French Country Decor Style - Get the Look

Credit: Luke White, House Beautiful (www.housebeautiful.com)

One of my favourite looks, the Country Style is one that takes me back to summer holidays spent with relatives in rural France.

A look that I have always gravitated towards, this is one where I feel ‘at home’ and comfortable.

A blend of elegance with rustic living, this style combines refined antique furniture with soft colours and patterns to create a lived-in but elegant home.

Distinctly different to the Farmhouse look (see my upcoming blog), the French Country Style is softer and more feminine, featuring more delicate finishes and genteel edges when compared to the cleaner, more streamlined Farmhouse look.

Interested in a touch of French Country in your home? Then read on!

Tip 1: Use a soft, muted colour palette

This is a style that embraces muted pastels, creams and whites, applied to both furnishings and fabrics as well as wallpaper.

Muted pinks, blues and yellows are frequently seen in homes that have adopted the French Country style. Soft, and reminisient of nature, they bring the outdoors in without overwhelming the room.

Feminine in nature, they also create a sense of movement and light to any room lucky enough to be decked out in a pastel palette.

Source: Interiorology

Tip 2: Patterns and Texture

Gingham and stripes are very common patterns when it comes to creating a French Country look in your home.

Show me a photo of an outdoor dining table in France that doesn’t have a gingham table cloth! Similarly, you would be hard pressed to visit an authentic rural country home in France and not find beautiful subtle stripes adorning various surfaces, from walls, to bedheads and even cabinetry-inlays.

The key here is to try and mix up your use of patterns. The space should look as though you tastefully threw together a somewhat random collection of patterns, whilst keeping to the overall colour and design characteristics of this style. No matchy-matchy! Instead, focus on casual layering.

The idea is to create an overall look that is warm, embracing and lived-in. And don’t forget texture - from metallic frames and vases, to glass bottles and pottery - make your home come alive.

Source: Hearst Magazines UK/House Beautiful. 25 Examples of French Country Decor - French Country Interior Design (housebeautiful.com)

Tip 3: Embrace Toile and Passementerie

Speaking of patterns, I loved toile long before I ever knew what it was called.

Like most French homes, it was easily found in the homes of my family and I loved to just stare at the imagery and imagine the stories behind each design.

So what is Toile I hear you ask?

Originally a fabric created in France in the 18th century, it is used to describe two-toned illustrations, usually of pastoral scenes. These scenes include imagery of farm life, travel and hunting. They are detailed and delicate - and utterly mesmerizing.

Toile is typically applied to fabrics as well as wallpaper and immediately transports you to the French countryside.

French Country decor also loves passementerie. And what is that? Passementerie is the term used to describe the world of trimmings such as cord, fringes, borders, tassels and tiebacks, appliqués and rosettes – all staples of French country style. As with patterns in general, the idea is to tastefully distribute passementerie throughout your home, rather than overwhelm the space excessively.

Source: Ebay.ca

Tip 4: Ornate Furniture

Furniture in a French country home is both ornate and timeless, featuring delicately carved chairs, gilded mirrors and refined chandeliers.

Creating a romantic sensibility, furniture in this style is intended to last. Look for items at vintage shops or flea markets. Indeed antiques and aged, weathered items are key to this look.

Furniture is typically made from timber, particularly salvaged timber and either kept in its natural state or whitewashed.

You don’t have to fill the home entirely with vintage items - instead focus on introducing a few key items to stand alongside more modern and contemporary pieces you might have.

For example, a beautifully ornate occasional chair or sofa, coupled with a simple oak dining table and white linen can go a long way to create the sense of the French countryside in your home. Similarly, a whitewashed, delicate bedhead, coupled with white bedlinen and a vase full of lavender and flowers from the garden will have you dreaming that you are in France in no time.

Tip 5: Timber and other natural surfaces

French country homes make use of the natural elements, including timber, slate and rock.

As a result, it is very common to find furniture made from timber, either in its natural state or whitewashed and floors using slater or timber as well. Wherever possible, look to use recycled items to add that vintage touch to your home.

Walls featuring rockwork are also a common site in the French countryside, either within the home or outside of it. Once again, try to find aged rocks that don’t look as though they were just delivered from the quarry.

Source: Tria Giovan

Tip 6: Decorate with flowers and herbs

This one is probably very obvious. Just think back to any picture of a French country kitchen that you have ever seen in a magazine or online and you will agree that there are almost always beautiful bunches of fresh flowers or herbs on display, arranged simply in an old glass bottle or metal container.

Not only does decorating with flowers and herbs look great, but it smells delightful and is a lovely way to make use of what is currently growing in your kitchen garden.

If you enjoyed this blog post, then make sure to follow me on my socials and don’t hesitate to contact me if you want to chat.