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Yesterday I put up some ideas for the french country style when it comes to choosing a house. Today – if you don’t mind – I though I’d do the same inside, using pictures from my home and from those of friends near here.
Once again, I don’t pretend to be an expert on what is true French country style, I’m just telling it the way it is lived here: never about big, nor impressive, rather living simply and elegantly, using what you have to hand and making the home as comfortable and welcoming as possible.
Now, I’m a big sleeper (that’s not a scoop!!) so to me a large comfy bed is really important, you all know about my feelings for old French linen – vital!! – but the bed is important too. My favourite here is the old ‘demi-corbeille’ that I restored for our guest cottage.
Besides which I like to place a few flowers – everyone sleeps better
in a setting that is prepared with care and attention.
We love open fires, we have two downstairs and one in our bedroom. Real logs, real flames, a little extra work to clean out the ashes, but I certainly don’t do that after every fire – life is too short – just now and again.
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While we’re on the subject of flames, candles are really important here too. We use real candles in our dining room chandelier, lit most days, although our favourite time in the winter is Sunday morning breakfast: a fire, candles, fresh croissant, the newspapers ……
when we eat outdoors candles are obligatory, love them!
Furniture is a happy mix here, quite a few old pieces, often found at
brocantes and re-upholstered by yours truly, using a mix of fabrics
in fact fabric plays a big role in giving the French look, and nothing can be more
French than toile de Jouy, see here at my friend Aude’s house
Ceilings tend to be high in these old houses, giving plenty of scope to play with curtains
The true French kitchen is hard to define, and somehow never really fits in to a ‘label’.
Of all the kitchens I know here, my favourite elements are the solid
pewter sink and chippy chairs in Frederique’s château!
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Other vital touches include paintings on the walls,
and propped up behind lamps;
unruly bouquets of flowers from the garden;
and a mix of old china displayed behind wire mesh cabinet doors.
Voila! Ours is not a designer house, we don’t lavish huge sums of money on our interior.
The priorities are comfort, elegance and most of all a warm welcome!
I’d love to hear about your priorities in furnishing and decorating your home
Thank you for stopping by
42 comments
Your home is charming, authentic, stylish and, above all, warm and welcoming. Much like its occupants.
It is a home that is loved and cherished.
I am so disappointed not to see rooms; can’t you show the whole room? These are really little vignettes that leave me wanting so much more. Glad to have found you.
Bonjour Sharon !
Ta maison semble en effet confortable et très élégante !
Chez nous le confort est parfois mis de côté pour garder à tout prix un meuble ancien, ou de famille :
nos lits font 1,10 et maximum 1,30… mais comme les pièces ne sont pas immenses c'est aussi bien.
Céline.
oh so lovely!!! your home is lovely and warm!
Howdy, Sharon–this is so lovely! Most particularly like the philosophy to use what you have with a new eye–finding the beauty in what is at hand–isn't that what makes a home personal?
I always enjoy your posts so much– always learn something interesting.
Have recently returned from France and hope you'll find a minute to scroll back see some of the photos I have been posting (interspersed with other blog posts). I was in Normandy–you may even know this family:
https://abporkrinds.blogspot.com/2011/10/idyllic-france.html
Enjoy your own idyllic home and beautiful garden this fall.
Beautiful post. I love to use old furniture that I remember from my childhood (oops! those would be antiques – I prefer to think of them as vintage). I like to look around our rooms and 'feel' my loved ones who are no longer with us – but always in my memories. Also, I tend to keep linens much longer than most trendy magazines would suggest is 'correct.' Even ones with a stain or too much shine. The whole family loves to retale the story of how the burn marks got on one of my favorite table cloths. Our guests either love us or think we're crazy – or both.
Our home must be simple, neat and welcoming. I have kids,dogs & cats and friends with kids and dogs and they are all welcome in my home. Nothing is fussy and everything has a purpose and a story. I mix antique furniture and linens with new pieces and repurpose all the time… It is a home.
You've made a lovely home. Enjoy your blog. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Your home is simply lovely and welcoming! Thank you for sharing your life!
Beautiful interiors. Love the way you upholstered the chair. And I agree, attention to small details in the bedroom are so important to a peaceful sleep.
such a lovely home you have. it is apparent that it is so well loved. i tell my friends all the time, "use what you have" and "it's your home, make it look well loved and comfortable". thank you for your two recent posts, i have loved every photo and your comments on them. your home is so lovely, thanks for sharing.
kathi
Wonderful! I love it…
Have a nice day,
Markus
All that beautiful copper against the brick wall is fabulous! I do love an open fire, and to just imagine using real candles in chandeliers… wonderful!!!
Sharon… Your home is so warm and beautiful… Love the feel…the candlelight, the fires and the cosiness…. xv
I tend to gravitate toward American country decorating…simplistic utilitarian farmhouses which are sparsely furnished, yet comfortable. But my heart does skip a beat when I see a "true" French country home. I think it is the combination of old wood floors, stone exteriors, high ceilings, and elegant but tasteful furnishings. It makes me want to buy a second home and enjoy everything that is so wonderful about France!
I love the portrait above your fireplace, beautiful!
Kat 🙂
Your home is beautiful and very welcoming! I love all the elements.
