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Traditional french country kitchens


19 Most Gorgeous French Country Kitchens

If there’s one type of kitchen that I continue to fall in love with, it’s French country kitchens. I find them super charming and elegant in so many ways. French country decor is known for its vintage elements and old European style. Good news! There are so many creative decorative elements that you can easily copy even if you don’t live in a real “French” country home!

The kitchen is a place where we prepare meals for our family and friends. It’s such an important part of the home, and most of all, it’s one of the most functional spaces we need! Check out some of our favorite kitchens in the French farmhouse style below!

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Let’s talk about design trends in French farmhouse kitchen decor. Here are our favorite French farmhouse kitchen decor ideas and designs.

1. Crystal Chandelier

This is the ultimate kitchen lighting fixture if you’re going for the French farmhouse look. The light will gently reflect off the crystals hanging near the lightbulbs, giving the room an elegant glow.

@simplyfrenchmarket

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2. Checkered Floor Tile

This flooring design is quintessentially French! It works in many rooms, especially the kitchen.

@cat_in_france

3. Fleur de Lis Backsplash Tile

Go for a classic French motif like the famous fleur de lis for your backsplash kitchen tile.

@simplyfrenchmarket

4. French Louis Counter Chairs

The Louis chair is a beloved French furniture design that has stood the test of time. Luckily, a counter chair version is easy enough to find!

@decoratinglife.ca

5. Apron Front Sink

You’ve got to have a farmhouse style, apron-front sink in your kitchen. It’s even better if it has a beautiful engraving on the front!

@somuchbetterwithage

6. Blue Pitcher and Flowers

Ceramic pitchers are handmade in the south of France and sold at markets by artisans. Get yourself a replica if you can’t get an original! Flowers are very welcome as well!

@frenchlarkspur

7. Gray Floor Tile

@white_and_faded

8. Light Blue Cabinets and Chairs

@provencepoiriers

9. Wood and Marble French Island Table

@frenchcountrycottage

10. Wood Ceiling Beams

Leave the wood ceiling beams in your home exposed for a rustic chic look.

@sanctuaryhomedecor

11. Copper Pots

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12. Blue Lacanche Range

Lacanche is a celebrated French range maker to know.

@frenchcountrycottage

13. Marble Top Wood Table Island

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14. Checkered Backsplash Tile

Maison Creative

15. LaCornue Range

Another popular French range manufacturer, LaCornue ranges have stood the test of time. They are shipped around the world, but you’ll need to plan about 6 months in advance for this chef quality range.

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16. Wooden Island

@simplyfrenchmarket

17. Open Glass Shelves

Show off your French china on beautiful glass shelves.

@the_fox_group_

18. Sink Skirt

Brocantelle

19. Open Shelving

Keep the room airy and fresh with open kitchen shelving.

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I hope you found these French country kitchens as inspiring as we did! We’re always on the hunt for the best interior design we know will inspire our readers. You can subscribe to our email list below to be notified of new posts. We love sharing with you popular design style guides, furniture buying guides, and other decorating tips!

More French Country Decorating Ideas

Don’t miss our other room decorating guides to get French country style in your home. We have lots of budget-friendly recommendations that you can easily incorporate into your own home!

Happy curating!

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Curated Interior

We share the best home decor ideas, furniture recommendations, coolest products, and interior design tips for America's most stylish women.

28 Chic and Timeless French Country Style Kitchens

By

Kristin Hohenadel

Kristin Hohenadel

Kristin Hohenadel is an interior design expert who has covered architecture, interiors, and decor trends for publications including the New York Times, Interior Design, Lonny, and the American and international editions of Elle Decor. She resides in Paris, France, and has traveled to over 30 countries, giving her a global perspective on home design.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 08/12/22

Becca Interiors

The decorating aesthetic known in the English-speaking world as French country style is an homage to the charms of the French countryside. While it may be hard to replicate the beauty of the surrounding landscape or the aged patina of a Provençal farmhouse, a rustic thatched cottage in Normandy, or a provincial chateau, architects, interior designers, and home decorators around the world have long sought to transport a bit of the charm and elegance of the French countryside to their own backyards.  

The resulting mashup known as French country decor emphasizes an easy take on rustic but refined aesthetics and natural materials, and an embrace of timeless everyday objects. Much of what we think of as traditional or farmhouse style interiors that are so ubiquitous today have roots in French country aesthetics, which can add character to a modern interior, easily translating to any room in the house from the living room to the bedroom or bathroom.

