The same view – overlooking the kitchen and the pool. Hammock piled high with Rachel’s fabrics. Does it get any prettier or more feminine? Here’s a before picture of the witchy brown house’s yard – how unappealing can you get?Īnd under Rachel’s hand, the yard turned into a magical place – the turquoise blue water is still one of the prettiest colors I’ve seen in a swimming pool.īEFORE: The brown was painted a soothing a whitish cream color.ĪFTER: There was this tiny whirlpool placed under the stairs. If I lived here, it would take a crowbar and trailer hitch to pull me from it screaming and crying.

I never understood why she moved from it, or how she could move from it. Over the years she has moved again and again and many of her subsequent books tell their own house renovation story – but this one – her second book – remains my favorite. I was fascinated with how she took an old dark and “witchy” brown house in Malibu and transformed it into a light, bright, feminine haven.

It remains one of my favorite home redo books. For me, it was this book above, The Shabby Chic Home, which was published in 2000, that really sealed the deal for me. Her bedding line at Target remains a favorite all these years later. Along with the furniture came wonderful prewashed fabrics, a chain of stores, a handful of books, and a relationship with Target – which really put her in the minds of most Americans. She created her own line of furniture with slips after realizing nothing child and pet friendly existed on the market. I sometimes wonder if we ever would have gotten back into slips if not for Rachel. In case you have never heard of her – she’s the pretty English girl who came to America and reinvented slipcovers. I’ve had a crush on Rachel Ashwell for a long time.

Rachel ashwell kitchen