With the mention of Country French, most people envision a stone house with wood beamed ceilings, rooms appointed with richly carved armoires and cozy sofas, and chairs upholstered in a luxurious fabric. And of course, there would be flowers emulating a Parisian public garden and lots of collectables.
Country French is all the above and much, much more. What makes its many interpretations so livable and why Country French continues to be among the most popular interior design motifs in America is that it never forgets its past, even while charging ahead to the future. Homes created in this manner always reflect the occupants’ personalities, making each house unique. This is one characteristic I strive to give all my clients. By using their own collectables intermingled with new (old) purchases, regardless their country of origin, they are creating a reflection of themselves. I love to visit a home with family heirlooms mixed in with the décor. Those personal touches truly make a house a home.
A brilliant combination of the rustic with the refined, Country French is as appropriate for a cottage as it is for a chateau. While evolving over time to meet the needs of the middle class and their much simpler homes, the basics of Country French decorating—proportion, balance and fine craftsmanship—have never waivered. Add to this the important role of family in France, and you end up with a style that is both pleasing to the eye and comfortable to live with. Though styles change, our focus on our families and comfort does not…even in America.
Imagine sitting in one of those beautiful French chateau dining rooms. The well-designed furniture alongside a stunning view makes me relax just thinking about it! At the gallery, we have created a Country French dining room that could fit in any chateau. The combination of our beautiful Country French solid oak Lodge Cabinet with our heavy solid oak, parquet top farm table, decked with our English garden urns and Royal Albert bone china, achieves the look of classic Country French as described above. The heavily carved breakfront brings charm and personality as well as more display space for china. The addition of sheepbone leather chairs, combined with our Louis XV tapestry fauteuils (chairs), accomplishes our look with richness and grace. A casual elegance seems to radiate an inviting feeling…one that evokes the desire to sit down for a lovely family dinner. And that is what it’s all about: creating a welcoming and inviting space for our family and friends.
Defining classic English style is not always an easy task. As with all things traditionally English, words like ‘good quality’, ‘understated’ and ‘timeless’ pop into my mind. During the first half of the 18
This photo came from one of our clients who purchased our 18th-century carved walnut wine coolers from Europe. She is thrilled with her new treasures, and we are thrilled for her. This is what we’re all about: Helping our clients enjoy their homes, helping our clients make their homes a sanctuary. This client is on an emotional journey of discovery, and she is in a state of mind to explore fresh territory. This sideboard is situated in her foyer, and while we usually will add a modern touch, we never insist that our clients do the same. She has added a touch of whimsy with the tassels on the keys. The wine coolers are multipurpose: They can be used as vases, as decoration, and yes, to cool and serve wine. Metal panels and a decorative gallery rail speak to the current trend of mixing metal and wood. This is a calming, symmetrical setting with its candlestick lamps and linen drum shades. Add the impressionistic landscape and the faux finish on the wall, and the scene is set. Our client is learning to enhance her lifestyle and developing her own personal aesthetic. Our job is to help our clients create rooms that must reflect their personal preferences, needs, desires, and dreams. For all of us, learning how to live well is a lifelong process. We want our clients to be happy in their sanctuary. After all, we at the gallery think life is a luxury, indeed
Setting a formal table should be done with ease as if it were everyday decorating. For those of us who love doing tablescapes, it’s like making a collage. It’s about color, texture and pattern. We have shown you how to combine these elements on our post today. Experimenting with what you already have and can readily get your hands on, moving those things around and putting them together cohesively as well as mixing them up a bit is the key to success. By doing so, you can create a sense of movement and variety in your tablescape; one that is unique to you, your home and your heritage. You don’t have to go shopping or spend a lot of money. To be creative, you have to be willing to step out of your comfort zone and do the things that speak to you, and make you happy. That can be accomplished by looking around your home, pulling things together that you love and build a central theme for your tablescape. Remember, your table should be beautiful as well as functional; however, your guests and the conversation should be the focus, always. Coming up with your own idea and using a combination of china, crystal, silverware and linens you already own is half the fun. We have used a crisp white linen tablecloth and matching dinner napkins as the foundation for our beautiful formal tablescape; these items are a good investment to make. You will be able to use these companions dressing them up or down, depending on your selection of china and crystal. We have chosen to formalize our table by using silver, antique etched crystal stemware, Wedgewood bone china and sterling silver flatware. Notice that we have not used placemats; the simplicity of the setting demands your attention. Our birds, artichokes and china create a flowing color scheme that is pleasing as well as beautiful. A touch of whimsy is given by our parrots! The French epergne and 
