French country
style is warm and inviting.
"The architectural style of the house is less important than its furnishings and the way those furnishings reflect the life within," says Betty Lou Phillips, author of "Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America." Though there is no wrong or right way to decorate in the French country style, its goal is to create a comfortable, rustic charm while using furnishings that maintain understated elegance. Keep in mind the four key elements of color, light, texture and scale when you put your rooms together. French country style is more of an attitude of individuality rather than using exactly this item or that color. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Use a mix of furniture that complements each other, but not doesn't necessarily match. The look should be inviting and comfortable with sofas and chairs that beg to be settled into. Set ladder back chairs with straw or rush seats in the kitchen. Display arm chairs with exposed wooden legs and arms with upholstered seats and backs in richly textured fabrics in the sitting areas.
2. Hang and drape fabric in comfy textures and patterns. French country style incorporates the charm of tailored drapes that pool on the floor with tassels and tie-backs, to thinly veiling lace curtains. Use fabrics throughout the space, from lush tablecloths in linen or other natural fibers to billowy netting gracefully spilling from canopy beds. Fabrics can even be used on walls.
3. Refresh your old possessions by adding new details. Add trim to your lampshades or a new coat of paint to a table or dresser. Simply exchanging drawer pulls for ones you pick up at an antique shop or flea market can help pull together your own French country style. It's all about unpretentious collections that conjure up an old-world feel and a sense of self history.
4. Influence the mood of your rooms with color. The French love colors, while Americans tend to favor a monochromatic palette. In Provence, warm and earthy colors like corals and ochers make a room feel like the Mediterranean sunshine. Cool colors of greens and blues are calming. To discover what colors you find soothing, take a look at your wardrobe. Even if you're a bit shy about color, you should be able to get a sense for what hues make you feel comfortable and put together a palette from there.
5. Light your space in accordance with the natural light and mood. Avoid track lighting as it can look jarring and unforgiving. Make use of dark colors for rooms that will be used in the evening with artificial light, sconces and candles. A light color will bring life to a room with natural light. Chandeliers are a French staple and can be found styles ranging from elegant to rustic. Floor lamps, table lamps and candles are all ways to bring the French country ambiance into your home.
6. Layer textures and patterns to create interesting depth. The French country style layers from the bottom up. Start with interesting hardwoods, tiles or stone, then add a sumptuous rug or one made of natural rushes to bring interest to the floor. Walls can have a troweled texture with a glaze, or be covered with a patterned wallpaper, or even upholstery -- this works especially well if the wall is flawed or set at an odd angle. The idea is for the space to look comfortable and inviting, filled with the well-planned out trinkets, furniture, colors and textures that are an extension of yourself and your lifestyle.
7. Integrate boldly scaled furniture and details with a sense of balance instead of symmetry. French manor houses once held grand pieces of furniture that gave depth to the rooms and were offset by the scale of accessories. The fringe on a pillow can be doubled, the heirloom armoire may take up a large amount of bedroom floorspace, but it is balanced with a solid bed frame. The key to scale is to use charm in the finishing touches.
Tags: country style, French country, French country style, chairs with, country style