French country home pictures

French country homes & interiors

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Houses

All our most idyllic French country houses in one place, from cottage retreats to grand châteaux

26 February 2021

Ever since the 17th and 18th centuries, when France led the way in all things fashionable including interior design, the French have displayed an enviable degree of domestic chic,' writes Ros Byam Shaw in the introduction to her book Perfect French Country: Inspirational Interiors from Rural France. 'When it comes to creating rooms that are both relaxed and elegant, French country house style is hard to beat. Fortunately, it is not impossible to emulate or borrow from, even if your own slice of paradise is on a different continent. ' We couldn't agree more, and fortunately we are well-supplied with beautiful French country interiors from the House & Garden archive. Scroll down for our favourites, from simple, comfortable farmhouses to magnificent châteaux.

Paul Massey
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Over the past 20 years, British Vogue’s well-travelled former fashion director Lucinda Chambers has filled her house near Toulouse with an eclectic mix of colourful flea-market finds.
The simple stone exterior of the 19th-century cottage offers a contrast to its eclectic and colourful interior. The surrounding trees and shrubs provide welcome shade.
Paul Massey
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In the sitting room, Indian kantha textiles were used to cover an Ikea sofa, which sits alongside a striped rug from a Swedish garage sale. Lucinda created the ottoman by attaching a block covered in dip-dyed linen to vintage legs sourced on Ebay. The starburst mirror is from Maisons du Monde.
Gavin Kingcome
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When Imogen Taylor, principal decorator of Colefax and Fowler, was due to retire after a long and glorious career in interior design, she took on a personal project – transforming a house for herself in a picturesque Burgundy village.
Imogen limewashed the walls in a soft apricot colour. The oak vendange table is surrounded by nineteenth-century English chairs with cushions in a Colefax and Fowler fabric. Another check by Pierre Frey was used for the curtains. The plates on the wall were a gift from a friend.
Gavin Kingcome
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A discontinued Colefax wallpaper provides the backdrop for the desk that was a present from the firm on her retirement – John Fowler sat at it for 20 years, Imogen for 30. A trellis needlepoint rug made in Lisbon picks up the green of a velvet-covered chair.

Paul Massey
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Looking for a retreat from their busy London life, the textiles dealer Susan Deliss and her husband Max fell for this house in rural Burgundy, and have renovated it in keeping with its surroundings, thoughtfully choosing art, colours and interesting patterns that bring it to life. The house backs onto the Serein river.
Paul Massey
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In the dining room of her house, Susan has used a hand-block-printed tablecloth from Genoa to reflect the colours of the original encaustic wall tiles. An arrangement of antique lithographs by Sir William Nicholson hangs on either side of the window.
Paul Massey
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A painting by the owners grandfather and an eighteenth-century French panel hang over the chimneypiece in the living room.
Romain Ricard
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At Pierre Frey’s house in rural Normandy, the laid-back decoration combines inherited antiques and flea-market finds with quintessentially French fabrics and wallpapers from his family’s company.

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Romain Ricard
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A Twenties vineyard workers’ table is teamed with antique wooden chairs with hand-painted canvas seats. An antique armchair covered in Le Manach’s ‘Pommes de Pin’ cotton provides additional pattern next to the antique pine armoire.
Greg Funnell
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This is the exterior of the house of food writer Mimi Thorisson. A lot goes on in her nineteenth-century home in the Médoc, which she shares with her photographer husband Oddur, seven children and nine dogs. Mimi explains: 'We managed to keep as much as we possibly could during the restoration - including the fitted cupboards, floors and chimneypieces - because we wanted to preserve the character of the place'.
Greg Funnell
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The inside of Mimi's house, including this dining area, is often featured in her blog, Manger, and the television programme La Table de Mimi, shown on French channel Canal+.
Simon Upton
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Having inherited this house in the South of France, Anne-Marie Midy of Casamidy has skilfully updated it, while retaining the charming feel she and her brother remembered from their childhood. The path in the garden winds around the curved façade of the house and outdoor meals are eaten in the shade of bougainvillea, at a table her father created by placing a sheet of glass on top of an old stone well.

