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Going French: How to Do It By the Book

Thursday, July 14th, 2016

The Hooker Furniture Living Room Sanctuary Four-Drawer Thin Console may appear distressed but it also offers a bluish hint. This makes it unique.

The Hooker Furniture Living Room Sanctuary Four-Drawer Thin Console may appear distressed but it also offers a bluish hint. This makes it unique.

Many designers have been approached by clients and asked if they can create a French style for their house. This may not be the correct term to use but if you ask enough, you would then learn that what clients mean are whitewashed furniture, candleholders, lanterns, chandeliers, white lace and linen towels. Silver trays work, too.

Apparently, French style actually means French provincial or shabby chic. Some can even see elements of this style inside French homes. So, what makes a home essentially French?

A Little Geography Lesson

Each region in France comes with its own identity and style. There are also different decorative materials and building structures. These give the regions their own distinctiveness along with a unique regional culture that is too hard to ignore.

Don’t think of Versailles as the capital of everything that’s French. This could prove to be true if you were living in the time of King Louis XIV. His was an era of royal debauchery and the excesses the monarchs had unsurprisingly led to their downfall.

If you’re thinking of going French then you have to learn to do things in moderation. Being excessive like Louis XV is not going French. In fact, moderation is the very concept of French style. Use deliberate designs but not in such a way that they are no longer discreet. The features must look effortless.

Even children’s bedrooms that are done in French style should be minimalist. The color palette should be simple and the rest of the space, clean.

Aim for Harmony, Not Luxury

Almost all French people don’t like vulgarity and garishness. To them, what’s elegant and beautiful are those that have zero glitz, shine, travertine, gold brocade, polished mahogany or fine silk. The lesson here is, for as long as the design elements feel right to you, then they’re just that – they’re right for you.

Materials that are good for French style are wood, terra cotta, stone, plaster, iron and steel. You should consider using prewashed linen because it is soft but has creases, it’s never perfect but it feels just right.

All’s Not White

French people don’t live in an all-white home. While many people believe that white is the fundamental color of anything French, this isn’t the case at all. French people actually feel that this color is too impersonal.

If you want to do it the authentic way, then you’d have to settle for neutrals. The French palette is all about being subtle so use a lot of gray, beige, light blue, black, taupe, brown, or sage. The patterns have to be discreet just like the rest of the design elements.

Orient Express Furniture Bar and Game Room Harper Barstool - Stone Wash Bisque French Linen 6415-BSUP.SW BIS

Orient Express Furniture Bar and Game Room Harper Barstool – Stone Wash Bisque French Linen 6415-BSUP.SW BIS

French Can Be Colorful, Too

When you have to use color, then you’ll have to embrace the vibrant hues that tend to make a statement. Make sure that you keep it simple, though. Use no more than dual colors since having too many colors in a room is just wrong.

Since French homes tend to be small, they use color in order to maximize space or to define zones. A one-room apartment, for instance, would do well to reduce its clutter and to have small cabinetry and accent colors in lime green, peacock blue, terracotta orange, red, hot pink or mustard yellow.

French Is Eclectic

If you’re also thinking that going French also means being traditional, then you’re wrong again. Instead, you’d have to embrace eclecticism. This is because the French have undergone evolving civilizations; hence, there isn’t a single French identity. So go ahead and mix styles and eras and you don’t even need to apologize for that.

The French has a complex history so if you try to sum it all up in one box, then you’re going the wrong way. While you can use whitewashed furnishings, you are also welcome to use anything rustic.

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