The mere mention of the French style in the interior evokes many epithets: refined, practical, unique, elegant, etc. - all of them characterize the French interior, which today many families prefer.
It is more ethnic than historical style. Therefore, when creating a design, elements typical of different historical styles - Empire, Baroque, Art Nouveau, Classic, find application. French style can have many shades and nuances. One of them is French Provence. Style in the interior, which is widespread in Europe and Scandinavia. However, it is often used to decorate country houses. It creates a calm and cozy village atmosphere. But today we’ll talk about how the French interior of the apartment can be.
There are several stereotypes regarding this style. Many believe that it is too expensive and pompous. We assure you - this is a mistake. The French interior is not deliberately luxurious details, but a harmonious combination of simple things. If you are inherent in romanticism, and you appreciate the softness in detail and sophistication, then the elegance of this direction can be created in your home or apartment.
Classic French Interior: Features
This style appeared in the XVII century and today it adequately withstands competition with dozens of other directions. A slightly simplified French chic has different characteristics and descriptions, however, antique accessories, furniture, and complex decorative compositions are unchanged elements. Draped textile delights must fully comply with the style and make the room harmonious and sophisticated.
From time immemorial, the French used marble sculptures, inlaid platbands, luxurious chandeliers, as decorative ornaments for interiors.
Modern french interior
This design of the home allows you to combine a variety of objects and materials, add elements of historical styles. However, French interior design has a basic foundation, which is based on the following features:
- light or white plain walls that combine with a light parquet floor;
- pastel palette of finishing materials;
- use of matte textures;
- artificially aged or antique furniture that has characteristic features (carved legs, mosaic finish, forged elements);
- the presence of a fireplace in the bedroom or living room;
- decorative elements (candlesticks, mirrors, paintings in gilded frames);
- in the center of the room is a tea table;
- stucco molding on ceilings and walls;
- a combination of chandeliers with floor lamps and lamps.
Modern style highlights restraint and convenience. Luxurious and antique objects do not dominate in it; rather, they are necessary objects of furnishings. Elegance is always complemented by well-designed messiness. In other words, one should not strive for a perfectly calibrated design, symmetry. Such an interior allows slight negligence. This is how a feeling of comfortable and romantic atmosphere is created.
What rooms is the French style suitable for?
This elegant style is suitable for decorating spacious apartments of the old building, typical apartments with high ceilings. The French interior will appeal to lovers of antique objects and furniture, sophisticated creative natures, romantics.
Unfortunately, such a project can not be implemented in all rooms. The French interior is not suitable for small, dark rooms with low ceilings: it needs space and light. Popular in our days, the layout of the studio apartment is completely rejected by this style. General requirements:
- spacious apartment with a minimum of walk-through rooms;
- large windows, including French (from the floor);
- high ceilings with stucco.
Color palette
The French believe that the walls should remain white. This is the fundamental color in the French style. It can be painted not only the ceiling and walls, but also furniture, decor. However, this decision is not to everyone's liking. In this case, designers recommend using a pastel palette:
- coffee with milk;
- pearl;
- ash white;
- cream;
- light beige.
The French interior does not accept contrasting colors: they take one color as a basis and complement it with various shades. For example, brown can be complemented by coffee, sand, beige, white, peach.
Room decoration
French interior design can be complemented by details characteristic of a particular historical style, which formed the basis of design. So, an apartment in a new building can be quite easily decorated using elements of the Renaissance and classics, complementing the interior with frescoes or gilded stucco molding.
Most designers believe that when creating an interior in the French style in the apartments of the old buildings, it is not worthwhile to radically reconstruct them. Typically, these rooms have high ceilings, they often have parquet floors. It is not necessary to remove them due to deterioration, it is better to try to save them.
How to make a ceiling?
French interior design involves several options for finishing the ceiling:
- regular whitewashing or painting;
- stucco molding in the color of the ceiling;
- tension cloths.
For urban French style, the use of wooden beams is not typical. This item is used in provence style. Many-tier suspended structures will not work either. A stretch ceiling is allowed in the modern French style, but preference in this case should be given not to a glossy film, but to a plain and patterned fabric.
Walls
Most often, the walls are left white: against their background it is more convenient to create an interior. In addition, you can use wallpaper for painting, which is covered with matte paint in pastel colors and decorated with paintings framed by gilded frames. If there are niches in the walls, sculptures, lamps, and flowers are placed in them.
Floors
If the apartment has parquet, even if not of the best quality, try to restore it. To do this, it should be sanded, replace damaged boards and open with varnish. Parquet flooring is the basis of the French interior. If it is not, you will need a parquet board or a laminate imitating natural material. You can use beautiful mosaic tiles in the bathroom and kitchen.
Furniture
The main feature of the furniture that distinguishes the French style in the interior is its “age”. You can use furniture inherited from relatives, antique samples, pieces of furniture purchased at the flea market, furniture (new) that is part of historical collections (Empire, Classic, Baroque), artificially aged.
Lighting
The French interior allows the use of a variety of fixtures in the form and style. There should be a lot of them in the room. Lamps and floor lamps are placed in niches, on tables, stands. At the same time, one cannot do without a central chandelier in this style: it should be massive and pompous in the living room, large, simple in shape in the bedroom and in the kitchen. Fabric shades that match bedspreads or upholstery are welcome. At the same time, wood, crystal and glass organically fit into the interior.
Textile
To design the French interior, soft colors are used, possibly with a beautiful pattern. They are designed to emphasize the beauty of design. Diffusing and light-refracting materials can be used: velvet, silk, organza, satin or taffeta. Different fabrics are selected for curtains, upholstery and decorative pillows.
French curtains in the interior are made most often from silk fabrics. They must necessarily be drapery, tassels, gowns, pickups, which emphasizes the features of the room and creates original and unique interiors.
Kitchen
We have presented you some features of the French style. It's time to consider the principles of design on the example of the most visited premises in the house - the kitchen.
The French kitchen interior is first of all grace and practicality. This room should not be filled with objects of historical significance. The vintage of this style lies in family values that are dear to you.
Kitchen design does not accept the use of black. If it becomes necessary to highlight any details, use a dark brown or dark gray color. For the design of the kitchen, natural materials of natural colors are used.
For wall cladding, paint, textured wallpaper, ceramic tiles can be used. You can use both semi-matte and matte paints. Such compositions can have a pearly texture: the effect of soft flicker will create a calm atmosphere in the room.
Wallpaper with a pattern in the style of old chintz will add romance to the room. The recreation area or dining area can be distinguished by wallpaper with a bucolic ornament, and the rest of the walls be left plain.
It is better to make an apron of a working zone from a glossy tile in coffee or beige tones. Depending on how you designed the ceiling, it is important to choose a ceiling baguette. It should not be too bulky and massive. It is painted in the color of the walls or left white.
The furniture of French cuisine is as if made of stone. It resembles a sculpture. Today, the French style is interpreted looser and wider than before. Choosing furniture for the kitchen, it is not necessary to strictly follow all the trends: furniture with modern elements can be used, soft classics with smooth lines and rounded surfaces are ideal. The texture of the wood should be pronounced. Lattice facades with original stained glass inserts are allowed.