Enhancing Your Home With Elements Of French Country Décor

Warm, rustic, earthy, natural and casually elegant are just some of the appellations that one can apply to French country décor, which has a charm and a timeless attractiveness that seems never to go out of style.

Since French country décor or recreating the rustic French chateau look can be so timeless, it tends never to go out of style or appear dated; it can appear fresh for years to come. You can try the following ideas to try and bring a little bit of French country décor into your home –

Furniture

french country decorWhen it comes to furniture of the French country décor style, think of rustic wood & wrought iron – for the furniture as well as accessories. Wood with visible knots, ladder back chairs, in warm wood, white or cream colors evoke this rustic French charm.

The idea is to let there be a slightly worn look to the furniture, using a crackle treatment perhaps, to make the furniture appear slightly, charmingly worn and old world.

Adding of vintage hardware or use of bead boards can also evoke the impression of French country décor. Rather than a shiny or new look for the furniture, the aim should be to create a more relaxed and lived-in look for the furniture.

For this reason, modern or contemporary pieces of furniture will not fit into the scheme of things when you are trying to create a French country look.

Wall treatments

Natural earth colors and light hues of the sun and the sky evoke the charm of French country décor.

To create that cottage like feel within a home, use blues, buttery yellows, grassy greens and so on. Create a rougher finish over the walls and use a chocolate brown glaze to help create a more aged look. Plaster or stucco also work well to evoke this rustic but genteel charm. Rather than a sterile smoothness, a more natural and earthy, even slightly uneven feel to the walls is more in keeping with the over all look.

Use of Fabric

lace curtainsIn French country décor a clever use of fabric can be made to create the right ambience. Lace curtains or sheer fabrics at the windows, suspended from wrought iron rods create the right ambience in keeping with the rustic furniture and the appropriately treated walls.

Traditional colors for throws, pillows and cushions can be used to create interesting contrasts and coordination for the main color scheme. Braided or rag rugs, also add to the overall charm and feel of French country décor.

Accessories

Accents or accessories with a clever use of sunflower and lavender motifs can be used. Brassware, earthen ware, bowls, pans, pottery, can all be used to great effect. Dried sprigs, fresh flowers or other natural elements work well as well.

Wrought iron accents, as well as motifs including stripes, checks, toile, and plaid and so on can be used to mix and match, and create some nice layering effects. The idea, with French country décor is to create a cozy, warm and inviting interior which can be done in a number of very personal ways.

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