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French Country Interior Design
"French country interior design is a unique, and very addictive form of rustic chic."
French country interior decorating has some character traits that really are distinctly French. It has its own way of ...
... bringing the outdoors in and the indoors out,
... adding ornament (particularly above doors), and
... using antique fabrics in wonderfully creative ways.
The fluidity of boundaries between home and outdoors, and the inventive use of ornament and textiles are probably the most conspicuous aspects of authentic French country interior design ...
... but there's much more to this style, and you'll find additional tips & tricks for French country home design in the links below. (If you scroll down a little, you'll see them - or just read on!)
If you're particularly interested in French country style wall treatments, or flooring, or pottery from Provence, you'll find information about these on the page about Provence Interiors.
To be sure, France is rather large - so the look of French country interior decorating will differ greatly between, for example,
 - a dairy farm in Alsace,
- a fisherman’s cottage on the coast of Normandy, and
- a hilltop farm above the Côte d’Azur.
A chair like the one in this picture would be perfectly at home in French country decor along the German or Swiss border, but not at all among the cool blue-and-white of, say, La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast, only 500 miles away.
Interestingly, most people outside France find that French country interior design is really summed up in the farmhouses and cottages of Provence.
French Country Interior Design,
Provence Style
The south-eastern corner of France, with its seductive scents of lavender, rose, herbs and honey, is what most of us have in mind when we think (or dream) of French country home design.
No matter whether you’re ...
… chances are you’ll have Provence interiors in mind.
The stone villages of Provence are great for holidays (and for doing a bit of research into French country home decorating on the side - click here for more information about Provençal Interiors!)
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French Country Living,
Indoors & Outdoors
Most of France is blessed with a wonderful climate, and French country living is practically synonymous with fabulous food and fine wine (deservedly so, in my humble opinion!)
So it’s only natural that French country interior design should include an outdoor dining area as well.
 It’s usually a terrace, shaded by vines and roses or a wattle screen, and it’s the perfect place to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner with a view to the countryside or garden.
At the same time, wrought iron (or wooden) garden furniture is used inside French country style homes as well, particularly in a sunroom or around the kitchen table.
Cushions covered in linen, cotton florals, or toile de jouy fabric provide seating comfort while keeping the decor easy and informal.
In the South of France, I found another interesting take on French country interior design: outdoor living rooms.
Would you believe that the little patio in the picture above is an open-air interior courtyard, gravel and all, on the first floor of an old Provencal country house?
A seriously cool, chic place to have a cup of coffee and read a (French) novel!
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French Country Decor -
Making Doorways Special
If you’re into French country interior design, your doors will know it …
… or rather, the spaces above them.
No door is too humble to be adorned by a little creative doorway jewelry!
Take your pick among
- porcelain or earthenware plates
- a handpainted tile
- an old photo in an even older frame
- a wooden ornament (one that’s fallen off somewhere else)
- something gilded
- a fragment of beautiful plasterwork
- a little oil painting on a ‘distressed’ slat of wood
- a few of your daughter’s drawings
- a framed bit of antique patterned fabric
- a decorative piece of wrought ironwork
- three post cards from the 1930s
- (help! I can’t stop ...)
You see, this is a place where you can get really, really creative.
And since even small items do the trick perfectly well (and you don’t need to have, or be, a Picasso) …
… you’ll be able to create a very convincing French country look for your doors in no time at all.
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French Country Interior Decorating
With Textiles
 Fine fabrics make fine windows, chic beds, lush tables, and sumptuous sofas.
And you can easily accomplish this without breaking the bank.
You could start with a snippet of something velvety or silky, a monogram or a small piece of antique lace …
… and integrate it strategically into a length of plain linen (appliqué it, or stitch it onto a different-colored background and then attach).
Then hang, wrap, drape or otherwise exhibit it somewhere obvious: as a tablecloth, a cushion cover, a curtain.
In French country interior design, these small touches of precious, handmade detail are crucial.
A sofa cushion with an appliquéd monogrammed patch from the flea market will add a dose of panache to your country French style living room.
An interesting piece of old printed or embroidered cotton could embellish just one corner of a simple length of table linen.
Don’t strive to create things that match – rather, combine colors and fabrics in a slightly offbeat, quirky way.
French country interior decorating is all about enjoying the beauty of things … and having a laugh while you do.
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Further reading:
Learn more about Provence Interiors - considered by many to be the 'prototype' of French country interior design.
Planning a French Country Kitchen? - If it's just a 'lite' makeover, here are some Tips & Tricks to Get the French Country Look for your current culinary laboratory.
Click here to read about Color Schemes for French Country Decorating ...
and here to find out how you can have French Country Decor on a Shoestring ...
And if you're looking for new country curtain ideas, you're likely to find a few on the page about French Country Curtains.
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