My home is a mix of hand me down furniture pieces, lots of lovely old linens and modern art housed in antique and vintage frames. It's simple, elegant and above all, welcoming. It's my sanctuary…
Bestest
Jo x
your home is so warm and lovely! well done! thanks for sharing with us.
I love these glimpses of French homes taken from real life. Simple elegance is what I strive for in decorating, combined with comfort, to create a welcoming atmosphere, just as yours is.
It's absolutely perfect, Sharon! Thanks for sharing your style notes inside and out. My Mom loves French country style and has brought beautiful element into her own home. I'll let her know about this post!
Oh, my goodness! This is why I come to your blog every day. These photos are what I needed to make our home have REAL old world charm, not the generic, cookie cutter stuff we see in the magazines and stores here in TX. The beauty is in the personal touches of the current occupant of the home and the creative use of things from others since passed. I like that you actually USE the nice things and that the chairs, linens, and beds are to be enjoyed not just to look at. I like to recover and reuse things but most here just throw things away and get new. Quality lasts much longer!
Keep up the photos! I am enjoying them completely and you have given me some great ideas.
Thanks Sharon,
Lindy
You have a wonderful eye for detail and colour and a great sense of style. But above all, your house speaks of you. I love its charm and its French atmosphere. You are one very talented woman Sharon.
the photos are beautiful, I'm in the process of taking what we have and making it over – so painting, sanding back… you know the deal. Next step, learning how to reupholster furniture. Thank you for the photos and detail of how to create french country style.
Dearest Sharon,
Lovely insides you give us here!
Our home has been posted about (living room) a couple of days ago and we have all solid French oak throughout our home. Special touches from countries where we lived and worked in and that's how one creates a NEST. Not from any catalog but a LIVED in place. Your fires are very warm and definately add a special touch to the interior.
So do candles.
Love to you,
Mariette
Simply divine, thank you for inviting us in Sharon, I love your style, love your blog and every post is inspiring..hugs Col~Afrique du Sud
This home is so beautiful, is it yours? Where have I been, I just found your blog! The wall color in the (bedrooms?) rooms with the pansies and the daffodils – do you know what it is? Gorgeous!!!!
So thrilled to find you!
Kerry
beautiful, warm and inviting. thank you for sharing 🙂
I would love to see some kitchens, young adult (teens) rooms, and kitchens! Those are the things I am working on right now…(Not that you asked for suggestions but..)
What an utterly charming post today Sharon. I am in love with your friends red toile wall. I love these real life glimpses. Merci.
Each of those lovely photos embodies the true sense of home, gracious, warm and welcoming.
Sharon,I really enjoyed both your posts on authentic french country. I think I'm on the right track with some of the french country elements I have incorporated in my little european farmhouse. Thanks for sharing!
Sarah
What lovely interiors – my absolute favourite is the fireplace with the vintage painting above the mantel…absolutely exquisite!
Today, I will be assuming you some of the tips that you can chase in adjustment to ensure that you will be able to defended your abode afterwards spending a lot of money.
Real Estate Management
i just found your blog and am so happy that I did. What a beautiful post. I strive for the same in my home, simple, comfortable, and warm. It looks like you have a talent in achieving this. I am going to post on my bedroom soon. I love the bed you restored. It is gorgeous!
have a great day
Michele
Just found your blog! Obsessed and loving this particular post. Such beauty in simplicity. Now I need to find a chandelier that I can use real candles in!
Alicia
I like all the home interior thing , which are shared by you in this post. Your home is really lovely and sweet.
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Magnficently stunning..a beautiful charming realm you have created..simply spectacular! I was curious about the gorgeous painting over the fireplace and who the artist is, if you know!Thankyou!
victoria
PS; your blog is always such an inspiring place..thanks for the beauty you create!
I love your home! Just emptied out two bedrooms and I want to decorate one in French Country. Not too feminine-but still French country. You have shared some lovely ideas for my next bedroom projects-hope I can do it justice for the first bedroom. Thanks for sharing. Blessings.
Stunning!!!! I love the real feeling of very stylish but "not staged and interior designer over the top" look and you show us truly how the "at ease" French country should be done…for that matter with good taste without over the top perfectionism…you know how to mix it up and you are not uptight about things…great! (: ciao Z
Very nice!!!!Congratulations from Vicenza, the town of Palladio (Italy).
Hi Sharon, I am English, married to a french man living in Paris. We have just bought a beautiful villa in St Paul de Vence and I have spent days and days trolling through the web site looking for design ideas- think your blog is great, and love your ideas. Where can I find a bed similar to the one you have in your guest cottage- image above- demi-corbeille- can you recommend any shops around Nice/Cannes or web sites or brocantes shows?
Thanks Sara
A home is where the heart dwells, with warmth and love within. It looks so inviting and comfortable. Beautiful! 🙂
Arrielle P
beautiful thanks for sharing Sharon,
Sharon who are the two women in the photo above the fire place …..sorry for being so nosy!!!! but they look great…
I want to learn how to get a relaxed, elegant look in my home. Make sure you are creating a beautiful, rustic look but with a refined, elegant and even romantic feel too…! To get that perfect, French country interior design look, consider your walls first.