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Simon Upton
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Decoratively, Anne-Marie's touch was perhaps even lighter. As much as possible, she tried to match the wall colours to those that her grandmother had used, keeping the bedrooms the same subtle colours, but in some adding 'ribbons' of colour to outline the architecture and 'dress the room'.
Tim Beddow
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Far from the glamour of the Côte d'Azur lies a very different southern France. Here, east of Toulouse, the landscape is dotted with working farms, forests provide refuge for wild boar and deer, pretty bastides sit on hilltops, and markets populated by local producers and growers abound. Not far from the village of Vieux, Las Fenials was, until the mid-nineteenth century, a collection of several buildings with parts dating back to the twelfth or thirteenth century.
Tim Beddow
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By the time Anne Halsey bought it, Las Fenials had settled into the form of a large main house comprised of a few connected farm buildings and a handful of secondary structures. While the structure and the size of the rooms were good, the layout was not quite right. She had the house remodelled to bring the outside in, so in a corner of the sitting room, the door leads out to the rear courtyard. As one of many local touches, the antique zoological prints lined up above the sofa were found nearby.
Tim Beddow
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After visiting her friend Kathryn Ireland in France's Tarn region, Anne Halsey bought a farmhouse 'Las Fenials', and enlisted the help of the decorator to create a relaxed retreat perfect for entertaining. Hints of pink add a soft touch in a bedroom, in which 'Toile' by Kathryn M Ireland was used for the curtains, headboard and footboard; to one side is a free-standing bath.
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Paul Massey
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The Scottish-born Amelie, Duchesse de Magenta, is at the helm of the Château de Sully in Burgundy, one of the largest chateaux in the region. Its moat, countless bedrooms and wonderful state rooms, stunning courtyards and vast and varied outbuildings makes it a treasure of the area.
Paul Massey
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Although its origins date back to the Roman era, the Chateau de Sully grew into its current magnificence during the sixteenth century in the hands of the Saulx Tavannes family. The entrance hall is a stunning introduction to the house with its grand stone and wrought iron staircase and carved stone details.
Paul Massey
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The English owners of this picture-perfect beach house, Villa Isabelle, on Cap Ferret, near Bordeaux, had been holidaying on the peninsula for 10 years or so, casting the odd casual glance in the estate agent's window, but little more. Out of the blue, they got a call to say this house was for sale and they went the very next weekend, saw it on Saturday and signed for it on Sunday.
'It was in an unspeakable state; it was as if it had been camped in rather than lived in, with only one bathroom and bare wires hanging down the walls,' says one of the owners. It was also rotten. 'You could stick your fingers through the walls in some places, and every window had to be replaced. ' But it was a house that everyone knew. Old pictures of it, when it was in its prime, had appeared in books on the Cap, and it was in the perfect position, its garden leading directly on to the owners' favourite beach.
Paul Massey
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The house had been badly messed about but the couple found a local architect and builder, Guy Allemand, who could help them restore it to something closer to its former self, while also bringing it up to date for modern, beachside living.
Guy started by removing the clumsy-looking terrace that had been added to the upper level, replacing it with something closer to that shown in old photographs, and incorporated part of the lower terrace into the house to create the sitting room. He also repainted the outside of the house in a summery palette.
London-based architect and designer Jonathan Tuckey was then enlisted to add the final touches. This veranda was designed to be the main dining space of the house. 'This was an ideal spot because it leads from the kitchen and has a wonderful view,' he says. Below reclaimed pendant lights from Retrouvius, the 4.3-metre-long table is set before a built-in bench.
'Because the table is so long we wanted to avoid the clutter - both visually and physically - of having 12 chairs, which would have left little space. The owners wanted to make sure they could seat large numbers of people, and a bench allows guests to squash up to add extra places.'

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Paul Massey
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The owners wanted a more open feel to the living spaces. 'Our feeling was that you should be able to see the whole space right through from one side of the house to the other - the house needed the drama of a big space.'
Now, you enter into a large hall-like area with views, via double doors, to the sea. 'It is always difficult, when planning houses, for clients to accept rooms that are doing nothing, but generous nothingness is exactly what holidays are about,' Jonathan says, and this luxury of space certainly has wow factor and a feeling of airy relaxation.
A sofa, virtually the only piece of furniture, is dramatically strung from the ceiling on thick chandler's rope - an idea of Jonathan's, 'to make it seem like a daybed that rocks in the breeze'.
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In the home of Françoise Piccino, owner of La cabane de Jeanne, Francoise's bedroom was once the smokehouse and retains its original fireplace, which was used for smoking hams. Francoise has made a canopy for her bed with antique hemp and linen sheets that have been dyed a soft terracotta. Her bedspread is in the same fabric. Opposite the foot of the bed a table holds a collection of treasured antiques, including a metal-studded, 18th-century leather travelling trunk.
Tristan Shu
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Whoever chanced upon this hillside in the eighteenth-century was something of visionary - recognising that the vast panorama of the Massif des Maures, where Domaine de la Baume sits, was worth its weight in gold. Even now, two hundred years on, the view of wooded hills and valleys rolling to a misty blue horizon remains unfettered. Even the exquisite village of Tourtour, perched on its hilltop two kilometres away, is out of sight.
Tristan Shu
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The garden at Domaine de la Baume in Provence is encircled by an estate of garden, woodland, and olive grove. The wilderness that had recently enveloped the rose garden and the lily ponds has been tamed once more and the house itself restored. The gentle apricot-coloured façade with its dusty blue shutters, the plane trees and chestnut trees is reached through a gravel terrace surrrounded by the box hedges and white roses.

