French country has got to be the grandmother of all of today's Cottage style variations. Its sunny disposition, filled with rich colors and fun motifs speaks of hearty, robust people who love the land and delight in its bounty.
This style has the most potential to transport a room to another time and place. It's casual, true, but it's also sophisticated. While the look is especially fabulous for kitchens, French Country can put continental charm into any room of the house.
French Country colors feature bold, rich shades of red, blue, yellow, and green, often accented with black. Yellow sometimes serves as the pivotal color, paired alternately with blue or red.
These colors look terrific on French Country walls, which typically have a stucco finish. Interior walls can achieve a stucco look with the application of some plaster. There are also many faux wall treatments that will resemble the appearance of stucco. A faux finish would be a wise choice for those who'd like a less permanent wall treatment than stucco. It can change the appearance of texture without the fuss. This is a great option if you don't want to change the texture of your wall, and desire a less permanent option. Craft, hardware and home improvement stores all carry faux wall treatment kits, books and other supplies.
Bricks are another wall texture found in this decor. While real brick walls can be expensive to add, faux painting styles again can come to the rescue. Brick wallpaper would be another option. Wallpaper in toile patterns also fits the decorating style.
Toile, along with chintz and calico, is the distinctive fabric for French Country decorating. Toile fabrics are prints that typically have a white or cream background and a repeated pattern of countryside scenes, usually in red, blue or black. Toile has a distinctly old-fashioned look.
The fabric that American most likely would call calico is known as Provincial fabric on the continent. They have small repeated patterns, unlike toile fabrics whose patterns are bigger. Provincials, or calicos, also have intense colors. These materials are carried in fabric stores and sewing centers.
French Country style is some popular, in fact, that there are varieties of pre-made textiles in everything from table linens to bedding and draperies. These patterned materials often are accented with accessories done up in stripes or checks. Such mixtures are a hallmark of Cottage Style.
Like many Cottage styles, the furniture typically is wood, either dark or natural, but also painted. The furniture sits on natural flooring of wood, stone or tile, sometimes decorated with stencils of flowers, vines or even roosters. These floors are covered with braided area rugs or kitchen rugs with farm animals or fruit on them.
French pottery, terracotta pots, copper pots, kettles and gelatin molds are all ideal accessories for this style. There are even china plates printed in toile style that make excellent wall hangings. Add a weather vane to the roof, and neighbors might think they've been transported to the countryside of Provence, thanks to your French Country decor.
Sarah is an expert contributing author happy sharing her ideas about French Country interior design. She just adores using seagrass rugs and sisal rugs on floors to bring a dash of panache to the room.
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