French Interior Design Ideas

There are many styles of French interior design. However, the style most people recognize is country French interior design, characteristic of the farmhouses and cottages in Provence. Some French interior design ideas can help you to recreate this simple, natural, and sophisticated decorating style. 

• Choose a wall paint finish that resembles grayish-golden stone. The paint colors to choose can include pale yellow ochres, pale blues or pale greens.


• Choose terracotta tiles in browns, oranges and warm reds for the floors.


• Create an outdoor dining area or an outdoor living room, in the form of a terrace shaded by vines or roses, with a view to a garden.


• Use wrought iron or wooden furniture inside the home, in a sunroom, or around the kitchen table.


• Furniture choices could either be polished walnut, or furniture painted in light, grayish blues or green tones. Dressers and chests can be distressed and painted in antique white.


• Provence homes usually have straw-seated chairs that come in different shapes and sizes. Cane chairs are closest to this style.


• Armoires are an absolute necessity in French interior design. These can be in natural dark brown, or painted and distressed in pale gray, blue or white.


• Beds can include black iron beds, white metal beds, canopy iron beds, or wooden French country beds.


• Decorate the spaces above your doorways with porcelain or earthenware plates, hand painted tiles, a decorative piece of wrought ironwork, or paintings framed in distressed wooden frames.


• Fabrics for French interiors include linen, cotton florals or toile de jouy fabric. Also popular are unbleached and antique white linens. Accessorize with colorful fabrics in solids and patterns.


• Accessorize with pottery in yellow ochre, green, blue, umber, reds and browns. Place them on tables or hang them from the walls in any room.


• Paint or distress your kitchen cabinets. Add wooden, metal or porcelain hardware. Choose a stone or tiled countertop.


• Choose wicker baskets to display in the kitchen.