Monday, January 23, 2017

Today's French Country Style

The lovely French Country style can work in today's modern homes.
This style has fanciful elements mixed with things to take it down a notch,
making it a nice livable style choice.  Mixing in some rustic pieces is the secret
to getting the right mix for French Country style, so you don't feel like you live
in a museum.  Its a style I have a passion for, and I hope you enjoy this post.
Let's take a look at some rooms that have the perfect mix, in my opinion.
Pamela Pierce Design
Everything about this room has wonderful French Country style for today's living.
Rustic and feminine meet to keep the room welcoming to both sexes.
 This home had the stone walls that set the rustic tone, so softness and femininity was added with fabrics and flowers. Look at the accessories: a pillow with an antique toile remnant, a green metal garden dining table used as a console,  old books, weathered finishes on the chair, lamp and shutters, and crocks and vases of a single type of bloom speak to an easy country life style, which is what French Country style is all about.  Bravo Pamela!
Veranda Magazine
A slice of a view of this room from Veranda magazine shows
a monochromatic scheme in camel and white.  The traditional checked
fabric keeps things approachable and the burlap drapery panel along
with sisal carpeting gives the room it's rustic elements. This room is more
French Country Cottage, as most of the design incorporates simple pieces,
with no gilded or fancy accessories anywhere in sight.
Traditional Home Magazine
A beautiful living room with doors that open out onto an 
inviting courtyard has the ubiquitous checkered
curtains flanking the french doors as well as on the upholstery.  
Lots of rustic elements from the walls to the grass rugs and the
 country style accessories make this room a great example of French Country.
It is decorated simply with well chosen accent pieces.
Pamela Pierce Design
Every thing this Texas designer does, I love!  
Pamela Pierce's trademark look is a feminine french style and she
balances it out with an old rustic ambience.  The stone walls create a nice setting
 for the painted rococo table and the slipcovered sofas in linen.  
Her signature is the ruffled slips that you will
find in many of her rooms on sofas and chairs.
 The lavender fabric makes this room light hearted and fresh.   
Veranda Magazine
Grey is the color of the decade, and here it is used in several shades on the 
wall paneling to great effect.  Black and white transfer ware plates
are hung all around the room, a  great French collectible indeed.
Another set of checkered draperies keep this room in the French Country style, 
as you might imagine fancier silk draperies would set a different tone.
The mix of painted chairs with the wooden table is another way this room keeps
to it's French Country style.  The iron lantern light fixture keeps the formal feel
of the furniture from becoming too precious.  I love the mix in this room.
Source Unknown (Pinterest)
This is such a great little banquette dining nook done in French Country style.
A built in library effect was created with flanking bookcases 
and then the area done in mirror behind the built in to visually increase the space.
What gives this room successful FC style is the use of the tan and white buffalo check on the painted French chairs, and the overall tone on tone color palette.  A painted chandelier hangs above a painted
table, and then a random French chair in dark wood is added to take away from the matched set.
A comfy banquette in checked and solid linen pillows makes it quite a charming spot.  What a nice
way to outfit a less than large eating area in a smaller home, townhouse or condo.
French Country style has evolved from this look, where there was tons of color and pattern everywhere you looked.  Toile fabrics, painted furniture and coordinating fabric patterns where once the way to create the "French Country" room.  Now it is a "less is more" kind of look, using some of these elements, but not all of them together.  A more subdued interpretation of this beloved look is a modern way to use French Country style in one's home.  Imagine this room without the curtains, just the shutters.  The table without the cloth, and that the table would be an iron garden table or a simple rustic pine piece.  Painted chair with checkered pad is perfectly fine as is.  Strip the wallpaper and use a neutral white or greige paint on the walls.  Finish it off with an antique French mirror  flanked by some of the transfer ware plates, over the painted blue sideboard, or use a Swedish style plate rack.  Now that would be an easy room makeover with stunning results!  Do you have a French Country room that could use a little updating? 

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10 comments:

  1. What a great post. Yes, the French Country of the past truly had the rule of more is more....I love the new look of less fluff.

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  2. Interesting. When I look at the traditional fabrics around here in the south of France, I do see lots of bold color--red, blue, yellow, green. And yet you pinpoint what I also see: interiors, especially kitchens, done in those colors, that now look dated. I want all that color to be dialed back a bit. The bright colors still look good outdoors.
    The use of lavender here is lovely. It's so subtle.

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  3. I love it-love it-love it. I love all the neutrals and that it relies more on textures rather than heavy patterns and saturated color. Great post, Amy. xo Diana

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  4. Gorgeous. Ooooh I love that table in the first picture.

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  5. Beautiful! Especially love the dining room with the plateware displayed above the fireplace!

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  6. Such a great post! I have been pinning Pamela Pierce designs for years, and didn't even know it! Thank you for the info as I fall down the "rabbit hole" of googling images of hers! LOL

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  7. The stone walls were so interesting to me....such a European look. Wonder if anyone has ever tried to create that look by painting their own walls?

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  8. How lovely and elegant everything is in these photos.
    Marilyn

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  9. I like the Frech Country look of the blue and yellows together. Love the table in the first picture

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  10. Love this post Amy! And as you know, this neutral and pared down French Country definitely has my heart! Exactly what I'm doing to the house right now. Getting rid of the red toile in the family room was the first step!

    Hope you're good!

    Sheila
    xo

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