French country style design

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Jillian is a freelance journalist with 10 years of editorial experience in the lifestyle genre. She is a writer and fact checker for TripSavvy, as well as a fact-checker for The Spruce.

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French country style is defined as a mix of rustic and refined decor inspired by the homes in the French countryside. It's a popular style worldwide because of its comfortable and casual elegance that's never ostentatious. Three distinct characteristics make up the style:

• Softly patterned fabrics in muted colors
• Distressed, painted, and vintage furnishings and accessories
• Lots of wood and other natural materials

You may also hear this type of decor called provincial style. Provincial style is recognized as a slightly more formal, refined look. Some of its elements, such as its rich colors, bold patterns, and gold accents, can be incorporated into the French country style.

Colors, Prints, and Materials

Colors of this style can be found on the warm side of the color wheel with hues that have medium to low intensity. Think of soft yellows, warm pinks, baby blues, and creams for your rooms. Provincial-style fabrics are known for having more saturated colors, such as sunbaked ochre and deep brick red that bring to mind the pigments found in the region's natural clay earth.

Toile de Jouy, best known as toile, is a traditional pattern printed on cotton or linen fabrics used for upholstery, drapery, tablecloths, and wallpaper in French country rooms. Toile de Jouy is also known as the "fabric of Jouy" because the 18th-century factory of Jouy-en-Josas located near Versailles became famous for printing the fabric.

The toile pattern is characterized by its designs of landscapes and figures of one color printed on a white or cream background. The beauty of toile is that it can be paired with many other patterned fabrics, such as stripes, plaids, checks, ginghams, sunflowers, and small florals. Other patterns used on French country fabrics include roosters, damasks, and the borders that characterize bolder-colored provincial-style fabrics.

Furniture

The key to French country-style furniture is comfort and style. Upholstered seating and chairs always incorporate soft and cozy cushions. Other furnishings, such as tables and chests, are typically graceful, simple wood pieces that often incorporate some type of carvings that emphasize the furniture's curves. The furniture is also characterized by distressed, painted, and often whitewashed finishes. You can use milk or chalk paint to distress furniture to get this style.

French provincial furniture is a touch more formal with added embellishments than French country style, and its history explains why. French provincial furniture was created in the 18th century for wealthy families living in the French provinces as more affordable adaptations of the luxurious Rococo-style pieces made for the monarchy.

Tip

Wrought iron or rusted metal accents and accessories are often paired with distressed French country furnishings.

Architecture

The style's architecture is taken straight from the French provincial countryside. Here are the style's most popular interior architectural elements:

• Exposed wooden ceiling beams
• Natural stone, wood, or brick floors
• Weathered appearance

French country homes incorporate stone, wood, and muted colors into their exterior architecture, as well.

Kitchens

A kitchen in this style is both comfortable and sophisticated. Cabinetry may look like regular furniture with molding and carvings. Casual kitchens of this style feature shabby chic and vintage touches, including pretty old jars and bottles that hold pantry items, quaint signage for wall decor, wrought iron pot racks, and plenty of copper pots. Modern French country kitchens are known for their signature, decorative range hoods.

Dining Rooms

A rustic chandelier of distressed wood or metal with candelabra bulbs is a must in a traditional French country dining room. A lighter-toned wooden dining table surrounded by whitewashed, vintage, or mismatched chairs brings in a casual and welcoming look. For a casual feel, hang gingham curtains to the floor with a little puddling. Lightweight silk draperies puddled on the floor add a bit more formality.

Living Rooms

Airy, whitewashed, and sun-kissed describe the style of French country living rooms. There should not be any heavy, dark fabrics or furniture in the room. This style living room beckons guests with an uplifting and pretty mix of patterned fabrics and painted furniture. Use sheer lace curtains to allow light to stream in while still providing privacy. For a quaint and whimsical touch, place a wrought iron garden bench with pillows under the front window for the look of a casual window seat.

Bedrooms

A French country bedroom is feminine and soft with a mix of cottage shabby chic and comforting vintage elements. Add in a small crystal chandelier somewhere in the room, layers of soft and lacy white bedding with a toile comforter and curtains, and a headboard made of distressed wood or an old iron gate, and you have the makings of a beautiful bedroom. Use an old metal garden bench at the end of the bed as a sitting area. A bedroom is the perfect place for painted and distressed dressers and armoires.

