Today's French Country Style

The lovely French Country style can work in today's modern homes.

This style has fanciful elements mixed with things to take it down a notch,

making it a nice livable style choice.  Mixing in some rustic pieces is the secret

to getting the right mix for French Country style, so you don't feel like you live

in a museum.  Its a style I have a passion for, and I hope you enjoy this post.

Let's take a look at some rooms that have the perfect mix, in my opinion.

Pamela Pierce Design

Everything about this room has wonderful French Country style for today's living.

Rustic and feminine meet to keep the room welcoming to both sexes.

 This home had the stone walls that set the rustic tone, so softness and femininity was added with fabrics and flowers. Look at the accessories: a pillow with an antique toile remnant, a green metal garden dining table used as a console,  old books, weathered finishes on the chair, lamp and shutters, and crocks and vases of a single type of bloom speak to an easy country life style, which is what French Country style is all about.  Bravo Pamela!

Veranda Magazine

A slice of a view of this room from Veranda magazine shows

a monochromatic scheme in camel and white.  The traditional checked

fabric keeps things approachable and the burlap drapery panel along

with sisal carpeting gives the room it's rustic elements. This room is more

French Country Cottage, as most of the design incorporates simple pieces,

with no gilded or fancy accessories anywhere in sight.

Traditional Home Magazine

A beautiful living room with doors that open out onto an 

inviting courtyard has the ubiquitous checkered

curtains flanking the french doors as well as on the upholstery.  

Lots of rustic elements from the walls to the grass rugs and the

 country style accessories make this room a great example of French Country.

It is decorated simply with well chosen accent pieces.

Pamela Pierce Design

Every thing this Texas designer does, I love!  

Pamela Pierce's trademark look is a feminine french style and she

balances it out with an old rustic ambience.  The stone walls create a nice setting

 for the painted rococo table and the slipcovered sofas in linen.  

Her signature is the ruffled slips that you will

find in many of her rooms on sofas and chairs.

 The lavender fabric makes this room light hearted and fresh.   

Veranda Magazine

Grey is the color of the decade, and here it is used in several shades on the 

wall paneling to great effect.  Black and white transfer ware plates

are hung all around the room, a  great French collectible indeed.

Another set of checkered draperies keep this room in the French Country style, 

as you might imagine fancier silk draperies would set a different tone.

The mix of painted chairs with the wooden table is another way this room keeps

to it's French Country style.  The iron lantern light fixture keeps the formal feel

of the furniture from becoming too precious.  I love the mix in this room.

Source Unknown (Pinterest)

This is such a great little banquette dining nook done in French Country style.

A built in library effect was created with flanking bookcases 

and then the area done in mirror behind the built in to visually increase the space.

What gives this room successful FC style is the use of the tan and white buffalo check on the painted French chairs, and the overall tone on tone color palette.  A painted chandelier hangs above a painted

table, and then a random French chair in dark wood is added to take away from the matched set.

A comfy banquette in checked and solid linen pillows makes it quite a charming spot.  What a nice

way to outfit a less than large eating area in a smaller home, townhouse or condo.

Via The Enchanted Home

French Country style has evolved from this look, where there was tons of color and pattern everywhere you looked.  Toile fabrics, painted furniture and coordinating fabric patterns where once the way to create the "French Country" room.  Now it is a "less is more" kind of look, using some of these elements, but not all of them together.  A more subdued interpretation of this beloved look is a modern way to use French Country style in one's home.  Imagine this room without the curtains, just the shutters.  The table without the cloth, and that the table would be an iron garden table or a simple rustic pine piece.  Painted chair with checkered pad is perfectly fine as is.  Strip the wallpaper and use a neutral white or greige paint on the walls.  Finish it off with an antique French mirror  flanked by some of the transfer ware plates, over the painted blue sideboard, or use a Swedish style plate rack.  Now that would be an easy room makeover with stunning results!  Do you have a French Country room that could use a little updating?