French Country Style
Sunwashed Provence charm, aged patinas, linen softness, and rustic elegance with a refined touch.
French Country style feels like a long lunch in the shade of plane trees—easy, welcoming, and beautifully imperfect. Inspired by rural homes across Provence and the French countryside, the look blends rustic materials with a quiet sense of refinement: limestone, plaster, aged woods, wrought iron, and textiles that soften every edge.
Rooms are layered rather than matched. Furniture looks collected, not bought as a set. Colors are sun-faded and natural— creamy whites, warm stone, muted blues, sage greens, lavender grays, and touches of terracotta. The overall effect is relaxed elegance: timeless, practical, and full of character.
Stone walls, weathered shutters, and climbing vines define the rustic architecture of rural France.
Architecture in the French countryside is grounded in the local landscape. Thick stone walls keep interiors cool in summer and warm in winter. Rooflines are often simple and practical, while courtyards and garden terraces extend living space outdoors. A shaded entry, a gravel path, and a few pots of herbs near the kitchen door are all it takes to create that lived-in Provençal mood.
Inside, the best French Country rooms feel bright, calm, and gently worn. Light bounces off plaster walls and painted cabinetry, and natural materials do the heavy lifting: wood beams, stone or terracotta floors, linen drapes, and iron hardware. Nothing feels precious—yet everything feels considered.
The atmosphere is elevated by the small details: a copper pan rack, a carved wood mirror, baskets of lavender, a well-loved farm table with mismatched chairs, and a simple ceramic pitcher filled with garden stems. French Country is less about perfection and more about comfort with taste.
Decorative finishes are a natural fit here. Chalky paint, subtle glazes, limewash movement, and soft colorwashing add depth and age without making a room feel dark. These techniques help new surfaces feel like they’ve been there forever.
A French Country kitchen is light, practical, and warm—painted cabinets, open shelves, and honest materials.
Kitchens are often the heart of the home: painted cabinetry in creamy whites, pale gray, soft blue, or sage green, paired with stone counters, butcher block, and open shelves displaying everyday pottery. Lighting is warm and intimate, and a simple linen runner on the table adds softness without fuss.
In living rooms and salons, texture takes center stage: linen slipcovers, antique rugs, carved wood tables, and iron or brass accents. The palette remains calm, but pattern shows up in classic French ways—stripes, small florals, and toile used sparingly to keep things airy.
Café culture meets countryside comfort—simple pleasures, soft light, and timeless French style.
French Country rooms are built around everyday ritual: coffee near the window, a vase of market flowers on the table, a chair pulled close for conversation, and evening lamplight warming the patina of wood and iron. It’s a style that invites you to live well—without trying too hard.
French Country Interiors
The secret to French Country interiors is balance: rustic textures with refined lines, casual comfort with elegant restraint. Anchor the space with honest materials—stone, plaster, wood, iron—then soften it with linen, cotton, and gentle color. Add antiques or antique-inspired pieces and let a little imperfection do the storytelling.
Provençal Kitchens
Favor light, chalky paint on cabinets and furniture, and keep surfaces simple: stone, wood, or tile. Open shelves, crockery, baskets, and copper create warmth without clutter. A farm table becomes the gathering point—perfect for casual meals and long conversations.
Floors often feel grounded and historic: terracotta tile, limestone, brick, or wide-plank wood. Finish the room with warm task lighting and a few everyday objects displayed beautifully.
Salon & Living Rooms
Seating should feel comfortable and generous. Linen slipcovers, soft neutrals, and a mix of wood tones create a relaxed base. Add iron details—curtain rods, light fixtures, hardware—for structure and contrast.
Layer in texture: woven baskets, aged mirrors, carved side tables, a wool rug, and simple ceramics. The goal is a room that feels calm by day and glowing by night.
Bedrooms & Guest Rooms
Bedrooms are airy and quiet: creamy walls, soft linens, and just enough pattern to feel personal. Painted wood furniture, a vintage-style chandelier, and warm bedside lamps create a gentle, romantic mood.
Keep it simple, add one antique accent, and let the palette do the work—stone, ivory, muted blue, and the faintest lavender gray.
Special Feature
Painted Floral Dresser
Painted furniture is a French Country signature—simple forms brought to life with soft color, delicate florals, and an aged, timeworn patina. This tutorial style project is perfect for turning an everyday dresser into a Provençal statement piece: chalky base color, hand-painted floral motifs, gentle distressing, and a warm antique glaze to finish it off.