Did you know that tea was introduced from China to England in the middle of the 17
In the fickle world of design where things come and go, one cannot put a period, a particular setting or any given decor that our two legged, feathered friends cannot “fly” into. Birds have been around since the beginning…and as far as I can see in decorating, they have been, and are here to stay. When tastefully decorating, I really think of Town and Country as the best mix of both worlds. By mixing elements that are somewhat modern, always sophisticated, and somewhat whimsical, to a degree, you can create a setting that has unique flavor and flair. Today’s post features a pair of antique brass and porcelain cranes that are very large in scale, and would work perfectly in the right setting, whether it be large or small. Most people are afraid of scale, not understanding their reluctance to putting big pieces of furniture in a small room, or putting larger accessories on a smaller piece of furniture in any size room. Often times I will choose a large scale piece of furniture and balance it with other smaller objects in a small room. It is called the “magnet” piece in the room, which each room needs. All the furniture cannot be the same height; if so, the room becomes less interesting to the eye. The general rule is, the bolder the scale, the more interesting the room. Our cranes featured today are standing tall at 30 inches and give us the town look. We have them accessorized with an Italian urn with artichokes and live, preserved boxwood balls to add the country charm needed to complete our look. The French tea cart they are sitting on certainly is not large in scale; however, where I have it placed in the gallery beside a towering 9 foot buffet-a-deux-corps, which is a two part French cabinet, the scale of the cart and birds is perfect. We have infused France and Italy today; they are known for creating artful, elegant interiors with the aura of romance and glamour. We like to emulate that look here at the gallery. Our take away today is to try new things, trust your instincts, and put some big, bold accessories in your decor. It will surely get attention, and what woman doesn’t like attention?
Collecting is a human instinct. For as long as people have focused on acquiring more objects than they needed, they have turned that excess into collections, automatically, instinctively. Parisian homes are filled with collections because the French love to collect. I think we Americans have the same desire to collect just as the French do; I know I do! Your home should be designed to display those articles and collections that have woven the tapestry of your lives – your family – your travels – your accomplishments and your passions. Displaying your collections is all about balance and fooling the eye with various levels of objects, furniture and wallgroupings; also using different materials and textures will add interest. The various levels of a setting should let the eye rest periodically. By that, I mean there should be a gentle flow from one side to the other; whether it is from one side of a piece of furniture to the other, or, from one side of a room to the other. It can be either symmetrical or asymmetrical. All of my friends and clients are very well aware of my love for French Country, and for my symmetry. Today, I am featuring our French Country server topped with an apple topiary which balances in height with our original oil painting of the cow. Notice how the chicken and moss pot are close in height, thereby giving the eye the rest it needs to notice the entire picture, and to keep the appeal.The French wallcovering with chickens pulls in our color scheme, as well as our farm theme of animals. Our outdoor elements of moss and apples lend themselves credence in completing our French Country farmyard look. Notice the bleached finish on our French server…that seems to be an ongoing trend in furniture these days. Each piece of this vignette could be individually used in other areas of your home; the server could be used as a hallway piece to display family heirlooms on or in a bathroom. The cow painting could be used in a den or a sunroom, or any place in your home that makes you happy. Remember, one outstanding piece of furniture can change the whole look of a room…so plan to have at least one timeless antique in each room of your house. Antiques will radiate elegance to your guests, I promise!
