposite of Nouveau Riche.

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I really love how peeling back the layers of a house reveal what came before and honor the former life of dearly departed decor from centuries past. Here you can see the ghost of wallpaper.