Special Feature
Limewash Walls
French Country walls often have a soft, chalky depth that looks sun-faded and historic. Limewash-style finishes create subtle movement and tonal variation—perfect for kitchens, entry halls, and bedrooms where you want a calm, old-world backdrop that pairs beautifully with linen, wood, and iron.
Use this look to bring instant authenticity to new walls, especially when paired with warm neutrals and aged wood furniture.
Craftsmanship defines French Country style—hand-forged ironwork, carved wood, stone thresholds, and plaster walls that catch light in a soft, natural way. These surfaces aren’t glossy or perfect; they’re quietly textured, like they’ve been lived with for years.
Color is muted and sunwashed: warm ivory, pale stone, dusty blue, sage, and the occasional hint of terracotta or ochre. Let wood tones vary, keep contrast gentle, and use black or dark iron accents to add structure.
Lighting should be warm and layered. A simple chandelier, wall sconces, and table lamps create a soft glow that highlights patina and texture—one of the easiest ways to make a room feel authentically French.
French Country living is rooted in everyday beauty: the morning market, the scent of herbs, sunlit stone streets, and a simple meal shared slowly. That same attitude translates indoors. A basket of produce, a pitcher of flowers, and linen napkins on a wooden table can carry the whole room.
The atmosphere is relaxed, but never careless. A few well-chosen antiques, honest materials, and finishes with depth create spaces that feel both rustic and refined—comfortable enough for daily life, elegant enough for guests.
Elements of French Country Style
Sunwashed neutrals and muted color
Build the palette around creamy whites, warm stone, and soft grays, then add muted accents like dusty blue, sage green, lavender gray, and terracotta. Think “faded by light,” never harsh or bright.
Patina and gentle aging
French Country looks best when surfaces show depth: subtle glazing, chalky paint, worn edges, and soft tonal variation. The finish should feel naturally timeworn—more “aged gracefully” than “distressed hard.”
Natural textiles and relaxed comfort
Linen is king. Use linen slipcovers, cotton throws, and simple drapery to soften stone and wood. Keep textiles tactile and breathable, with stripes and small florals used sparingly.
Rustic materials with refined lines
Mix reclaimed wood, stone, plaster, and iron with furniture that has elegant curves and classic French proportions. A rustic farm table paired with a carved chair is a signature combination.
Decorative finishes that feel historic
Limewash, colorwashing, and thin glazes add character without heaviness. These finishes create calm, lived-in walls that make antiques and textiles feel at home.
Feature tutorial.
The Parchment colorwash is ideal for French Country rooms—soft, airy, and full of subtle movement. It creates the impression of aged walls with gentle tonal variation, perfect for kitchens, hallways, and bedrooms. When paired with warm neutrals, linen textiles, and antique wood, it instantly adds Provence-inspired character.
French Country Style Inspirations
Warm stone walkways and garden gates.
Weathered shutters in sun-faded color.
Linen, stripes, and simple florals.
Wrought iron details—simple and strong.
Everyday pottery with timeless shape.
Pre-mixed Glazes
Ready, set, GO!
Getting going with these premixed glazes. Select one of our pre-mixed glaze colors or create your own. We custom mix any color from all major paint manufacturers. Just pick your own color from any swatch book and let us know the paint name and number and we'll send you the right glaze - interior or exterior - custom matched to your liking.
Create classic effects such as colorwashing, dragging, striee, antiquing effects, furniture effects and much more!
Early American Style
Colonial Amercians drew inspriation from their European heritage. Curent design styles would filter across the ocean and become reinventedin early America. Proportion and scale took reign over ornementation, A neutral color palette of grey blue, greens and rose pinks is readily apparent.
Stucco Rustico - Aged Plaster
Stucco Rustico is a Traditional interior and exterior textured plaster that epitomizes the rustic old world charm commonly associated with Tuscan environments. I love this treatment for its ease of application and the natural, organic glazed appearance that results when using mineral based plasters and glazes. Whether a rough application or a smooth finish, this treatment holds true to the test of time and, in fact, feels as if time itself stopped to wash the walls personally.
The Rustic Color Palette
The Rustic Style color palette falls within a distinct range of color tones and is essential in creating a successful Rustic interior. By using the appropriate color tones you can create a variety of design styles ranging from Period and Historic, regional or thematic. Color helps define our experiences within an interior and exterior environment. It affects us on a physical, emotional, and spiritual level and can be calming and passive, expressive and vital.
Painted Floral Details
Floral patterns used as accents in fabrics and furniture are common place details in the English Country home. These graceful and organic patterns complement the cozy interior of this style and work particularly well with lace window treatments, an heirloom tea service set and the natural and rustic charm of wooden ceiling beams and slightly irregularly textured walls.