Country French Decor Style Guide

Design Outline For Effortlessly Creating A Country French Home

Elevated relaxation. Effortless chic. Elegant rustic romance. This summarizes the look, the mood, and the design that sets the stage for a home decorated in country French decor style. Overall it’s a timeless look that emphasizes casual elegance with a healthy appreciation for classic antiques, quality linens, and furniture that stands the test of time. Romantic accents and personal touches curated through the years make each Country French space unique as well as continuously evolving over time. There is also a deep-rooted relationship between nature and the countryside lands that prevail in Country French home decor. Basic design principles include the use of:

• Colors are soft pastels, off-whites, sunny yellows, and robin egg to muted and royal blues.
• Classic floral prints from wallpaper to upholstery.
• Traditional freestanding wood furniture.
• Honoring exposed wooden beams and stone walls.
• An eclectic, mismatched mixture of painted furnishings.
• Vintage rugs.
• Textures in different fabrics and coverings: painted antiques; lush velvets; tapestries; linens; cotton; leather; stripes and woven textiles.

Country rustic is the name of the game, but what makes it Country French decor is the blending of rustic-worn fabrics, old metal, and faded paint with grand accents such as antique tapestries, wall sconces, a chandelier, and fine china. All of these elements are combined to ultimately present a collection of curated luxury.

Romance Is In The Air

Country French decor is draped with seductive fabrics in bold patterns creating a luxurious romantic feel. The home is dappled with sunlight, breezes pushing thru floor to ceiling curtains, and vases of fresh flowers dispersed throughout the home.

• Colors are soft, relaxing, and sedative.
• Flowers are always romantic by nature and in a Country French decor themed home floral prints abound.
• Ample throw pillows in a mixture of complementary colors and luxurious textures are the perfect accents.

WALLS: Setting the Stage with Paint, Wallpaper & Murals

Country French Decor Colors

The most typical Country French decor color combination you’ll find is white or cream paired with a shade of blue. This look is quite fresh and elegant, complementing much of the natural wooden surfaces that are part of a rustic room. Other popular French Country colors for walls, linens, painted furniture, and accents are:

• Sage green.
• Primrose yellow.
• Soft, washout pastels.
• Creams, ivories, and whites.
• Blues: cornflower blues, sky blue, a clear mid-tone blue – the color of Provencal sky.
• Grey - there are even grey-toned paints named “French Grey” (which pairs well with blues).

Wallpaper

Country French decor use of wallpaper is a popular one as classic designs from the 17th and 18th centuries are still used. These patterns of tousled rose bouquets, fleur-de-lys, flower garlands, and trompe l’oeil are grand designs that work in a countryside manor as well as a small cottage.

• Stylized wallpaper flower patterns can transform a space by expressing a sense of grandeur but in a not overpowering way.
• Decorating all four walls of a room, and even the ceiling, in wallpaper is a perfectly acceptable practice when it comes to your Country French decor styles.

Murals

To create a truly immersive rustic French countryside look, adding a wall mural can be a one-of-a-kind way to express you create inclinations. This idea comes from the hand-painted walls of French country estates back in the day.

• A softer monotone colored image will impart that faded glamor look Country French decor is known for.

The Fifth Wall

Country French decor style loves to add embellishments to their ceilings. A variety of methods can be used: wallpaper, paint, or paneling.

• It’s all part of the layering technique that comprises the rustic Country French decor look.
• Ceiling decorating allows you an opportunity to add another layer of decor and color to your room.
• Complimenting tones keep the look more chic and romantic while a bold contrasting ceiling can be turned into the focal point of the room.

Country French Decor Furniture

The perfect balance and flow of furnishings that comprises a French country home setting come from a respect for both nature (natural material) and well-made quality pieces. Finished with decorative flourishes and subdued colors that reflect the surrounding countryside add some characteristic touches. Most, but certainly not all, of the furniture style used in Country French decor is more upholstered pieces and upright seating. No lazy boys, recliner chairs, or soft sofas. It is ok to mix different period pieces, merging more modern styles with antiques if you keep a connection running with a unified color palette. If you do have a classic French furniture piece that is the center of attention, scale back the rest of the room’s decor to allow it to shine. The goal is subtle elegance.

