‘French country’ is a term that is used so widely, and in so many very different ways that it’s easy to forget where it really hails from.
Contemporary French country style, as it’s done in France today, is a lot more pared down than many people would expect.
There is no bling (have I ever mentioned that before?!), no heavy layers of fabric and patterns. The French today will prefer linen to silk, stone to marble and neutrals to bright colours.
The French love to use an eclectic mix of furniture, some new, mostly old. Many pieces are reworked from their original purpose, giving new life to stuff that was otherwise lost. Architectural elements are brought indoors, old wood panelling is found and used on just one wall in a room, chairs are mismatched.
The brocante style, more relaxed, definitely predominates over the more formal antique style furniture, and even families who have inherited special pieces of furniture through the generations will manage to dress them down, so they loses their formality and fit in seamlessly.
These pictures struck me as a perfect example of French country living today. They come from the magazine Cote Sud and were taken in the home of a young couple of decorators.
Personally I could live here, I think it works particularly well because it is in the South of France with that special light, so peculiar to the region. I would be comfortable in this neutral palette, sunlight streaming into the house, I’d love the relaxed atmosphere that feels luxurious in its simplicity.
How about you? Could you be happy here, or do you prefer things to be more dressed up?
Photos by Bernard Touillon
46 comments
I love each one of these photos! I could live in any or all of them. Thank you for making my morning with these!
Your all photos are fabulous – everything looks beautiful as always. I was signed up to take a topiary workshop at Sung Harbor Farm earlier this month but couldn’t make the drive as a huge storm arrived the night before. I will certainly pick up a copy of the magazine – that might be all the instruction I need! decorating with home
Yes, I could live there! When I first heard about and saw “French Country” it was more in the style of Charles Faudree and Pierre Deux. Saturated colors a la Provence, bright red or blue toile de jouy or Souleiado indienne fabrics, elaborate drapery, lots of bric-a-brac, so many pillows on the sofa you had no where to sit. Thank goodness I couldn’t afford to decorate in that over-the-top style! I do have a lot of color in my home now, but if I replace or add something it’s neutral. I just had our daughter’s bedroom repainted from little girl pink to a very soft grey. Although she’s chosen to liven it up coral accents, it’s nothing overwhelming at this point. I also used the same color in a bathroom changing from a deep gold wall color. I really do like the home in the pictures above, especially the bathroom with the wood paneling and the great floor (looks like limestone) . There are beautiful floors throughout the home. The folding screen used as a headboard is fabulous! As I get older, I’m finding that I would like to be able to live without so much to take care of. Thank you for sharing these photos with us!
oops! posted the above comment in the wrong spot I see, lol! Isn’t Snug Harbor Farm wonderful Laura? I swoon over their topiaries whenever I get a chance to get up there. Keeping them alive during the winter months in my home has been a challenge though! I’m going to be in York at Stonewall Kitchens next weekend with my sister. Hopefully, I can convince her to make the short drive to Kennebunk.
Oh I could totally live there. Gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.
Yes, I could live there! When I first heard about and saw “French Country” it was more in the style of Charles Faudree and Pierre Deux. Saturated colors a la Provence, bright red or blue toile de jouy or Souleiado indienne fabrics, elaborate drapery, lots of bric-a-brac, so many pillows on the sofa you had no where to sit. Thank goodness I couldn’t afford to decorate in that over-the-top style! I do have a lot of color in my home now, but if I replace or add something it’s neutral. I just had our daughter’s bedroom repainted from little girl pink to a very soft grey. Although she’s chosen to liven it up coral accents, it’s nothing overwhelming at this point. I also used the same color in a bathroom changing from a deep gold wall color. I really do like the home in the pictures above, especially the bathroom with the wood paneling and the great floor (looks like limestone) . There are beautiful floors throughout the home. The folding screen used as a headboard is fabulous! As I get older, I’m finding that I would like to be able to live without so much to take care of. Thank you for sharing these photos with us!
I could move in tomorrow. I am slowly converting from the Pierre Deux style of french country to a more quiet palette. Thanks for sharing.
Wouaouh !
Magnifique reportage en superbes photos, merci beaucoup !!!
J’adore tout ce que vous faites . . .
Pensées amicales,
Mariecapucine
Thank You for the Inspiration. I love the soft grays, and in the small room I call my own it would be just perfect.