Adding some French country-inspired decor to your own kitchen can help you to add a sense of history, timelessness, and simple beauty to your home, no matter where you live. Check out these interiors that demonstrate how to borrow a bit of French style to make your own kitchen design into the warm, charming, effortlessly chic gathering space it was meant to be.

15 French Country Living Rooms

French style kitchen (39 photos)

Articles

Content

French-style interiors are characterized by elegance, grace of form and lightness of decor. Light pastel colors, an abundance of mirrors and textiles in interior design give the room a unique chic and flavor. To make your French-style kitchen look spectacular, it is important to know how to choose the right decor style and harmoniously combine all the details of the kitchen interior design.

French style - a combination of classics, elegance and natural color palette

The main features of the French style in interior design

Each interior decor implies the presence of details and elements that are unique to this style. On the Internet, you can find a lot of photo and video materials with original French-style kitchen design options. Despite the fact that they can vary greatly from each other, their main features will remain unchanged.

A muted color palette is one of the foundations of the French style in the interior of the kitchen

Smooth curved lines fill the kitchen with lightness

French style involves the maximum use of natural materials

What is the characteristic style of this sensual and romantic country. In general, the French interior is characterized by:

For French decor use pastel colors: beige, white, light yellow

If natural finishes are not available, use quality imitation

The color of the walls, ceiling and floor must be in harmony with each other

By using a light palette, you can visually expand the space

In general, the French style of cuisine can be divided into several areas:

Palace interior - an option for lovers of exquisite luxury

The simplicity of the French cafe style can decorate a small kitchen

Provence will help recreate the atmosphere of a country house in France

Do not forget that when choosing a certain interior design of the kitchen, it is necessary to harmoniously combine it with the design of other rooms in the house. For example, if a palatial French-style kitchen interior is chosen, then the entrance hall and living room are decorated accordingly.

Read also the article "Kitchen with your own hands in the style of Provence - we create French elegance."

Features and nuances of French styles

If you want to decorate the interior of the kitchen in the style of romantic France, then for this it is not at all necessary to be the owner of a spacious apartment (unless you dream of a palace decor). Many accessories and interior details can be done with your own hands, or you can simply find an inexpensive analogue for them.

For each interior style, use the appropriate elements

Below are the main nuances and trends inherent in each of the decor options.

Palace style

This version of the design of the kitchen in the French style - the style of kings, emphasizes the status and wealth of the owners of the house.

Palace style is unthinkable without expensive natural materials

Gilding elements can often be found as a decoration in a French-style set

Palace style has several characteristic features in interior decoration:

Bleached oak furniture is one of the most important components of the "palace" interior

Mirrors and transparent facades set - another highlight of the

style

Porcelain tableware, expensive accessories and services can be a worthy addition to the French palace interior

French bistro cafe

A French cafe style kitchen has at least two undeniable advantages. First - this decor looks incredibly original. Secondly, it can be carried out even on a relatively small area.

Bistro-style interior is perfect for small or medium kitchens

Convert your window sill into a dining area and decorate it with flower bouquets

The main thing is to know exactly how to properly manage the available space. This section will help in such an interesting task.

To achieve the most authentic atmosphere of the original French cafe, you should follow a few basic rules. Among them:

The French interior does not accept flashy tones

To keep decor as organic as possible, purchase stylized household appliances

The dining area should be equipped with soft diffused light, while the work area should be brighter

Decorate with stylized clocks, black and white photographs, signs and other accessories

Provence - all the colors of nature

The style of the French village is suitable for decorating the dining room of a country house, as well as for designing a kitchen in Khrushchev. Soft pastel colors of nature and elements of rural life will make the kitchen cozy and warm.

Provencal interior will add inexpressible comfort and atmosphere to the kitchen

To make your kitchen really look like a house lost in the lavender fields of French Provence, follow the features below.

Beige, light green, gray, sand and other pastel colors can be used as the main colors of Provence

Use as many natural materials as possible when decorating a Provencal kitchen. It can be stone, wood or ceramic

Textiles with floral patterns - another important element of Provencal decor

The more small and stylish handmade accessories in the kitchen, the more original it will become

Read also the article about Provence style kitchen design.

Conclusion

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French cuisine: 10 traditional dishes

Salade niçoise

The famous recipe, as the name suggests, originated in Nice. Now it's hard to believe, but once it was a rather poor region, so the daily local salad included only tomatoes with onions and anchovies, seasoned with olive oil.

