Rachel Ashwell's 'Shabby Shack' in Malibu
For Rachel Ashwell, founder of the Shabby Chic empire, a new home on the Malibu coast serves as a reminder that perhaps the tide is turning. In the last two years, she closed 15 stores, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, lost her beloved mum (her muse) and said goodbye to her house in the tony Malibu Colony. But now the maven of comfort style is back, this time living in a rental that she affectionately calls her "Shabby Shack," a symbol of her refocused life and work.
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Rachel Ashwell's home( Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times )
By Barbara Thornburg
In Rachel Ashwell's latest home, a 1960s clapboard house in Malibu's Paradise Cove, her signature Shabby Chic look is in full effect, but she emphasizes that the house is far from perfect. "In the past, I would have replaced everything -- installed hardwood floors and new windows, changed the staircase and railing -- but it's not necessary," she said. "I think the cottage demonstrates how to work with what you have. Even when things are not exactly the way you want, you can make it work." Here she arranges flowers at a table fashioned from reclaimed oak. |
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