Live in (French Country) Style By BatSheva Vaknin
Parlez-vous Françes? Don’t worry - you don’t need to speak
French in order to enjoy the bright, comfortable and classic
style of French Country in your home. From weathered walls to
wide wooden tables, it is not hard to achieve the French Country
look using the following guidelines.
French Country style is all about well-used, worn-in, imperfect
but beautiful architectural elements, furniture and accessories.
Forget sleek lines, fine china, and black, white and gray color
combos. Instead, fill your house with chunky wood tables, dozens
of sweet-smelling flowers, and brightly patterned couches,
curtains and pillows styled after the look of Provence, the
southeast region in France that borders the Mediterranean Sea.
When choosing a French Country style home, think along the lines
of cracked wood beams, curved panels, hand-carved decorations
and raw material flooring and walls, like stone or exposed
brick. Raw or distressed wood also can be used to cultivate a
French Country atmosphere, as do uneven plaster walls.
Don’t worry about that spider crack in the paint in your
kitchen, or the slight discoloration of the paint in your
bedroom or living room. In French Country "speak", these
imperfections simply add character.
Other French Country architectural features include shutters for
your windows, narrow, deeply cut window sills, and striped
fabric awnings over windows to afford the home dweller extra
protect from the heat.
But what if you just want to add some French Country flair to
the home you already have, without changing its walls, floors
and windows? No sweat. Rustic furniture is a key element to the
French Country style. Think oversized rectangle or round wooden
dining room tables, with a dull waxed or natural finish.
Chairs and occasional tables of the French Country style can be
curved or boast carved designs in the woodwork. Dining room
chairs can have a ladderback style or vertical slats. Also,
large armoires are well-suited to the French Country look,
giving the owner a nice cool place to store dishes, linens, or
even clothing.
Finally, achieve that French Country style with the perfect
fabrics and accessories that have that certain je ne sais quoi.
Use toile material, a gauzy linen or cotton, in white, cream or
yellow with bright contrasting colors. Choose themes such as
monkeys, Chinese patterns, and eighteenth century courting
scenes, all of which are predominant in French Country design.
Large, thickly woven baskets, chunky clay or old metal pitchers,
Chinoiserie pottery, and iron garden shelving units all fit in
nicely with the French Country look. So do ceramic plates,
tiles, tablecloths and curtains sporting motifs of roosters,
sunflowers, beetles or lavender. Save money by hunting for these
and other accessories at flea markets and antique stores.
The final touch needed to makeover your home in the style of
French Country is the addition of flowers. Fresh sunflowers,
lavender, and geraniums especially all say "French Country", and
the more the better!
Put flowers in old pitchers or copper pots, in window boxes, and
glass vases. Use a variety of colors, and make sure the
arrangements don’t look too tame or stylized. Natural grasses
are another way to bring the French Country look into you home.
Whether you decide to go full out, adding wood beams and stone
flooring to your home, or whether you just add a nice chunky
wooden dining room table, carved chairs, or a roomy armoire to
your existing furniture, the French Country look can be achieved
by anyone who wants to bring a little of the Provence
countryside into his or her everyday life.
Please find the original article and more information about this
subject at
http://www.homeandliving.com/DesignAdvice.aspx?Category=FrenchCou
ntry
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