• You’re aiming for refined comfortable luxury; gentle curves with minimal ornate overtures.
• Carefully selected antique furniture; Louis XVI style is a nice choice, giving off a weathered look while possessing immense character and charm.
• Distressed wooden chairs covered in velvet.
• Whitewashed or pale wood and low sheen finishes.
• Rustic rattan pieces.
• Natural materials.
• Decorative stencil accents painted on furniture.
• Most of all, it’s about choosing pieces you love regardless of trending styles.

Chinaware Displays

Another very pretty and special way to add touches of Country French decor to your space is by including displays of fine china.

• Open shelving types of cabinets are the best options for these presentations.
• Painting them the same color as your walls makes for a more modern streamlined look.
• They can also be hung on an accent wall for a pretty focal point display.

Country French Decor Curtains

• Full-length drapes that hug the floor.
• Lighter hues help achieve a breezy country rustic look.
• Checkers and florals are lovely options, especially in kitchens and offices.
• A darker floral damask can be used sparingly in a Country French bedroom.
• The overall look is reminiscent of a classic chateau, relaxed and romantic.

Mix & Match Fabrics

Country French decor is about the beauty that comes from the imperfections. By using a variety of different fabric types and patterns, you will be able to create your own unique rustic style that fits your idea of French country decor.

• The desired relaxed classy look is achieved with linens, plaids, checkers, woven materials, and hints of rich velvet.
• Worn natural wood or stone flooring with a woven antique-looking carpet is a perfect example.
• The drapery fabrics hung ceiling to floor and can range from linens to heavier textiles, to floral patterned cotton.
• Handcrafted nature-inspired accessories with a mixture of printed fabrics are the extra touch needed to complete your Country French decor design.

Passementerie (decorative trim)

To complete the Country French decor look, add passementerie embellishments that highlight your furnishing accents and enhance the beauty of your vintage furniture. Decorative trim on throw pillows; a hanging tassel on a cupboard handle; fringe framing a lounge chair. These types of passementerie flourishes are what elevate a simple cottage into French Country style.

• Appliqués
• Borders
• Cord
• Fringe
• Tassels
• Tiebacks

Art Accents

Scenes of country villages, animals in the fields, nature scapes, and flora still-lifes, are the typical subjects of art pieces that adorn the walls of a Country French decor style home.

• One trick is to match some of the room’s fabric elements with colors found in your main art image.
• This technique keeps the eye flowing around the room.
• You want to create a visual sense of flow that defines this French style.

Fresh Flowers & Greens

Being that Country French decor is inspired by the cottages and manors in the European countryside, your design theme would not be finished without numerous tasteful additions of herbs, flowers, and foliage from your local nature areas. Appropriately themed ideas include:

• Pots and bunches of herbs in the kitchen.
• Dried, or fresh if available, lavender-filled urns and ceramic vases.
• Garden gathered bouquets placed on your French country coffee table and mantlepiece.
• Glass bottles with a single flower and some outdoor greenery.

Country French Decor Kitchen

Like most homes, the kitchen is the heart of your country home and the perfect place to assemble many of your favorite found objects and furnishings.

• The kitchen vibe is open and welcoming.
• It’s an atmosphere of warmth mainly created by the look of well-worn and well-loved objects, from a bench and table to copper pots and historic family photos.
• Allow any natural architectural elements to standout; it adds to the rustic feel.
• Paint colors are warm neutrals, weathered whites, and stoned washed blues and greens.
• The look is informal with antique accents, toile fabric, and wood furniture.
• Cabinets and islands are open for displaying pretty tableware and bowls of fresh produce.

Don’t Forget Outside

Outdoor, backyard picnics set upon floral cushions, with a checked blanket, and meals made from garden ingredients would be a replication of French countryside living.

• Country French decor is known for using metal garden furniture with simple lines.
• Clusters of herbs in terracotta pots are the complementing accents.

SUMMARY

A design theme that is timeless, Country French decor will remain popular because it reflects an elemental connection to nature, to mother earth. The gentle pace of a country lifestyle is becoming more sought after as the stresses of daily life increase. It’s about enjoying simple moments in comfortable but elegant settings. Sharing meals with fresh ingredients and local wine served on beautiful china and surrounded by handpicked flowers. This decor style has been designed around a carefully laid out plan that balances functionality while inviting occupants and guests to live with ease. While there are definite guides to follow, ultimately Country French decor is about showcasing your personality with beautiful art, vintage objects, handcrafted elements, and all things you adore.