Can Rachel Ashwell's Shabby Chic Survive in Modern Times?

Don't call it a comeback -- Rachel Ashwell's been around for years. Twenty years to be exact, turning out charmingly cozy treasures under the name (and the distinctive aesthetic) she forged -- Shabby Chic. Sure, she's weathered the lean toward more neat, modern designs, the bankruptcy of her company and the shuttering of her flagship store in Santa Monica earlier this year, but the latest revival that Ashwell has embarked on isn't just a redux of the baggy, white-denim, slip-covered home goods she made popular two decades ago. "When I first opened there was a hunger in the market for comfort, but it was very romantic and girly," Ashwell said in a meet-and-greet she hosted at her new New York store a few weeks ago. "Now we are mixing cleaner modern shapes with shabby elements. Simpler lines, but with comfort."

Ashwell is determined to make shabby chic relevant in today's homes where modern design seems to rule. She has to -- She understands more than anyone that shabby chic has to evolve in order to survive.

The fresh approach to shabby chic is sprinkled throughout Ashwell's three couture boutiques, her budget-friendly line for Target and her new book Shabby Chic Interiors. "I love the juxtaposition of old and new," Ashwell says. "The great thing about shabby chic is that it really is timeless and, depending on the fabrics or shapes you choose, it offers enough versatility that it can really mix in well with a modern aesthetic."

Case in point: Ashwell's added more modern lighting to the collection, like a driftwood chandelier, and updated her slipcovers and couch silhouettes.

Check out four ways that Ashwell is making shabby chic modern below.

The square-arm silhouettes of the Simple sofa and the Soho sectional (below) are decidedly modern additions, considering the "mushy," rolled-armed prototype that Ashwell started with. (Although she says that one will always be her "signature sofa").