Niçoise owes its modern recipe, widely known all over the world, to the patriarch of French gastronomy, Auguste Escoffier. It was he who dared to add potatoes and green beans to the traditional salad. However, there are still purists in France who believe that real nicoise should not contain any cooked ingredients other than eggs. Be that as it may, in most restaurants we will find this composition: potatoes, green beans, boiled eggs, canned or fresh lightly fried tuna, anchovies, onions and local olives.

Provence salad goes well with local wine. The fresh and fruity, but not too light, Belouve Rosé from Domaines Bunan is great.

Photo: © SWN Archive

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Burgundy snails / Escargots de Bourgogne

According to scientists, snails have been eaten since prehistoric times. However, the modern recipe was invented only in 1814. There is a legend that the French Foreign Minister Talleyrand was supposed to dine with the Russian Emperor Alexander I in a Burgundy restaurant. They were late, and the owner of the establishment had nothing to treat the distinguished guests with. However, he did not lose his head, went to his garden and saw snails, which he decided to bake with garlic, parsley and butter. This legend is most likely a beautiful fiction, but it is known for sure that the first official recipe for Burgundy snails appeared in Borel's New Cuisine Dictionary as early as 1825.

Since then, this dish has become a classic of French gastronomy. Snails are usually served on holidays, six or twelve pieces, on special porcelain or metal dishes with recesses. For them, a special fork with two prongs is served, with which it is convenient to get the mollusk out of the shell.

The best accompaniment to the Burgundy delicacy is the local Chardonnay. You should not take too expensive: garlic and parsley will kill its complexity and elegance. But Coteaux Bourguignons Blanc by Domaines Dominique Piron will work just fine. Its creaminess will perfectly emphasize the elastic texture of the snail.

Photo: © Shutterstock

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Bouillabaisse

Marseille's most famous dish, like the city itself, traces its history back to the ancient Phocian Greeks, who founded a colony here in the 6th century BC. Bouillabaisse used to be called "fisherman's soup" or "poor man's soup", because it was prepared from small fish left at the bottom of the basket by the end of the trading day.

Modern Provençal bouillabaisse is made from freshly caught fish (usually at least three species are used) boiled in a broth of water or white wine seasoned with garlic, olive oil or saffron. Traditionally, it is served in two parts: soup is brought separately, in which you can dip fried bread grated with garlic, a separate plate with fish and potatoes. At the request of the guest, these two dishes can be mixed in one plate. The dish is usually served with rouille sauce based on olive oil, garlic, tomatoes and hot peppers.

Powerful and spicy bouillabaisse needs a wine to match, such as Domaines Ott* Clos Mireille Blanc de Blancs from semillon and roll, as vermentino is called here. Structured, strict, with smoky notes of aging, this wine perfectly balances the rich taste of classic bouillabaisse.

Photo: © Shutterstock

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Onion soup / Soupe à l'oignon

Onion soup has been known since ancient Rome. There it was considered food for the poor, because the onion is easy to grow and it is ubiquitous. In France, the dish became popular much later. There are even several legends about him. The first says that once King Louis XV was sleeping in his hunting lodge and woke up hungry at night. He is said to have made a soup with the onion, butter and champagne he had at his disposal. It is difficult, however, to imagine a king who cooks his own food!

There is a more plausible theory. They say that Stanislav Leshchinsky, Duke of Lorraine and father of the Queen of France, tried onion soup in one of the Champagne taverns. According to Alexandre Dumas, who retold this scene, he liked the dish so much that he ordered to find out how to cook it. Since then, onion soup has been served at the court of Versailles.

The recipe became popular only in the 19th century thanks to the central market Les Halles in Paris. Local chefs came up with the idea to add grated cheese and place bowls of soup under the grill. This made the dish much more nutritious. Then this dish was called Gratinée des Halles. Since then, onion soup au gratin (that is, with a baked cheese crust) has become a symbol of simple Parisian cuisine. The French often call it "drunkard's soup", as it helps with a hangover.

Fans of daring pairings should try onion soup with oxidative-style wines such as sherry or vin jaune from Jury. A more traditional pairing is Domaine Bott-Geyl's semi-dry Pinot Gris Les Elements. The residual sugar in the wine works great with the delicate sweetness of caramelized onions.

Photo: © Sheri Silver/Unsplash

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Rooster in wine / Coq au vin

Many traditional French recipes were born from the need to make cheap food taste good. So it is with this classic dish. Coq au vin means "rooster in wine". His recipe was conceived as a way to prepare tough meat from a not-too-young bird, although today this rustic-style dish is made with regular chicken or capon. It is a bird stew with wine, mushrooms, bacon, onions, garlic and sometimes even a dash of brandy.