Clean and simple but still Me
Sharon:
I could definitely live in every one of those rooms pictured. Unfortunately, for me, it will only remain a dream……another life imagined! As the former owner of a fine art gallery, I spent most of my adult years collecting…not just for clients, but also for me. I recently downsized and thoughtlessly eliminated many interior walls, so now, my walls are lined with paintings….big and small…..from the ceiling to the floor……competing with precious volumes of beloved books…sculptures in every nook and cranny…not to mention those that didn’t make the cut and line my closets and bedroom walls….hoping for their forever home. If only I had coveted the sense of peace in a neutral palette and the wisdom of absence at an earlier age. Oh well, a girl can dream…can’t she?
Thanks for the continual inspiration…..Happy New Year to you and yours,
Angela Muller
Beautiful.
I was never a fan of French country until I viewed the “original” through your eyes, Sharon.
However…my favorite style thus far is the eclectic style of you and your girlfriends, where French country meets Paris apartment in the middle.
You were way ahead on the whole “antler” trend, my friend!
w/L
What beautiful neutral colours. I could live with those very happily. I try to emulate the colours but need a little warmth in our grey Northern England light especially in the Winter.
YES!I could move right in!
i would be content in each of these rooms + i am so blessed to be an interior designer + i get to “do” clients homes + fulfilling my dreams + theirs. xxpeggybraswelldesign.com
Yes, a more pared down way of life would be fabulous!
I love the look….the soft palette and all….
thank you for sharing. It is all so wonderful…..
Nancy
Yes, I could live there, especially in a warmer climate like the south of France. I like a little more layering in the winter here – to cozy things up a little. But that neutral palette is very much my style.
Yes! Especially in a warm climate. I love the subtle elegance, so lovely! Thank you for continuing to share, you have such a beautiful eye…
Lovely pictures, thank you. Like some others, my first exposure to “French country” was via Pierre Deux, which was derivative (IMO) of Mario Buatta, which was derivative of the English decorators of the ’20s and ’30s.
The pictures you show, and especially the text about purposeful re-use of older or mismatched pieces, seems to me more of a piece with New England, where the tradition has been clean lines, simplicity, thrift, and understatement. MFCH has re-educated my eye in recent months, to the point that I, too, am repainting rooms in soft beiges and greys, adjusting for differences in light between what you show and what I have, and for the first time being conscious of “enfilade.”
Beautiful pictures. I love the neutrals, but again the light of the south of France plays an important role in pulling this off.
What I would add are a few accents of color.
A beautiful needlepoint pillow or two in an informal floral.
A soft throw in a soft color draped over the arm of the chaise or comfortable couch or chair.
Add also some fresh flowers for a color accent.
Hi Sharon, I think I could be very happy there, indeed. Light makes me happy, and these sun-filled spaces would be just the thing – especially in the winter months. I like a home that has a personality – that mixes high and low, old and new, simplicity and texture. New French country would suit me just fine.
Happy New Year to you!
PS- Loved reading the conclusion to your holiday treat of a story. It was delicious! XO
The calm neutrals with the soft light of the south are a beautiful & soothing combination. So sophisticated & lovely!
All the rooms are lovely. Just my humble opinion, the reason it works so well is because the rooms are loaded with architectural wood and stone details. The rooms would be beautiful if they were empty. Lots of layers and busy patterns would be overwhelming and take away from the beautiful rooms. Unfortunately, most of us don’t live in very old homes. In fact in USA, sadly, people complain if a home is 20 yrs old. If a home is basically a bare box without and wood trim and cheap windows painting it white or grey just looks like a white or grey box.
So true! My sentiments exactly. Without the antique elements – the stone floors, the paneling, the planked and beamed ceilings, thick plaster walls, tall ceilings, and wonderful windows – the ambiance would be missing. Those things are hard to replicate over here in the U.S. without great expense or building a new ‘old’ house with parts imported from Europe (and it still doesn’t feel like the real thing). They’re certainly not part of the existing housing supply, where old houses with these elements are scarce as hen’s teeth. Our housing stock is just not centuries old. (My house at 86 years is considered old.) So, admire the look, love the real country French, but, alas, so hard to replicate here.