Bathrooms

Just as a bedroom in this style will have a feminine flair, so does a bathroom with the same decor. Toile wallpaper, a small crystal chandelier, candlestick-style wall sconces, a mirror framed in gold with a bit of carving, and a vintage clawfoot tub combine to create the perfect French country bathroom. For a casual feel, use a wrought iron towel rack or stand for linens.

Tip

A distressed or painted bureau transformed into a bathroom vanity and topped with a vessel sink is a beautiful French country touch.

French Country Interior Design |

French country style is usually associated with roosters, proudly standing, colorful, with big tails, roosters on tablecloths, curtains, roosters on dishes and of course, a clock in the form of a rooster.
The rooster has become an essential symbol of French country style in tribute to these poultry that roam freely on the farms of France. In fact, French country style is not only about roosters.
The French country style was inspired by the rural houses of the south of France, where rustic farmhouses were built from readily available materials: straw, limestone, clay and wood. French country style reflects this simplicity.
Rural colors are considered the central elements of the French country style. A delicate lavender color associated with the lavender fields grown in France for the perfume industry. Yellow, dark red and bright orange colors are associated with sunny days.

Azure blue is associated with the Mediterranean Sea. Shades of white, ranging from pure white to slightly yellow and beige, are associated with the blinding sunlight that enters the windows of rural houses. Gently green color is associated with meadow grasses.
French country style walls can be whitewashed, log or roughly plastered. The purpose of the walls is again to convey the interior of a French farmhouse. The color of the walls should be natural. It can be shades of colors of stones and clay. On the walls there may be a stencil pattern in the form of sheaves of wheat.
Like the walls, a French country floor should be associated with rural life. For flooring, clay tiles are usually used in pink, honey or dark brown. Wooden parquet is rubbed with white paint to give a rural touch. As an option, mats made from natural materials can be used over a wooden floor.

Proper lighting is an important element of French country style. The French country style is characterized by large multi-glazed windows that let in natural light. To convey this feeling, you can use soft light emanating from lamps with lampshades. Table lamps don't have to be fancy. For the French country style, iron or brass chandeliers and door handles are in character.
Cotton fabric and lace are indispensable attributes of the interior of French country houses. Lace curtains, lace tablecloths and lace pillowcases predominate. Starched damask and chintz are used to upholster furniture, while curtains are characterized by a floral pattern. The color should again be lilac, mustard, cherry and brown.
Furniture should also reflect farmhouse life. The French country style is defined by carved, wooden details. In the 18th and 19th centuries, artisans from all over the world flocked to the Mediterranean ports. Skilled craftsmen made carved sideboards, chairs, tables, chests of drawers and chests with local motifs: wheat and lavender. For the manufacture of furniture, artisans used wood that was cheap and most common: walnut and pine.

Large wooden dining table is another centerpiece of French country style. Since the kitchen was the main gathering place, the table was very important. The ideal French country style table should be sturdy, rectangular and large with a simple tablecloth. Wooden chairs with high backs and wicker seats are the perfect complement to the table.
French country style accessories should be simple and useful. The countryside of France rarely had money for luxury goods. It is quite possible to use earthenware jugs, shiny copper pots, wicker baskets and, of course, anything related to roosters.
French country style design is perfect for kitchen, bedroom and dining room. Combining natural materials, rustic colors and simple fabrics, French country style will make your home comfortable and cozy.

Photo source: pinterest.com

Provence. French country

In this article we will talk about what is often called Provence, but is more like French country (why confine all this beauty to one French region!). Many interior designers are close to this cozy direction.

What is "country french"? The first associations are soft green meadows of the French provinces, beige sheaves, pink and blue wildflowers. This style is inspired by local traditions and endearing things that have been passed down for generations in large and friendly families. Light, translucent, light and very simple, French Country has a natural elegance. It calms and induces peace of mind.

It is generally accepted that the French have an innate sense of style and great taste. This natural grace is reflected in the country style in the French presentation - it is very natural, native in a European way and sweet to our northern eye.

Being very harmonious and consonant with nature, country design does not look eclectic, despite some variety of objects combined in it. Adult sensuality, mixed with elderly sentimentality and youthful craving for intricate details - all this perfectly describes the style of French country music.

