Many people choose the French style of interior design for a kitchen or kitchen-living room for their love of pastel shades, materials of natural origin, curved lines and elegant lines. This style has many appearances, combines the characteristic features of Rococo, Baroque and Empire, but does not look so extravagant.
The choice of direction in design
Professional designers argue about whether the French style as such exists. French-style kitchen design options for the photo may vary significantly, but each of them will have certain characteristic elements.
With the passage of history, traditional interiors in France have been repeatedly transformed beyond recognition, therefore, to implement such an idea, modern designers are forced to balance between Rococo, Baroque and Empire style. And in recent years, the so-called rural style has come into vogue, borrowing the most recognizable elements of the life of French peasants.
It is harmonious to combine sophisticated luxury and elegant negligence in design, not everyone can do it, so you need to approach the issue of interior decoration in a French-style kitchen responsibly.
In any case, it is important to consider that the implementation of the French-style kitchen interior (photos clearly show this) requires sufficient free space, including large windows and high ceilings. To implement this plan you will have to make a lot of efforts, including a new decoration of walls, ceiling, floor, the choice of furniture and the most suitable accessories (you may have to look for vintage trinkets at flea markets and flea markets).
Characteristic features of the style in the interior
French-style cuisine has several distinctive elements. The decor is usually used only light pastel colors. Most often it is beige, pale yellow, cream, pale blue, caramel, pearl, cream and others. Furniture should be made of natural materials, characteristic shapes and smooth lines are welcome.
Decorative elements are allowed, but their number and location should be carefully thought out. An invariable attribute of the interior is gilding, which adorns furniture, appears in decorative gizmos and is used in architectural details (columns, plinths, and so on). Textile decor - only natural fabrics, characterized by lightness and airiness.
In decoration and furniture, it is better to give preference to environmentally friendly materials: stone, ceramics, wood. Their cost is high, therefore it is allowed to replace them with high-quality imitations, but also choose environmentally friendly options. Vivid contrasts or textures very different from each other are not allowed in the interior of modern French-style kitchens.
Classic french interior
The classic palace interior is the most demanding and hard-to-implement direction. To equip a kitchen with the luxury of France of the era of the emperors, furniture will need antique or stylized for it. The interior is perfectly complemented by characteristic elements: a Berger soft chair instead of hard chairs, a dresser cabinet for dishes (a low storage sideboard decorated with carvings and paintings), a geridon table (elegant table with a sharp leg).
This furniture was distributed during the time of Louis XV and Marie Antoinette. Low and deep armchairs with soft armrests can be placed in the corner or near the window. Dresser closet can be functional, and not just a decorative interior item. In the old days, it was customary to store in it not tableware, but porcelain and silver. At a table with carved legs 3-4 people will fit.
Stylized furniture in the interior
If the budget does not allow you to purchase antique furniture or the owners still want to embody the French style in the interior of the kitchen, but are not connoisseurs of antiques, then you can simply remove the present to the maximum. Furniture can be installed stylized as an old tree, with forged details (for example, twisted handles and metal frames for transparent doors), hide kitchen appliances, emphasize the richness of decorative elements imitating gilding.
Color scheme and decoration
The richness and luxury of the decor are offset by restraint in colors and decoration. It is better to use warm shades without accents and sharp transitions. Suitable for the kitchen in the French style (classic palace) beige, caramel, light yellow, walnut, pink, mint and lilac shades.
Emphasis is placed only with the help of textiles. Drapes made of brocade or velvet, silk curtains with grabs, textured upholstery of upholstered furniture, pillows on chairs are striking in any French palace interior. If there is free space, you can install massive floor vases that organically complement the French interior.
The surface of the walls can be either smooth or embossed. Suitable plaster, painting, embossed wallpaper. You can place on the walls as a decor several photographs or paintings framed in gilded wounds. For floor finishing, natural parquet is usually used, a high-quality laminate or carpet tiles. If there is an opportunity and desire, you should choose something spectacular:
patins (toning of material under antique copper);
craquelure (imitation of cracks);
brushing (highlighting the natural texture of wood).
Decorative elements and lighting
Furniture takes the main stylistic hit, so you can create coziness and harmony by adding suitable details. An old recipe book on an open shelf, a tall metal coffee pot and coffee grinder as if from a past century, porcelain storage containers emphasize the French-style cuisine.
For general lighting, you can use a chandelier made of expensive glass or natural crystal. Welcome additional lighting in the form of wall lights, candlesticks. You can install spotlights, but it is desirable that they are hidden and do not attract too much attention.
Defining Provence Style Elements
French cuisine Provence is characterized by simplicity and elegance at the same time. Such a design allows you to plunge into the atmosphere of good nature, functionality and hard work. In the Provence style interior there is a place for cute trinkets, but they will all be rustic in heart.
