french country decor
Whether you’re buying a new home and starting from scratch or bringing new life to a space that is starting to feel dull, it is helpful to begin with an inspirational decor aesthetic. This can help guide your decisions, including what you look for in large pieces of furniture and which knickknacks you come home with when you visit an estate sale.
The French country decor is known for a love of contrasting elements. A dining space is likely to feature a large, farmhouse-style table that has been whitewashed to add a rustic feel to the room. Hanging above that table, you might find a massive, eye-catching gold and crystal chandelier. Linens in soft and muted colors fill bedrooms and hang from windows right next to floor-to-ceiling mirrors framed in gold. In the kitchen, you’ll find useful pieces, like copper pots and rolling pins, hanging from the walls in contrast with the most luscious marble or granite counters.
This design philosophy is so fun because it embraces the down-to-earth nature of vintage and worn pieces while celebrating the more extravagant nature of gold, crystal, and bright florals.
Despite the love of subtle colors, a French home in the countryside might have walls covered in art. Don’t be afraid to take big risks, filling a wall with abstracts all in the same color scheme is a great way to create a visually exciting space without changing the look and feel of your home too much.
Buy here for $56.
Lenox has created a collection of decor items in cream and ice-blue that are embossed with delicate beading. It can be difficult to find pieces that fit a space just right, but these French country-inspired pieces are basic enough to fit well with any iteration of the design theme.
Buy here for $34.
A neutral, beige bath math perfectly embodies the tendency to favor neutral or muted colors in the French Countryside decor and the white scrolls add a touch of sophistication. Pair with more colorful items, like muted blue towels or a copper soap dish, to tie the entire room together.
Buy here for $60.
What time is it? Time to add a decorative wall clock to your French-inspired home. A metal frame surrounds an aged clock face. This is a two-pack, which is perfect for a larger home. Add one clock in the kitchen and another in a home office or sitting room alongside gold-framed pictures of your favorite people and places.
Buy here for $42.
Chinoiserie pottery is the European interpretation of what the Asian-inspired decor might have looked like when Louis XV was king. It is still popular in French-inspired decor and these Spring Chinoiserie Bowls would make a colorful addition to any room in the home, whether they’re used as a catch-all for knickknacks or hanging on the walls as art.
Buy here for $65.
While toile technically refers to linen or canvas fabric, it is more traditionally thought of as a very specific print often found in French-inspired decor. These prints feature rural or household scenes in red, blue, or black. Like traditional toile, this classic throw from Macy’s is cream with red print.
Buy here for $58.
The monochrome print decorating this LED lamp is Chinoiserie-inspired, showing forest scenes in blue on cream ceramic. A large lamp like this would look great on a console table or on both sides of a sofa in a sitting room for reading in the evening or lighting the room in the early hours of the morning.
Buy here for $215.
An aesthetic that embraces muted colors is typical of French country decor, but that doesn’t mean pieces should be colorless. This French Stripe Table Cloth hits the feeling on the nose, with an antique cream background accented with muted red and green stripes.
Buy here for $79.
Mikasa is well known for its quality dinnerware. This beautiful set of off-white dinnerware features scalloped edges that give each piece a delicate look. Don’t worry, this set will still work well for everyday use as it isn’t as delicate as it appears — it is actually made from stoneware that will hold up well during family meals while still providing elegance for more intimate dinners.
Buy here for $80.
The combination of rustic decor with delicate and elegant pieces is what makes a home designed with the French countryside as inspiration so special. This butter dish certainly brings elegance to the equation, made from crystal and sweetly labeled “BUTTER” across the removable lid.
Buy here for $30.
A Damask print is a classic element of French decor. If you’re embracing this aesthetic in your home, it isn’t complete without at least one piece of a tapestry featuring the print. Made by Hookless, this shower curtain is a 3-in-1 with a liner attached and rings embedded into the curtain itself.
Buy here for $54.
Toss this rectangular pillow onto the couch in your living room to add color and prints to the space. The main colors in this throw pillow are blue and beige, and the print is a floral and feather pattern that perfectly exudes “vacation in the French countryside.” Who doesn’t want to come home to that each day?
Buy here for $73.
Copper is a metal that is embraced in many homes, but feels especially at home in this particular design scheme. It is often seen in the kitchens, with copper pots proudly displayed hanging from the ceiling or on the walls. This vase could fit in any room in the home, however, with copper embossed with a leaf motif.
Buy here for $39.
A home decor theme with French country influence has a touch of the fancy and a touch of rustic, so don’t be afraid to reach for pieces that are slightly battered or worn. This paneled frame of this French Farmhouse Mirror is weathered, with mirrors replacing windowpanes. Add this to your entryway above a console table or pair two, side by side, above a couch.
Buy here for $182.