If you strive for harmony, love lavender and apples, if your dreams include caring for your own garden in the silence of a European countryside - this style is for you.

Style nuance: Elegant but practical furniture

There are unique people in our lives who are able to find an outfit in an ordinary clothing store that looks like it was made to order by a famous designer. With the French country a similar thing - it includes details from quite budgetary elements, and it all looks elegant and functional. It does not have the lush and overly chic details inherent in traditional French design, on the contrary - individually, some elements will look rustic kitsch, but as part of an element they become stylish and appropriate.

Each part of the French country style element works to the maximum, so transforming furniture in this design is not uncommon.

For the unity of the composition, there is no need to use pieces of furniture that are identical in design. The main thing is that all the details are natural - wood, fabrics, a little patinated metal.

Useful recommendation. When choosing furniture, think not only about its exterior, but also about its functionality. Fortunately, a sufficient number of furniture options have been produced for this style for decades - comfortable light chairs with armrests, tables with unusual legs, etc.

Style nuance: Flowers

The main point of French country design was the blurring of the lines between what is inside the house and what surrounds it - the pressure of a rural lifestyle affects. For example, flowers are very actively used - from dead wood in a vase (or a small natural bouquet), to floral prints in furniture upholstery or decoupage on a jewelry box.

Useful tip . Flowers used in interior decoration should look like they came into your room straight from the garden, and from the French garden - wild rose, poppy, iris, sunflower. Their colors must certainly be natural, the image without even a hint of glamor or fantasy.

Style nuance: Warm shades

Country colors - it doesn't really matter which - juicy or pastel, magically make the interior comfortable and cozy. Even white is used not the one that is blue-white, but warmer, the color of fresh milk. All the shades that are used are very natural - straight from the landscape outside the window. The easiest way to choose colors for a design is to type the query "Provence" in the Google or Yandex image search - and voila! any shades from the opened pictures can serve as a source for inspiration.

Useful tip . Still, you should not use a lot of juicy in the main color of the interior. Leave bright colors for accessories, and give most of the space to pastels.

Nuance of style: Meaning in accents

In Provence interiors, accessories rarely play an exclusively decorative role - all of them can be used in everyday life. Plates and jugs, which look like a cute decor, can be removed at any time and used for their intended purpose. Baskets and wicker bowls can always be dusted off and filled with apples or grapes. Pillows, potholders, vases - nothing that would be just decoration!

Useful tip . Shelves without doors (or even just boards nailed to the wall) are the best place for all these items, because everything should be at hand in a convenient place.

Style nuance: Natural textiles

Along with furniture and accessories, French country textiles are used for both comfort and decoration. Toile de Jouy is a traditional French pattern used in textile prints combined with checks, flowers and stripes. Rough textured fabrics (linen, tapestry), together with thin ones (cotton, cambric) enhance the overall feeling of the interior with tactile ones. Exaggeratedly rustic, overly simple fabrics are one of the pillars of the French country style

Useful tip . Most textiles are traditionally used in the bedroom - pillows (many pillows), a canopy. The most important thing is not to use the same fabrics throughout the interior, but also not to go beyond 2-3 options. The main thing is the combination of colors and textures with each other.

Style nuance: Delicate patina

French country style is rich in traditions, it does not accept new furniture and accessories. Cleanliness, freshness and... age-old wear... Everything around should say: these are generic things used for decades before your arrival. Small chips, scratches, cracks - if not real, but stylized (like, for example, the baguette that we offer), even old stains on the pillowcase - this is what gives the interior a cozy charm.

Useful advice. You can search for interior items not only in modern expensive stores, but also at flea markets, flea markets (and then restore them either on your own or with masters who specialize in restoration). You can also find something worthwhile in antique shops, but sometimes they sell a remake that is passed off as antiques, for which you will overpay ten times.

Style touch: Textured surface

Shiny steel or glossy ceramic tiles are the enemies of French Provence. All surfaces should be convex, palpable fingertips.

Useful recommendation. Walls, floor, ceiling - stone, wood, rough plaster are best suited for this (in modern conditions, the texture of plaster can be stylized in different ways). Ceramic raw tiles, wall textiles.

Style nuance: Roosters

One of the accents of French country style is the image of a rooster. This bright bird has become a symbol of French rural decor and has found its place in the form of figurines, images on dishes, embroidery, etc.

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