With its white, cream, and pastel colours, shabby chic is a soft and delicate style, much similar to the bohemian style (with an emphasis on the feminine side).

The materials are natural like porcelain, jute, cotton, and linen (an inspiration drawn from the French  style). The colours are natural and the patterns gravitate around roses.

The shabby chic style is considered to be inviting to relaxation, soft, and comfortable.

Shabby chic, as style, is mostly feminine. A masculine shabby chic would be the rustic style with colours that are deeper and richer and materials that are more on the unfinished side as rough wood, sailcloth, denim or burlap.