She really is fabulous... I don't think there are many icons of the home furnishings industry, that have made the mark that Ms. Rachel Ashwell has made in the last fifty years. Oh, maybe Martha Stewart, but I can't think of any others.
My relationship with Rachel goes way back to the late 80's, when I had my store Montana Country in Santa Monica. We used to run into one and other at the flea markets and antiques fairs, we shared some dealers and clients as well.
Even back then, you knew that this amazing woman would be famous some day. She exuded style, creativity and grace. She had a way of making everything she touched, turn to magic, even if it was beat up old side table or tattered vintage quilt.
This was the beginning of Shabby Chic and a home fashion trend that would soon transcend the traditional boundries of design, make the old new again and change the way people would decorate their homes for an entire generation.
Rachel Ashwell Biography
For more than 15 years, the name Rachel Ashwell has been synonymous with Shabby Chic©. The Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic®brand, based on the aesthetics of beauty, comfort and function, marries great design with casual ease.
Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic launched in 1989 with a line of slip-covered furniture, bedding and fabrics sold at her flagship store in Santa Monica, Calif. The collection has since expanded to home furnishings stores nationwide.
In 2004, Ashwell and Target partnered to develop the Simply Shabby Chic™ line of decorative items exclusively for Target, bringing Ashwell's blend of English elegance and California casual to fans of relaxed and stylish living nationwide. Target guests quickly embraced the collection and its philosophy.
Over the last four years, Ashwell has extended her collection to include vintage-inspired furniture and decorative accessories, three new bedding collections, expanded her assortment of stationery products, and launched the first ever Simply Shabby Chic pet collection.
An accomplished designer and businesswoman, Ashwell also is the author of the best-selling books Shabby Chic, Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Treasure Hunting and Decorating Guide, The Shabby Chic Home,Shabby Chic: The Gift of Giving and Shabby Chic Sumptuous Settingsand Other Lovely Things. She has been featured in top national home and lifestyle publications and hosted the former Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic® television show on the Style Network.
Ashwell was born in England but has spent the past 20 years in Southern California. A former movie set designer and stylist, she was inspired by her two children to develop the Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic brand when she realized she needed a home that was as practical as it was beautiful. She currently lives in Brentwood, Calif. with her two children Lily and Jake.
In this ever changing world we live in today, Rachel has now reinvented herself yet again. After creating a wholesale bedding empire and launching a chain of retail stores across the country, she reaches another milestone in her amazing career... Shabby Chic has closed it's doors, for now.
Yes, that is what it states on the official Shabby Chic website. That the Shabby Chic line of licensed products are available only at Target stores. This may be a sign of the time and the crazy economy, but I really don't think we need to worry about one Rachel Ashwell. No, this beautiful and talented woman will be just fine.
In fact, Rachel is just getting ready to launch her latest book, Shabby Chic Interiors, published by the British publishing house CICO Books.
Rachel has chosen only seven locations to conduct book signings and would you believe it? Blue Springs Home is one such location. Yes, Rachel Ashwell, designer, home fashionista and design trendsetter of the ages, will be right here at our store on October 24th from 2-4 p.m.
Come and meet Rachel herself on this historic day for Blue Springs Home and Orange County. We will have all of her books, new and old, available for purchase and for her to sign.
We could not be more thrilled and privelaged to have her here and hope that all of you can make it...
