One of the finest and most elegant decors to beautify our homes, French-country style is one of the top choices of people looking for a touch of luxuriousness and marrying timeless elegance with humble charm. If you have high end taste, but don’t want to make your home look overdone or snobby, then country French decor is for you.
To learn more about country French decor and unique French decor ideas, keep reading this helpful write-up.
Many people make this mistake of perceiving French country style as country cottage or farmhouse style, but there’s a difference between them. French country decor focuses more on ornate details rather than quaint details. So without further ado, let’s get started!
The Basics: What Is French-Country Style?
French country decor is a balanced combination of several down-to-earth elements and elegant accents. You’ll find several parts of the home having weathered finishes, exposed and painted wood, and wrought iron.
The pieces of furniture typically have plush upholstery and feature ornate shapes as well. Textiles are detailed with ruffles and laces and usually have pinstripe and toile patterns.
Botanical influences are prominent across the whole decor, and you’ll find
full floral bouquets in almost everything having space for it.
French-Country Architecture
Typically, French country homes feature lavishness in their decor, like exotic arches, high ceilings, and tall windows. What makes French country decor unique is its ability to suit well to any kind of home. Whatever type or style of home you own, giving it French country decor is very much possible.
If you can’t afford to raise your home’s ceilings, there are alternate options available to do so. You can add extra panes to your windows, making them tall. When it comes to flooring in French country decor, there’s no restriction on its tone. Depending on the rest of your home decor’s color palette, give its floor an appropriate tone.
French-Country Color Palette
Traditionally, the French country decor has white & off-white neutrals as its base colors. However, toned-down hues are also found in French country decor, including pale sage, lavender, daffodil, etc.
In French country homes, base colors account for most of the room’s color palette, with a dominant presence in rugs, walls, and large furniture pieces. When these base colors are used, the light in the room gets amplified.
Though darker rooms create a dramatic and glamorous look, it’s not always preferable. As is the case with French country decor, green, brown, and bright colored floral patterns are found in French country decor.
French-Country Materials & Textiles
One of the things that are considered a must in French country materials and textiles is weathered finishes. However, it’s not present in upholstery. Painted wood furniture is a common thing in French country decor, and it sits well with pristine sofas and armchairs having elegant plush upholstery.
Many people love to have side furniture and decor items in exposed wood, but it depends on the homeowner’s personal choice. Wall mirrors, shelves, side tables, and ornately detailed wood furniture is another common part of French country decor. To beautify the dining room and sync it with the home’s overall French country decor, weathered wood tables and upholstered chairs are generally used.
If you look at the lighting fixtures, drawer pulls, cabinets’ handles, and other hardware fixtures in a French country home, one thing is shared across all: Wrought-iron. It brings unmatched appeal and elegance to these fixtures. Besides, it gives a rustic look to the fixture they are installed on.
In French country decor, patterns and embellishments matter more than the materials used in textile. Ruffles and laces are essentials to beautify and give a rustic look to bedspreads and curtains hanging in front of the tall windows.
Add even more elegance to the textiles. Textile material matters less than pattern and enhancement in a French-country space. Rugs are an essential part of French home decor but avoid getting a rug with too many patterns. Instead, opt for a rug with minimal pattern and base colors in it.
French-Country Decor
Usually, French country homes feature a mix of rustic and refined pieces having vintage design rather than contemporary. Some of the things that take away the basics of French country decor are sleek lines, bold colors, high gloss finishes, and anything having the touch of boldness in it.
Having pieces that feature worn finishes and ornate detailing is a better choice to attain a complete country French decor for your home. You may get a full French country home decor by hanging large-sized wall clocks and mirrors on your walls.
French Country Decor in the Kitchen
Visit a French country home and walk into its kitchen; the first thing you would realize is the presence of numerous jars holding food staples. You can get old or vintage jars at garage sales. Either hand paint these jars or get labels printed on them using your home printer.
To give your kitchen French country decor, go to a craft store and buy some metal signs. One more thing to complete your French country kitchen is to get a wrought iron wall planter for hanging utensils and pots.
French Country Decor in the Dining Room
To create a classic French country dining room, you can use exposed wood chairs with worn finishes. All you need is to whitewash these chairs and place them around a garden table for making a perfect French country dining room. Buying a set painted in pastels can also help you to make an ideal French country dining room.
French Country Decor in the Living Room
Your living room can be easily converted into a French country living room by avoiding heavy drapes and fabrics in front of the windows. You can use lacy panels that would allow sunlight to come inside. Placing a wrought iron bench with pillows on it helps create a perfect window seat.
French Country Decor in the Bedroom
You can’t make a complete country French home without bringing this style to your bedroom. An easy furniture hack to do this would be to bring an iron garden gate and an old garden bench made out of metal to place at the end of your bed. Be sure to paint your dressers in pastel colors or warm colors for bringing comfort to your room.
French Country Decor in the Bathroom
Since wrought iron is a dominant element in French country homes, using it as your towel rack and fruit bowls makes a complete French country bathroom. Use a painted buffet as your sink.
French country decor makes a great home decor option because of the appeal, rustiness, and elegance it carries. You can turn any home into a French country home even if you don’t have an extensive budget. That’s because most of the decor items are available in consignment furniture stores with eclectic options.