I live in the south of France, in a weird house that began as the postwar village showers (so the few windows start at shoulder-height) and then got a boxy addition in 1990 to become a restaurant. The old part does have high ceilings, but the new part is as soulless as any tract home. To approximate the look of these pictures, we have a neutral palette, terra cotta tile floors and Belgian rugs rather than wall-to-wall carpet. Outside, what used to be a parking lot got chopped up by low stone walls and a pool. People cannot believe it isn’t all old and authentic. Adding aged beams on the ceilings and old-looking stone or wood parquet on the floors can go a long way toward creating the atmosphere.
The imperfection is what suits me. It isn’t matchy-matchy, yet it works together. I love a clean, modern space, but I’m not enough of a perfectionist to live in it.
Love the photos. The rooms feel calm and serene, yet warm and comfortable. Can just feel the warmth of the sun and the soft breeze streaming through those windows….
I love the neutrals. If I feel the need for color a bouquet of flowers would do it.
This is just the way I love, simple, more pared down & neutral. Yes, indeed I could live there in a heartbeat.
So would I. Very Flamant style of décor, by the way, that I love and try to apply to my ownhome. Perfect for my sunny country.
Thank you for the beautiful post!
I agree here, Sharon. During my time living in France, I did not encounter the style that Americans term as “French Country.” The neutrals and understated beauty is what defines this style in the French “dictionary!”
There is a relaxed attitude among the French as they live with pieces that we here in the states would define as elegance. I guess it’s the mélange of the old and new, the fearless effort to USE pieces and not have them as museum relics. I love that so. Your photo choices today are outstanding! Happy day, Anita
Oh Sharon, Sharon Sharon!!!! I will be relooking at these pictures forever. It is the look I am striving for in my home. We will be downsizing from our macmansion to a 1500 sq ft cottage that we are building. You have provided more inspiration for me !!!! Thank you so much!
Parfait pour Provence – but I live in the Pacific Northwest USA. We have dark days, fog, rain and even though we get the sun, those rooms would be way too cold for me to live in here. Now, give me Apt or Avignon or thereabouts and I would be a very happy camper!
I did choose to emulate those looks in my powder room – with the offset lines of the tile and soft greige on the walls.
Beautiful . . . .so calm and peaceful . . . .
However – an an Artist I would miss the Joy and Excitment of Color-!
But then – it would be a perfect background palette for the Seasons Flowers -and for colorful decor accents for special occaisions – like Christmas-!
Sharon ~ I could get lost in all of these pictures and pureHEAVEN to live in them for sure!!! I love the magazine, Cote Sud though don’t often get to see it.
Thank you for your amazing posts…..they always make my day!
Barbara
Sharon, this was my favorite home that I have seen in Cote Sud in years! I love absolutely everything about it, everything. And I appreciate that while they are professionals, they still invested years to get it just right. And oh for the bed in the master bedroom! Can you imagine? Very princess and the pea… 🙂
The home is beautiful with its wonderful architecture and the way it is decorated. I would love to visit for the summer but if I lived there I would have to add a bit more color, at least during the cold winter months for visual warmth.
These are wonderful photos! I love this style and could definitely live like that! Thanks so much for sharing – beautiful post!!
Kathleen
This is absolutely lovely. I love the muted, neutral colors which allow the outside or inside decorations to shine. I am not a fan of the stronger, more pronounced colors – so much of this reflects how I have tried to create our home. Thank you for reinforcing what I love.
Thank you for the inspiration. I enjoyed all of the comments as well — many are educational and insightful as well! As one commenter suggested, the Pacific Northwest does pose different issues in terms of our lighting, but we can still dream!
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Sharon, are these photos on a pinterest page somewhere? If not, may I pin them?
Exactly the neutral color scheme I was looking for, thank you!
…Just came across this particular post… Heavenly. This is my idea of what the perfect place to live in would be…including a small orchard and field of lavender outside of course!
Now this is the French Country that I love! I love the simplicity and romance and particularly the comfortably neutral colors. I’m trying to catch pieces of this in my contemporized colonial. Then, maybe I can at least pretend I’m in the south of France.
I would love to find flooring similar to 1st photo for a new sunroom we’re building, what is it?
I come back to this home again and again…I first saw some photos of it in an article on Houzz.com last year. It is my “ideal”, and I love it so much. I couldn’t access your site from my e-mail this morning for some reason and came in a “back door” where I’d saved a link to this posting. Thank you for the loveliness.
I’m late to the party, I see. Beautiful neutral pallet. Looks like my home in Naples, Fl. However, DEFINITELY prefer style of Faudree for upstate NY home–color & pattern, layers & dogs!
All Beautiful!