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French Country Home
Decorating With Harmony

There is a spontaneity to French country home decorating. The best spaces never look decorated or overly thought out, and the furnishings hold a reminder to the past and are intended to be used.

The living room envelopes the most cherished furniture, including over size coffee tables that can handle drinks, hor d’oeuvres and accessories.

Accessories are charming everyday things which reveal much about the taste and interests of the owners, including family photos in silver picture frames, fresh-cut flowers, or maps showcasing travels.

Placing a potpourri of mismatched chairs to promote conversation will make rooms special.

Living room in a French Country home Nailheads in the upholstery are quite common in French country home decorating and seating will have decorative pillows and cozy throws for comfort.

Slipcovers are also common and made to fit furniture beautifully. Sofas, chairs and ottomans promote a sophisticated air and are exquisitely tailored with accouterments of inverted pleats, scallop hemlines, contrasting welts and flanges with lavish trims.

Slipcovers allow you to change the look of your rooms with the seasons. The use of chenille and corduroy in the colder months and cottons and linen for the warmer months. They can also camouflage weary or tired upholstery.

With a huge passion for books, bookcases can be found everywhere including the foyer, and books are heaped high on skirted tables or stacked on the floor.



The kitchen in a French country home is where the living is centered.

Old copper pots are on display out in the open, and on pot racks. Open shelving shows off pottery, glassware and functional trays. Wire baskets are used on counters to hold breads, and herbs can be seen growing in pots on a window sill.

Tables are set for presentation with damask tablecloths, or a lace cloth with a skirt of a color peeking through from underneath.

Provincial prints provide a dash of color for a more casual table, and mix the china pattern with a blend of silver, porcelain and earthenware in sun wash glazes.

Wood pieces in the dining room have a well-worn feel about them and warm patina. The chairs are of a larger scale making them more comfortable to linger after the meal.

The seats can be a slip cover for color, or use a ladder back chair with rush seats and a cushion with either plaid or a floral print. Banquettes, (an upholstered bench) at the table is a great look.

Lush drapes with lots of fabric that puddles on the floor soften the hard surfaces of the wood in the dining room.

You may want to use an over scaled arrangement of fresh flowers on the table.

The bedroom or boudoir, which means private retreat becomes a place to recharge.

Extraordinary attention is paid to beds with sumptuous linens, comforters, and layers of pillows including bolsters. It becomes a focal point of the room and can be hand painted, an iron, sleigh, or four poster beds with a canopy of gauzy fabrics, flowery prints or toiles with a sophisticated mood.

No matching beds, dressers or chests, and nothing to suggest pieces were bought together with matching wood finishes are used. It is the mixing of old, or what appears to be old with the new well, that make it work.

The bedroom can also include a writing desk for corresponding, a comfortable chair and ottoman, chaise or settee, and hardwood floors covered with Aubusson rugs.

The armoire with its graceful curves, aged patina and beautiful deep carvings remains quintessential in a French country home and houses clothing and other possessions.

The armoire was originally used in the 13th century to store armor, and that is where the name came from.



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