Depending on the region of France, you can find different recipes that use local wines rather than the traditional Burgundy. These include Coq au vin jaune from Jura, Alsatian Coq au riesling and Coq au pourpre from Beaujolais Nouveau. Believe it or not, there is even Coq au champagne!

Rooster is usually served with the same wine that was used in cooking. However, the French are thrifty people, so they cook with simpler wine, and serve a better bottle at the table, but from the same region. Let's dwell on the classic combination with Coq au vin - red Burgundy Bouchard Pere & Fils Bourgogne Pinot Noir La Vignee.

Photo: © BIBV

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Tartiflette

The tartiflet is a modern invention from the Savoy mountains that quickly became a classic. His recipe was developed in the 1980s. It was inspired by a traditional dish called La pela, a potato, onion and cheese gratin cooked in a very long-handled pan called pela (shovel) in Provençal. In the 1980s, the Reblochon Cheese Syndicate came up with the idea of ​​launching a company to revive an old dish with the new name Tartiflette, which comes from the Savoyard tartiflé - "potato". Such advertising helped boost sales of the local cheese.

The inhabitants of Savoy only heard about the tartiflet when it appeared on the menu of restaurants in all winter ski resorts. However, they did not lose their heads and quickly made the dish traditional and authentic, multiplying its variations.

Savoie wines are not easy to find in Russia, so if you come across a bottle of Domaine Curtet Altesse, take it without hesitation. This is the perfect pair for a tartiflet. Thanks to its refreshing acidity, this wine is able to cope even with such a hearty and cheesy dish.

Photo: © Shutterstock

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Beef tartare / Steak tartare

Many foreign tourists have found themselves in Mr. Bean's place when, having ordered Steak tartare and waiting for a delicious steak, they received a powerful portion of raw minced meat, which for some reason is served with french fries. Yes, French gastronomy sometimes surprises. If in Russia today beef tartare is rather a small appetizer, then in France it is a full-fledged main course. Most often, the meat is served in its natural form and the guest is offered to fill it with side dishes and spices to his liking.

It is believed that the name "tartar" comes from the Tatars - the Turkic people living in Russia. Once they were nomads and ate raw horse meat. In Europe, the tradition of serving raw meat appeared only in the 19th century, but the French liked it. Today it is a classic dish in Parisian bistros.

Of course, you need red wine with tartare. Try the young, vibrant Cabernet Franc Les Roches by Thierry Germain. It will perfectly emphasize the structure of the meat and add juiciness to the dish.

Photo: © Liuda Brogiene/Unsplash

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Veal blanquette / blanquette de veau

Blanquette de veau is a creamy stew of veal cooked with lots of butter, cream and carrots. Traditionally, the stew is thickened with roux (roux), a mixture of flour and butter. It is usually served with rice. Not well known abroad, this dish is consistently in the top ten when French people are asked about their favorite dish.

Although the region of origin of the dish is not exactly known, many associate it with Lyon and the Rhone Valley. That's where we get the wine. Despite meat being the main ingredient, the blanket is the dish that defines the sauce. Creamy, creamy, it calls for a white wine like Guigal Côtes du Rhône Blanc, made from a complex blend of local grape varieties.

Photo: © Shutterstock

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Beef Bourguignon / Boeuf bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon is one of the most famous and beloved French recipes. This dish was once a very popular holiday meal among the Burgundian peasants. It was eaten with toasted bread rubbed with garlic. Then it became a Sunday dish, for which the whole family gathered at the table. Every household had its own way of cooking beef.

The traditional recipe of the dish, in addition to meat and wine, includes mushrooms, bacon, garlic, onions and aromatic herbs (parsley, thyme, bay leaf). The main feature of this recipe is that the meat requires a long cooking time and must languish over low heat.

Boeuf Bourguignon, of course, should be served with Burgundy wine, but you can cheat and instead of trendy but expensive Pinot Noir, serve a powerful, muscular and slightly more affordable Château Thivin Clos Bertrand gamé, which can easily cope with the texture of meat and rich sauce .

Photo: © Shutterstock

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Tarte Tatin

Upside down apple pie is perhaps the most famous French dessert. According to the recipe, fruits (usually apples) that are caramelized before baking are covered with dough, and then turned over so that they are on top.

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