How to Make Your Table Shabby Chic Using Vintage Table Cloths

Affordable, nostalgic and easy to mix with existing styles, shabby chic furniture and linens are often found objects that show signs of use and age in a stylish way. Imagine your girlhood bedroom, all grown up. While oftentimes people might spend a lot of time and money distressing their furniture or buying expensive handpicked items, vintage tablecloths can easily makeover the table you already have, and won't dig into this month's rent. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Take the measurements of the top of your table. Although sometimes it can be hard to find the perfect sized tablecloth when shopping vintage, having an idea of the size of the table beforehand will help you choose the right table cloth. Also make note of the table's shape, such as square or round.

2

Shop for your vintage tablecloths using a variety of sources, and refer to your measurement for the best fit. Shabby chic tones are usually pale, neutral colors like white, cream, pale pink, blue and yellow. Often times they have a pale floral print, textured or embroidered surface, or crocheted edges. Some of your searches can be online on sites such as etsy.com, or on your local craigslist.org. Make sure when looking that there are no major rips, stains or other problems, as there often is when buying vintage fabrics.

3

Test out the tablecloth at home by spreading the fabric over the top of the table. It should hang liberally over the sides of the table without covering more than 5 inches of the sides and legs.

4

Prepare the tablecloth. If there is a stain, soak it with a stain remover and wash it with warm water. (Chances are, it's so old, it might not come out, but you can always cover it with a pretty vase of flowers.) Wash and dry the tablecloth gently either by hand or on a low cycle in the washer and dryer.

5

Iron the dry tablecloth on low heat. Spread it over the table and straighten it to align the edges on each side of the table.

6

Fill a vintage vase three quarters full with water. Make a shabby chic bouquet by trimming the stems of the daisies or wildflowers at a 45-degree angle a few inches taller than the top of your vase, and arrange the flowers by placing them inside the vase. The shabby chic table is complete.