TopicsHouses

25 Examples of French Country Decor

John Bessler

If you feel like there's a certain je ne sais quoi about French country decor, allow us to break it down for you. This style is all about natural materials, muted colors, toile fabrics, extravagant lighting, touches of gold, tapestries, and more—all with a rustic touch. We gathered 25 stylish examples of French country style, from modern interpretations and eclectic visions to classic renditions. Read through to get to know the characteristics of this style and get inspired to incorporate French country decor in every room in your house.

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Cubism On Display

James Merrell

In the dining room of this Cape Cod estate, designer Kathryn M. Ireland chose a sea-grass rug to cover the floor and reupholstered the owners' Gustavian chairs to keep a traditional touch. And then there's that fun Cubist moment in the corner.

Layered Linens

Hearst Magazines UK

With layers of laidback linens in a variety of hues, this bedroom exudes warmth and timeless taste. The tall upholstered headboard brings in some bright, playful tones while sticking to the distressed character of French country design.

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French Doors

Romanek Design Studio

Interior French doors are a bucket list item as far as chateau-inspired decor goes. In this grand living room by Romanek Design Studio, the pared-back design set against the backdrop of a classic, ornate architectural canvas represents a modern take on classic French country decorating.

Grand Lighting

Thomas Loof

The gorgeous, large-scale antique lighting in this foyer really sets the tone for the rest of the home. The exposed beams, stone tile floors, and understated console table introduce that French country rustic look.

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Channel Marie Antoinette

John Bessler

Channel Marie Antoinette with cheerful pastels, layered prints, curvy lines, and fun details, like a fringed awning. Here, John Loecke and Jason Oliver Nixon painted a jaunty mint green and white diamond pattern to disguise the damaged parquet floors. "That was more than seven years ago, and the paint has held up—proof that painted floors are practical and full of pizzazz," they say, adding, "dining chairs move around so much easier on a wood surface than on carpet. "

Vintage Scores

Douglas Friedman

In the dining room of this Manhattan duplex, designed by Garrow Kedigian, is a circa-1900 mahogany table that's surrounded by antique chairs that were purchased at a Paris flea market and re-covered in a Schumacher velvet.

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Slim Profiles

Corey Damne Jenkins

Another common characteristic in French Country design is furniture with slim profiles. Read: Ditch your bulkier items. Looking for a way to put a more modern spin on it? Designer Corey Damen Jenkins mixes colorful abstract art and modern photography with more classic elements, like the antique desk and accessories while the lucite chair provides some contemporary flair.

Copper Cookware

PHOTO: Alexandra Ribar: DESIGN: Leanne Ford Interiors

White painted bricks and stone tile floors set the country chic scene in this kitchen. And with that wrought-iron hardware and hanging copper cookware, we can almost smell the French food from here.

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Robust Gallery Walls

Laura Resen

A full gallery wall complete with antique gilt frames and classic portraits is a great way to introduce dimension in the living room. And of course, a Louise XV-style settee is always a good touch.

Exposed Beams

Annie Schlechter

Exposed ceiling beams, distressed wood floors, colorful textiles, and antique paintings and trays on display create a truly charming dining nook.

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Modern Twists

Studio Razavi

Studio Razavi gave this historic home in Lyon, France, some modern updates while still honoring the integrity of the space. The floating shelves and bright emerald green accents and blond flooring anchor the living room in the modern era while the raw materials of the mantel and exposed beams stay true to its history.

And Trusses!

William Abranowicz

Designer Daryll Carter added wood beams and trusses to this 1980s living room for a storied French country feel.

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Natural Materials

Laura Ressen

To mimic the rustic look of French country decor in a more modern way, opt for a jute rug in the living room. Then upholster a classic Louis XVI-style seat in a fun, contemporary fabric and adorn your walls with abstract art.