These metal napkin rings are embossed with scrolls and beads, and will go perfectly will all those muted, French-inspired linens you’ll be stocking up on as you decorate your home. Don’t miss the chance to grab enough for any situation — you’ll want a minimum of eight rings, but maybe as many as 12 or 16 depending on how often you host company in your home.
Buy here for $17.
Whether you’re outfitting a sitting room or looking for the right piece for your master bedroom, this accent chair will bring so much character to your home. The frame is carved into subtle curves from cedar and the cushions are upholstered in a muted, beige tapestry that is the right kind of understated for an elegant, French-inspired home.
Buy here for $749.
Don’t forget your outdoor space when you set to work transforming your home into a Parisian getaway! These bistro armchairs feature a woven wicker in brown, navy, or grey. Add a small table for holding your croissants or fresh flowers, and every visit to your deck will feel like a visit to a street cafe abroad.
Buy here for $309.
Bring the streets of Paris into your home with this canvas of a painting by Elizabeth Medley on your walls. A picture like this can help bring inspiration to a room, with a variety of colors and patterns to play off of as you select new items for other rooms in your home.
Buy here for $310.
Lots and lots of linen that characterizes a master bedroom designed with the French countryside in mind. A variety of colors and patterns may be found on the bed, but it is best to look for muted colors that fit well together. This linen coverlet is made from an oatmeal-colored linen/cotton blend, and makes a great first piece for a new bed set.
Buy here for $335.
No kitchen is complete without high-quality cookware and this copper stockpot by Belgique is très chic. Don’t store it in the cabinets, of course — invest in a pot rack or add display hooks to the wall behind your stove to bring a taste of French cooking to your kitchen decor.´
Buy here for $90.
Windows are a great place to feature a variety of colorful, but muted fabrics in your home, and French country decor doesn’t shy away from layers and long panels. This linen window panel set is available in a variety of colors, including a dark blue and natural linen color.
Buy here for $33.
If there is a way to make laundry feel fun, this vintage metal wheeled laundry basket is the way to do it. Of course, you aren’t restricted to keeping it in your laundry room — use it to store throw blankets in a family room or fill it with toys in a living space that doubles as a playroom during the day.
Buy here for $171.
When you’re decorating an entire house, the task of filling the walls with on-theme decor can begin to feel tedious. It isn’t easy to bring a lot of pieces together into one cohesive look. This white medallion wall hanging is neutral enough to fit with a variety of pieces but interesting enough to hang on its own.
Buy here for $77.
If you’re truly planning to embrace the layered linen look filling up your Pinterest board, you’re going to need more than a single coverlet to get started. These pinstripe pillowcases are an essential basic to making a bed during any season and pair well with a variety of colors and other patterns.
Buy here for $32.
For every neutral or muted colored linen you find in a French-inspired home, you can also expect to find an ornate lighting fixture too. This wrought iron chandelier perfectly captures the tendency towards extravagant chandeliers that are associated with this design aesthetic. Hang it over your dining table or in an entryway — it is sure to be one of the most talked-about pieces in your home.
Buy here for $343.
Blue and white porcelain is a kind of trademark of interior design with Parisian influences, so there is no such thing as too many pieces of brightly bowls, vases, and plates filling the shelves in your kitchen and dining room. Eat on this Spode Dinnerware if you wish, or buy one or two pieces to display as part of your decor.
Buy here for $34.
When it comes to bringing the look of your home together, pieces with an Old World feel are the perfect addition to any room. These are the pieces that will draw the eye because they are so interesting and unique. Sure, it would be fun to hunt them down in estate sales and flea markets, but when you’re looking for the right item for a specific space, a new purchase is often the simplest move. This Antique Brass Chalice can stand alone or hold florals to bring more color to a room.
Buy here for $56.
Decorative items don’t have to be without utility. Pull this stand out to fill with snacks during afternoon tea or keep it on the bathroom counter to hold soaps, washcloths, and scented sprays. Weathered wood is a big part of the “country” in French country decor, so a piece like this will look great in your newly decorated home.
Buy here for $274.
The devotion to subtle and neutral colors serves a purpose, creating a backdrop for more bold choices like a large, velvet print on a piece of furniture, floor-to-ceiling curtains, or wallpaper. Dark, velvet upholstery is paired with a gold metal frame and honestly, this chair seems too good to pass up.
Buy here for $979
Alongside the rustic pieces, you will find many nods to elegance and extravagance in gold accent pieces and eye-catching chandeliers. Display family portraits or a snap from your last trip to Paris in this burnished gold frame by Lawrence Frames made for a 5×7 picture hung vertically or horizontally.
Buy here for $40.
Our Blossom editors handpicked the items in this article. Affiliate links may give us a small share of the revenue to support our creative team.
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