Provence style furniture for the kitchen
Such a design of the kitchen should emphasize the unity of man with the natural environment and the desire for hoarding. A sufficient amount of free space will allow filling the room with air and sunlight, so there is no need to clutter up the room with furniture, a working area with a stove stylized as a traditional stove, and a dining table with chairs are enough.
There are no exact requirements for the design of furniture for the kitchen in the French style (design photos confirm this). You can choose both a rough wooden dining table with benches covered with a blanket, and an elegant model with a classic round tabletop. Wicker decor elements, for example, baskets that can be used to store fruits and vegetables, chairs, will harmoniously look. The backs of chairs can be protected with linen covers.
The most common furniture items
Often used in the interior are simple chests of drawers with two doors and one drawer, round-shaped kitchen appliances (modern stoves resembling stoves), hanging open cabinets or shelves, and options with glass doors. A real highlight can be a bright color retro refrigerator without sharp corners.
Materials for decoration and decor
French-style kitchen materials are worth choosing: wood, glazed brick, stone. Brick is suitable for finishing a kitchen apron in the work area, and stone or imitation of this material is good for equipping open shelves with bags of dried herbs and earthenware. In general, open shelves are typical of French-style kitchens. Photos show that it can look neat.
All elements in the design of a kitchen in the French style of Provence need to be selected to match. Usually, a light background with insignificant impregnations of olive, lilac, turquoise, blue, terracotta shades dominates the interior. This range emphasizes the local natural beauty. A special place in the design is occupied by meadow herbs. Floral motifs can diversify the interior:
in the form of painting on the ceiling, furniture facades and utensils;
in various decor items of landscape sketches, figurines and panels;
in all kinds of textiles, curtains and lampshades, embroidered pillows and protection for chairs.
A characteristic pattern is a contrast strip. Often a small red-white or blue-white cell is used.
A few village highlights
If the French-style cuisine seems discreet, you can add a special atmosphere using the following simple tricks:
place family dishes on open shelves (these can be nice samples obtained at the flea market);
on the ceiling you can install wooden beams or their decorative imitation;
to lay a homespun carpet or walkway on the floor (such decorative rugs are sold in stores today);
heavy fabrics can be exchanged for light cotton, linen or chintz (all fabric elements must be airy);
hang a flower pot with table greens or decorative flowers, dry bouquets in frames, bundles with onions or put pots of red pepper.
Choosing any decorative element, it is worthwhile to dwell on your inner worldview. A small French-style kitchen can have many forms, so that everyone will find something of their own. If you have doubts about your own strengths, you should turn to a professional who will tell you how to successfully transform the kitchen.
French-style kitchen-living room
Living rooms or dining rooms, combined with the kitchen, are often found in French homes. Such options are familiar to the look, but you can diversify the boring interior. For example, today there are actual triple headsets. This is a set of furniture, consisting of a wall zone with an extractor hood, storage cabinets and a stove, an island part with a wide working surface and a zoned area with a narrow and high countertop.
Cafe-styled kitchen
Owners of small-sized urban apartments can afford small kitchens in the French style. For zoning of small spaces, a bar counter separating the working area is suitable. The preference is given to pastel colors, and bright textiles, attention-grabbing murals and decorative elements can be used in the details.
Lighting in the dining area should be diffuse and non-aggressive. Separate lighting fixtures resembling candelabra of candlesticks are perfectly suited. In the working area, bright spotlights are allowed, but modern lamps should be hidden from prying eyes. Modern equipment looks harmonious in such an interior, but still choose a stylized stove.
A kitchen-coffee shop or a kitchen-pastry shop is an unusual idea. Mandatory elements of such a room are:
a bar that separates the cooking area and the dining room;
a small dining table is placed close to the wall or near the window;
it is better to buy forged chairs, soft pillows are additionally used;
wine shelf - an important detail of the interior, although it performs primarily a decorative function;
a fake window is a great option to emphasize the atmosphere (you can simulate a window using photo wallpaper, glass with photo printing or a poster);
it is better to hide large household appliances behind the cabinet doors, and small ones (coffee grinder, juicer, toaster), as a rule, are displayed in the most prominent place;
cooking and dining areas are usually separated by flooring (tiles for the working area and parquet or laminate for the dining room);
the red color in the design (in combination with a neutral beige, creamy or coffee) will convey the atmosphere of Paris, but if this is not a very suitable shade, you can replace it with gray or green.
If the size of the kitchen allows, you can equip an isolated dining area, which will give a feeling of lightness and security. This is a great solution, if it’s important for the owners to eat food in a calm environment of comfort and peace. Even in a relatively small kitchen, you can optionally place a small insulated table and a soft sofa for relaxing.