Olive groves, red wine, lavender fields, and fresh croissants,
all conjure up images of an idyllic life in the French countryside. If you are
a Francophile who loves all things French and you want to bring a touch of
romance into your home, then French Country décor is the perfect look for you.
Décor trends may come and go, some more fleetingly than others, but the French
Country is timeless, and, if done right, always stylish. So how do you recreate
the look you love in your living room?
1. You’ve got to go vintage
The French Country living room reflects tradition and elegance through the use of subtle, thoughtful décor and antique style, painted furniture with graceful, simple lines. In your home, build the look around one or two carefully selected vintage pieces or antiques. When searching for that perfect piece, think chaise lounge, armoire, Louis XV-inspired furniture and metal hardware like pewter and wrought iron. But remember that the look you are going for is elegant heirloom rather than shabby chic.
2. It’s all about ambiance
French Country is as much a feeling as a look, and it is important to strike a balance between elegance and comfort. The room needs to be comfortable yet refined, and feel like it could easily be converted, at a moments notice, into the perfect venue for an evening soiree. To get the right feeling to introduce soft textures like linen, velvet, and cotton. Natural light is also important to enhance the ambiance of your French country living room and you can softly filter the harsh sunlight by covering the windows with sheer or light fabrics.
3. Off-white rather than all white
The French Country color palette draws on the natural landscape for inspiration, and bold colors and bizarre patterns are not part of the look. But that doesn’t mean your living room has to be all white. Work with the off-white, dove grey, soft blue, lavender, and other blush tones to introduce color, and avoid a clinical or industrial feel. But use these pops of color sparingly to keep an overall feeling of elegance. The key to pulling off the look is to use soft colors, tonal pairings and a variety of textures to break up the neutral scheme. Toile fabrics are a classic French Country décor staple that can also be used to lend visual interest to an otherwise neutral palette.
4. Classy chandeliers
Lighting is important in any room, and you can’t effectively pull off a look if you don’t have the right type of lights. When you think about living in the French countryside, it conjures up images of sprawling villas in Provence and rooms lit by softly glowing chandeliers. You too can introduce a chandelier into your décor scheme as an interesting focal point. But remember this look is all about comfort and elegance, so you don’t want to go for anything too glitzy or over-the-top. The chandelier is there to enhance the French Country feel not dominate it. Choose a chandelier that matches the size and scale of your living room.
5. Give your space French flair with the right accessories
Don’t over accessories when creating your French Country living room. There is nothing elegant about clutter, and you need to make sure that everything you add to your living space enhances it in some way. If you can get that right, your room will feel both comfortable and elegant. When shopping for accessories look for things that have a rustic and timeless appeal but once again beware of shabby chic. Truly rustic objects have a utilitarian appeal and look as though they have served a practical purpose at some stage in their history. Look for decorative pieces like metal birdcages, woven baskets, Chinoiserie pottery, and colored glass vases. Set your table with a rooster, olive or flower themed pottery and add iron candle holders and a linen tablecloth to complete the look.
6. Au naturel
The French Country living room embraces the natural foundation of the building and works with the architecture. If you have the opportunity to build or renovate then think raw brick, stonework, wood paneling, whitewashed walls, and exposed beams to create the look you’re going for. Then add distressed furniture that shows the natural wear and tear of life, and finally finish off space with natural linen accents in the form of throw pillows, upholstered furniture, and window treatments.
7. Mirror, mirror on the wall
An oversized antique mirror is the perfect focal point for any French Country living room. It reflects natural light and makes space feel bigger. But before you rush out and buy a selection of the biggest, glitziest mirrors you can find, think French country villa, not Versailles Hall of Mirrors. One stylishly oversized mirror is all you need and if you’re aiming for an elegantly understated room, then rather than a glitzy, gilded frame, look for something that is wooden and naturally weathered.
8. Splurge on fresh flowers
If you look at almost any photograph of a French Country living room you will see fresh flowers, especially lavender, tulips, and geraniums, everywhere; in baskets, antique pewter pitchers, Chinoiserie jugs and copper pots. An abundance of flowers is an integral part of the French Country look and the idea is to bring the color and textures of nature into your home. The smell of lavender, when you walk through your front door, might even make you feel like you have bought a little piece of Versailles or Provence into your living space.
French Country style is all about comfort and creating an effortless feeling of timeless elegance in the living room of your home. Whether you go for a relaxed drawing room style or a more formal living room. With the right choice of vintage pieces, natural colors, and rustic accessories, you can pull off this look and be the envy of all your friends.
Develop a Budget: There’s no avoiding the math: If you overdo it on an out of the blue costly seat, you’ll have less cash accessible for the remainder of the home. A real estate agent can give you a guide for how to isolate the expenses of things between rooms.” You can even now make a special case on the off chance that you locate a unique eating table, he noted, however, so as to pay for it you have to be astute about what another place you can reduce.
