The French style is effortless, comfortable, elegant, romantic and charming. You can achieve this look by combining old elements, luxurious décor pieces with simplicity, giving attention to detail in even the most unexpected places of your home such as hanging a little wooden heart from a doorknob.
Key elements would combine rustic with glamour by be mixing and matching freestanding distressed furniture pieces, amoires, bold ornate mirrors, natural flooring, crystal chandeliers with exposed wall finishes such as brick, cement and aged paint techniques.
Bedroom:
• Adding a chandelier helps to achieve the chateau look in almost every room but makes for quite a romantic feeling in a bedroom.
• Creamy white colours can be used on bed linens, layering texture with velvet, lace or broderie anglais-edged pillowcases.
• Extra length sheer curtains that drape to the floor can be hung on a simple rod in cottons and voile to allow natural light in.
• Silver gilded mirrors hung on the walls, natural flooring, elaborate white headboards and pedestals.
• Luxurious, tufted headboards or white rococo headboards.
Bathroom:
• Keep it simple.
•Freestanding bath tubs and basins.
• Chunky baskets for rolled up towels.
• Hang a candle chandelier for effect.
• Again, use sheer curtains that allow natural light in.
•Prop up gilt-framed mirrors above the basin or bath.
Living room:
• Mix and match furniture pieces like a generous armchair with one or two baroque chairs in the living room.
• Make a focal point out of something interesting like a giant clock or scour antique markets for unique treasures that can be used as a focal point.
• Natural flooring.
• Linen fabrics and ottomans.
• French lamps.
• Repurpose vintage servers through paint-techniques and use them in a different way, for example as a tv cabinet. Alternatively use antique servers in the same way.
• Living room can have French doors that open onto the garden creating flow between the outside and inside for a “country” feeling.
• Distressed furniture.
Kitchen:
• Free standing furniture pieces like a butchers block or again amoires to store anything from pots to groceries.
• Details such as knobs and carving on cabinets. One can easily upcycle existing kitchen cabinets through paint techniques and changing the knobs to crystal ones or ceramic.
• Rooster or chicken motives are quite popular as is red check, used in fabrics or table décor.
• Linen table runners.
• Pot racks hung from the ceiling.
• Fresh flowers.
• Upholstered cushions for chairs in red check, floral or toile.
• A rustic wooden kitchen table.
• Use plaster on the walls or a stucco finish to add texture to the space.
All photographs taken in Moi Décor, Duncan Yard.
~We hope these tips will help you achieve a little bit of France where ever you are!~
