French Interior Design & French Home Decor

French interior design is bold, sophisticated, and very chic.

This article is about general examples of French interior design (& original photos of authentic French interiors).

If you're looking for specific French decor information, do check out the following links as well:

• French Country  Decorating

• French Country Interior Design: Decor ideas & Style elements

• Provence Interiors - French style home decor from the south of France

• French Country Curtains for elegant & rustic French interior design

• French Country Kitchens
("Get the Look" of French style decor)

• French Country Kitchen Design

• Color Schemes for French Interiors

• Decorating with Toile de Jouy (for highly recognizable  French style decor)

• French Country Decor on a Shoestring
(Frugal French home decor tricks)

• 5 Creative French Country Interior Decorating Ideas (Easy & quick)

• French Bathroom Decorating Ideas

• French Bedroom Interior Design

It takes a serious amount of sophistication to pull off a mix of art, antiques and the latest fashions and then, possibly, stir in a bit of country or kitsch.

Of course this isn't the only  type of French interior decorating there is ...

... but I do think it's one the French are particularly good at.

"If It's Worth Doing,
It's Worth Doing In Style."

Oooops ... are you  French, by any chance? Well, would you agree that French style decor is about creating spaces with a truly original flair - and the occasional healthy dash of flamboyance?

To me as a foreigner, it seems quite obvious everywhere in France. Just look at the flower displays in your public spaces. Even in very small towns, they're extraordinary; always eye-catching and superbly tasteful. (And they do look quite expensive, too :-)

Anyway, back to French interior design. Let's start with something France is famous for the world over (apart from the wine ...)

French Interior Design, Castle Style

Here's a picture I took at one of the prettiest castles in the Loire valley, Chenonceau.

This painted ceiling is just one of its many marvels.

Now you could of course say, castles are a special case of interior decorating - after all, they're built to show off wealth and power, right?

So really, having gorgeous ceilings is the least you can do if you're a castle, French or not French!

Now if you don't mind, have a look at the ceiling below - painted, or rather stencilled in gold, these are definitely contemporary French interiors, and very much not  in a castle.

This ceiling was done for a lovely little hotel, La Maison de Blauzac, tucked away in a tiny town in the south of France.

The sky-blue-and-gilt armoire doors near the top of this page (if you don't mind scrolling back up for a moment, please)...

... are in the same room as this ceiling, and the walls are painted gold all the way up to chair rail height. No kidding.

The blue/gold color scheme makes for a serene, rich and, well, princely  environment to recharge your batteries!

French Interior Design: Playing With The Past

Obviously, French interior decorating isn't all  about gold (in fact, much of it isn't!)

One of the things that strike me about French interior design is the playful attitude towards the past.

There is so much gorgeous old stuff around this country that it doesn't need any 'packaging' to make it look even more special, gorgeous, or old.

For example, the plasterwork on this chimney breast (in a Provençal house) is antique, and so is the print.

Why frame it?

The owner just hung it on a rusty iron hook and fastened it with a faded silk bow.

French Home Decor: Country Elegance

Just because you're not in Paris doesn't mean you don't do things with a flair.

Here's an example of French interior design from Les Sardines aux Yeux Bleus  in Gattigues (Vaucluse).

(Les Sardines  is my favorite B&B in the South of France. It manages to be exquisitely relaxed, a bit rustic and very chic, all at the same time.)

In one of their spacious bathrooms, this antique chair displays its elegant lines against the backdrop of a sheer linen curtain that's been swept up from the floor in a big, sculptural knot.

French Interior Design In Color

Looking at the pictures so far, you might be left with the impression that French interior design is generally done in chalky or faded colors.

Far from it.

Have a look at this French country living room - it's all in red, pink and rust, with some blue, écru and cream thrown in to create an enlivening mix.

The scrumptious surfaces of the quilt and overstuffed cushions covered in velvet create a sumptuous, tactile, inviting seating area.

French Home Decor Rule #1:
Gold=Good

At the end, just once, let me return to the 'gold' theme in French interior decorating ... for the heck of it.

Have a look at this picture and you'll understand why I couldn't resist! It's a life-size  portrait, given to the owners of Chenonceau  castle by the sitter himself, King Louis XIV ...

...and it has the most over-the-top picture frame I've seen in my whole life.

To be sure, contemporary French interior design doesn't generally go to these lengths (and it's not just for the current lack of kings!)

But if you're into French home decor, something gilded, or at least something polished to a high sheen, will never go amiss.

That said, I also find that French interior decorating is much more interested in gracious living than in Parisian uber chic.

It's about the art of making everyday life really, really enjoyable.

Chances are that's what you had in mind as well. And chances are you're not, at the moment, the proud owner of a French castle, or of an antique pile in the countryside.

So how do you  create convincing French interior design?

Well, there's the French Country Decorating section on this site, with loads of specific topics to explore. For further research, I suggest you look into French interior design magazines. Here's a selection for you:

French Interior Design Magazines

French home decor magazines are renowned for their originality and inspiration. Whenever I'm in France, I bring back an armful.

Even if your French is rusty, scant, or non-existent, French interior design mags are worth it just for the pictures.

My personal favorites (most of them pictured here) are

Have a look for yourself:

French Interior Design Books

Next to magazines, books are an invaluable resource when you want to create authentic French style decor. And most books come with the added bonus of having been translated into English ;-)

The following selection of French interior design and decorating books is a combination of best rated / best selling on Amazon.com, plus a few books that are currently out of print but still listed & available second-hand on Amazon (and so good that I just had  to mention them here!)

This 'Best Of'  selected reading list is focused exclusively on real French homes & interiors:

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