How to Decorate in French Country Style

When considering how to decorate in French country style, my first consideration is if I can — or am willing to — carry the theme or style throughout the entire house and the yard, garden, porch, patio, or balcony.  In other words, I am convinced that a single room decorated in the style of the French country cottage will not work successfully.

Needless to say, most of us do not have homes in the French farmhouse design.  Many of us live in apartments that have little or no design beyond utilitarian.  Of course, there is no need for dismay.  There are ways to transform any home or condo or apartment into a little bit of the French countryside.

Decorating Begins With a French Country Color Scheme

Begin with the color scheme.  Know what colors are comfortable for you and your family and which colors just won’t work for you.  The article on the basic French country color palette offers an introductory look at colors and hues.  With the basic ideas of colors in mind, I always suggest a trip to the paint store for paint chips or paint chip cards that show the best combinations for each shade.  In this instance, I always suggest following the color guides offered by the paint professionals.

Purchase the selected colors in small samples.  Most stores will make samples if they do not have them readily available.  Give your selected colors a try on the walls at home.  After years and years of painting walls and changing colors, I have yet to see a color in the store that looked exactly the same in my house.  There is the matter of what color you are painting over (if you have not used a white primer) and of course, there is the matter of lighting.  If the room gets lots of natural light it will look different from a room that only receives ambient light.

Consider the Possibilities of Major Alterations

Consider the possibilities such as adding decorative beams to the ceiling in the family room or kitchen.  I have seen some that are actually synthetic materials that are really lightweight but look like real beams.

Many French farmhouses or cottages have exposed beams.  Whether you choose to go to this extent is dependent on how much you want to spend on the new decor and whether you own the house or condo or are renting.

The second consideration is the flooring.  Most French farmhouses and/or cottages have hard wood floors or tile floors with large area rugs, rather than the American style wall to wall carpeting.  For those in an apartment with carpeting, considering an area rug over sections of the carpet could be a consideration, although much depends on the installed carpet type and color.

Personally, I am a huge fan of wood or tile floors.  That was even before I fell in love with the French country look.

Start Shopping for the Furniture and Interior Basics

With the color scheme selected the decision made on any major alterations to the home, it is time to start shopping for the furniture and fixtures.

When shopping for a particular decor style I usually start with the lighting fixtures.  When deciding how to decorate in French country style, the lighting is equally important to the furniture.  If you are a reader of my articles, you know where I start my shopping experience — thrift stores, collectible stores, auctions and estate sales.  To be honest I cannot imagine going to a retail furniture store to find anything that is suitable for the French country style, although I suppose there are a few pieces that would fit in.

Beginning with the lighting fixtures, I would start by shopping estate sales and auctions.  I have had great luck over many years finding high end lighting at affordable prices at estate sales and at auctions.  As a last resort I would shop at a high end lighting store.

Opinion:  I know!  I know!  Most of us would think of heading to one of those big box home hardware stores.  I have been there!  And, if you really want to pull off the French country style the last thing you want is a cheap lighting fixture — inexpensive “yes”, cheap “no”.  You want real crystals on the chandeliers or solid brass, but nothing that looks as if it is the thickness of aluminum foil painted to look golden.

In this particular case I am willing to spend more on the lighting fixtures because I know I can save on the distressed furniture.

Shop for the furniture next.  Again, I would head straight to an estate sale, an auction or a thrift store — in fact, I would visit all and get some ideas and some pricing guides.  Before making the first trip, learn what you can — if you don’t know — about the French furniture styles.  Take a look to the right sidebar to find the primary characteristics you will need to learn to recognize.

French Country style is the direct descendant of all the “Louis” styles that went before.  French Country is the hand-me-down version.