Antique Decor

Annie Schlechter

Though this sink area boasts a decidedly modern aesthetic, there are many French country-inspired details throughout the space. For example, the antique trays, water cans, and glass vases.

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Subtle Contrasts

Peter Murdock

This cheerful study is bursting with charm, thanks to the bright green walls and personal items on display. The traditional upholstered chair juxtaposes the rustic vase, a contrast often found in French country interiors.

Easy Patterns

Miki Duisterhof

Designer Ramsay Gourd let the exposed wooden beams in this Vermont farmhouse serve as the focal point on the room, but a green couch and upholstered Louis XV-style chairs take a close second place.

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Eclectic Pieces

Bjorn Wallander

The linen skirted chair and tablecloth along with the rustic wood dining table bring in that French country ease while the coral paint and curtains, ornate lighting, and gilt decor assert a more formal and spirited personality in this dining room.

Rustic Details

Luke White

Designer Marshall Watson uses a traditional plate rack to showcase everyday dishes as wall art in this Swedish home. Meanwhile, a vintage table and chairs with a blue gingham seat covering add a touch of rustic charm.

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Antique Mirrors

Douglas Friedman

Super elaborate, antique pieces mixed with more understated and casual items is a French country decorating staple. This black and gilt-framed antique mirror opens up the entryway by Ann Pyne.

Gold Accents

Thomas Loof

Dramatic drapes, plenty of gold, and ornate lighting make this master bedroom a French dream.

French-style house - romance and simplicity (69 photo examples)

French-style house - the dream of any romantic. The originality of Parisian design inspires. She is able to breathe freshness and lightness into any interior. The Dekorin project wanted to show you the basic principles on which this unique direction is based. Ready to move on to France? Go!

What does a French style house look like? Distinctive features of architecture (with photo)

Not all of us can boast that we have a house in France somewhere among lavender fields or on the banks of the Seine. .. But you can convey the spirit and mood of Paris if you decorate the facade of a private house and its interior accordingly.

So, by what architectural features do you recognize the French style? Well, firstly, the house should be quite spacious and bright. The windows are large, with many partitions, often arched or panoramic. (More information about French windows here).

This style has evolved over centuries. You can feel the influence of different historical eras. The old French houses have absorbed the features:

of the Roman era. This is the period of the XI - XII centuries, when there was an active construction of churches and castles. Hence - domed vaults, round arches, various architectural ornaments.
Gothic era. This is a later period, the formation of which ended closer to the XV-XVI century. The Gothic symbol is the lancet arch.
Renaissance (XVI - early XVII century). Here are the columns, pilasters. The facades are strictly symmetrical, decorated with patterns.
Rococo era (XVIII - XIX century). From this historical period, the French style took grace, sophistication, an abundance of decorative elements.

It should be noted that there are three main architectural trends a la France:

chateau;
provence;
Norman style.

This is what the completed projects of houses in the French style look like.

Impressive, isn't it? There are arched windows and gothic elements here - in a word, fabulously beautiful.

If you are planning to build a house on a country plot, consider some interesting project in the French style. Here are ideas for inspiration. It seems that princesses, kings and queens still live in such houses, which look like real castles.

French style in the interior (with examples on the photo)

French style in the interior is an extreme attention to detail, comfort, some kind of elusive lightness and airiness. Unlike the categorical hi-tech and one-sided minimalism, the French style is not for everyone. Some tasks can only be done by experienced designers.

Here, look at these photos.

The first impression is that there are so many. But, looking closely, you understand how much soul is invested in each piece of furniture. It becomes clear why this or that color was chosen in the decoration of the walls.

But - first things first.

French style does not tolerate low ceilings. In a modest space, all its magic is lost, this special charm disappears.

And one more thing. There is no desire to bring everything to perfection. On the contrary, some roughness, irregularities are allowed. You can even say that they bring some mood to the interior, set the tone.

Generally speaking, there are:

Classic French style. It is characterized by lightness, sublimity, purity and the desire for freedom in space. Here's what it looks like.
French country (Provence). This direction has something in common with the classical, but more original in character. Here you can not restrain yourself and embody a variety of design ideas.

French-style living room interior - what to take as a basis?

For the interior of a living room in a country house, the French style is a great idea. The space will turn out to be festive, cozy, with a touch of chic. The main thing is not to overdo it with gloss. The idea is to modestly hint at the level of prosperity. No pomposity or pretentiousness.

