these scenes are begging for a period piece about the plague. ha ha ha.

i don't mind this if it's authentic and not lead based, but doing it as a faux finish is just as bad as sponge painting, in my opinion.

This screams "lead abatement" to me.

That's the real shabby chic, not the faux old white paint stuff that we see so much of in imitation.

I think it looks beautiful if it is authentic. And within reason. I stripped the wallpaper off our walls to expose the hundred year plaster which looks basically identical to the second picture. That being said the walls were then washed and sealed with a couple of coats of a matte water based lacquer. Beauty should still be hygienic. You don't want your walls constantly shedding.

No, I find this ridiculous. Bordering on insulting.

Looks like any place you wouldn't moved into until you'd fixed it up & painted it.

The first photo makes me think of The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas...

i think i'd stand at the wall and spend a lot of time picking at the paint.

It's nice for a photograph, but I can't think it would present very well in person. Each of these would look better if freshly painted.

Loved that wall in The King's Speech! In its time and place, of course.

Love, love, love, love, love. Signed, sealed (matte, of course), delivered...I'm yours...er...it's mine?

Love it.

I love the distressed paint on the doors, but as previously mentioned, it does just look unfinished. Artful in photos, but not really suitable for real life!

There is a thin line between "distressed," and "damaged." What scares me the most, is what do the ceilings look like? Will I be showered with paint chips?

I quess there's some romance to it...maybe in very small doses, like a wall. Otherwise, it would drive me crazy.

feels like grunge for the moneyed class. also makes me feel like everything interesting has already happened in these rooms. like most things, it is all context. in a big expensive townhouse, this will feel a bit like a rich hipster with little to prove. cool looking, leisurely, but could easily slip into gray gardens if you don't have a hefty trust fund.

LOVE this look. but i'd be afraid my dog and kids would be eating paint chips...

bordering on insulting? hilarious!

I think distressed wall can work, but you need a sharper juxtapose with some "new". 1 out of 4 walls only, or pristine floors and modern windows. In New Orleans alot of the old and interesting walls are covered with a sealant so you can see the history, but are also able to wash it clean.

I do love it!!! When authentic , or really well done, I´m sure there must be a few good professionals able to do it...Just find one!

I like it when done well. And there's something slightly naughty about a bed that has all that distressing above it, no? ;-)

I think I've lived and worked in enough many old, falling down, aging buildings to last me a lifetime. Give me smooth and clean!

beautiful in small doses + when used with modern elements.

Love it.

For some reason, the distressed walls always remind me of Spain or Italy. Not sure if it's the style or lack of re-painting?

Wonder what they would look like in artificial lighting.

"it puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets the hose again. but it doesn't get any on my luis XIV sofa..."

Nope. Nice for art photography, but not for life.

Crack-House Chic?

No, thanks

I like the paneling, but the walls in these shots are looking a bit too Miss Haversham for me. I would not want to sleep in that bedroom.

Personally, I love things that are distressed and aged, but for me it just doesn't work on walls. Some of those bedrooms look like they belong to a serial killer... just creepy. Keep the distressed look for the furniture please.

I love it. I plan to do this on my walls using the frottage technique: Bottom color in paint. Top color paint + glaze. Lay some crumpled plastic on top. Pat pat pat to make it look like old plaster. When it's done properly it looks great. Not "as bad as sponge painting".

Oooooo... the bedroom with the blue wall is actually kind of a turn on.

there is something really beautiful and special about coming across something aged, worn and weathered but as soon as we start replicating this it takes that specialness away.

hideaway, rotfl!

unless it's in an old european village, just looks like cr*p to me...

if you happened to own a summer home in a place like tuscany or provence or cartegena....and its walls looked like that in one room with expensive but used looking furnishings, it would be awesome. Otherwise, you look like you overextended your mortgage and don't have any money left to fix the fixer-upper.

Hate shabby chic, but the pic you provided is what I love and have always loved. Of course, finding a place that's real like the hotel room in Mr. and Mrs. Smith when they're in Caracas is awesome.