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Happily Shabby
In a quest to avoid 'sameness,' Shabby Chic scours flea markets to stock its stores
Oct 10, 2007 Shopping Centers Today
As her only child's departure for college loomed and her husband sold the family's expansive home in favor of a more modest dwelling to help defray the cost of tuition, San Clemente, Calif., native Mary Frauenthal responded the way many women do when forced to cope with major changes. "I picked up a few of Rachel Ashwell's books," said Frauenthal. "And I went shopping for comfortable furniture." That was six years ago. Today Frauenthal's home is filled with calming yellow, denim and white pieces, including vintage metal birdcages, chandeliers with light-pink prisms and what she describes as "big floppy couches you can really sink into." So pleased is she with her new lifestyle that she leaves visitors in no doubt as to which retailer provided it: A sign that reads "Shabby Chic Cottage" hangs adjacent to her front door, describing the home's decorative motif to all who enter.