Decorative plaster, sometimes wallpaper, is used for wall decoration. The best solution is to paint in a slightly bleached matte color:

ivory;
pale olive;
white;
ecru;
light pink;
grey;
pale blue.

If the choice fell on wallpaper, you can use light ones with a small floral print. They look like slightly faded chintz.

The ceiling must be perfectly flat and white. If the height of the room allows, you can decorate it with plaster moldings, rosettes, moldings.

A simpler option is a stretch ceiling with volumetric photo printing. The view is impressive - you can’t distinguish it from real gypsum elements.

Porcelain stoneware, parquet, wood are suitable for flooring.

The essence of decor is that the design does not attract all the attention. The main role here is played by furniture. It is different in color and texture, “alive” and, it seems, does not fit together at all. But that's the whole "salt". Ottomans, chests of drawers, a console table, a sofa - each element has its own history, energy. And this is the unifying link.

Much attention is paid to textiles. Satin is used for furniture upholstery. Its barely glaring texture fits perfectly into the general idea of the French style. Sometimes the upholstery repeats the wallpaper print.

How to create a French interior in the bedroom?

In a bedroom decorated in the spirit of Paris, all eyes are on the bed. It should be large, comfortable, with a massive headboard, it is possible with a canopy. The colors in the wall decoration are also muted, restrained. Peaceful harmony, elegant beauty, restraint, dignity can be traced in everything.

Expensive bed linen, curtains and other textiles are contrasted with forged headboard elements. This is especially evident in black and white interiors decorated in French style.

French style kitchen design

The kitchen looks great in French country style. The design can be filled with various "tricks".

Appropriate here:

kitchen utensils similar to the countryside;
textile chair covers;
cabinets with curved legs;
vintage crystal chandeliers;
textured wooden beams;
floor tiles;
French curtains.

It is important to be able to create a special mood in the kitchen. Textiles will help with this - there should be a lot of it. These are various capes, lace mini-pillows, fringed curtains, napkins.

No special requirements for furniture. It can be a modern set, stylized antique, or any antique items.

The Dekorin designers wanted to say that there are many ways to decorate a French-style house. But before choosing something as a basis, listen to your inner feelings. The interior should be native. Where you want to be and receive guests.

Country house: French style in the interior

Socialite Béatrice Ogier entered the decorating profession at an age when others are retiring. But she got down to business with youthful enthusiasm! Here is her project - a former orphanage in Normandy, turned into a country residence.

In order for this spacious living room to appear in the house, Beatrice had to combine four rooms. The walls are painted beige, Farrow & Ball. The sofa, Caravane, is upholstered in gray velvet. The low pouffe is used as a coffee table.

Photo: Pierre Laurent Hahn

In her "past" existence, Beatrice worked in the press services of Yves Saint Laurent, Cartier and even the Paris-Dakar rally, was the director of a consulting company. “I worked a lot and had a lot of fun,” she recalls. - I traveled, explored the world, always tried to look refined and elegant. And suddenly I realized that all this is not that!

Floor-to-ceiling glazed cabinets act as a partition, separating the dining room from the kitchen.

Photo of: Pierre Laurent Hahn

The floorboards and ceramic tiles were bought from vintage builders.

Photo

Pierre Laurent Hahn

Now Beatrice paints flowers and decorates interiors. And, as her decorated house in Beaumont shows, in her new profession she is not an amateur at all. The building, stylized as Norman farms of the 19th century, was once intended for an orphanage.

The facade of the house is covered with Japanese grapes.

Photo

Pierre Laurent Hahn

All kitchen furniture, except for the antique oak table, is painted white. The working surface with a sink is adjacent to the window, so that the hostess can admire the landscape “on the job”. On hot days, the windows are covered with roller blinds, Silent Gliss. The floor is paved with antique concrete tiles. Faucets, Dornbracht.

Photo of

Pierre Laurent Hahn

The new owners asked Beatrice to make the interior brighter and more modern, while maintaining a rustic feel. She approached the task with great tact. The house has a lot of antique furniture - but in trendy bright upholstery.

Chess tables, Moissonier, perfectly combined with antique chairs of the Napoleon III era, the seats of which are upholstered with velvet of different colors

Photo deglazing, to match the window frames of the house. In the kitchen, the sink is located in front of a window overlooking the garden - a concern for the spiritual comfort of the cook, unthinkable in the old days. Comments are unnecessary!

A half glazed partition separates the guest bedroom from the bathroom. The starting point for the design of both rooms was an old bright red bedspread.
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