Do you love French Baguettes and roosters prints?
Kitchen Ideas: How to?
 Oh,… France!Do you love French baguettes, wine prints, roosters and provincial motif with contrast of light and dark in furniture and décor? Then your style is French Country also called French Provincial. French country is another interpretation of the shabby chic style which lies somewhere between light and breeze, dark and rustic. The secret for creating this look is in the use of rich colors. The French take their inspiration from the sun-drenched Provencal landscape with its rich, intense colors. Famous painters such as Van Gogh and numerous others took their inspiration from such hues and created beautiful masterpiece. Think of earthly tones as your hue: terracotta, mustard, poppy reds, lavender, sunflower and brilliant celestial blue. If you are unsure of your color palette, pay a visit to stores such as Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel, and get inspired by any dinnerware hue and pattern that attracts you the most. This can be used as a base for picking up the fabrics in the room and also to help you select the paint color. The rule of thumb when planning such design style is simple: keep the main furniture pieces such as a table in your kitchen or a side board in very robust lines and add accent pieces with curved, graceful lines. Such contrast helps create the blend of the refined with the rustic that epitomizes the French Cottage or French Provincial look. Mix the wood finishes: light wood, distressed wood, painted wood, and some accent of dark or black wood are key for this style. Surround the wood with whimsical-folk art accent pieces along with beautiful pottery and chinaware. How to create a French Kitchen? It is relatively simple to turn any kitchen into a French Provincial style. When creating such style it is important to choose the right fixtures along with the right faucet. This style of kitchen should evoke a certain period home. A period when life was simple and rustic. The French recreated the feeling of the sunny countryside inside and made a style that became synominous of the refined with the rustic. To create a French Country signature style, the sideboard is a must to invest in, if you want to achieve this décor. Here you can display candlesticks lamps (topped with beautiful shades) as well as colorful dishware that will help create a main focal point to the character of your kitchen style. Overhead racks to store plates and cupboards with glass doors are also important and work great. French Cottage style encourages a free spirit that is forgiving and easy to implement. Here you can be free to mix folk art prints of roosters and fruit as well as intricate patterns resembling the English Spode motif that you can also mix with wrought iron figurines, trays and accessories. |  Mix the wood finishes: light wood, distressed wood, painted wood, and some accent of dark or black wood is the key to accomplish this style. Folk art. Surround the wood with whimsical-folk art accent pieces and beautiful pottery and dishware as main accessories. Fixtures. When creating such style it is important to choose the right fixtures. This style of kitchen should evoke a certain period home and both of these items are crucial to set the French country tone to your kitchen. Appliances. If you are not planning on a new complete kitchen project, you can still a blended look with your rustic decor and your 21st century appliances by hiring a cabinet maker and make a panel to go on the front of your dishwasher and of your fridge to matches in with the kitchen cupboards. Flooring. Your flooring should also reflect the French provincial style theme to tie your whole overall look of your kitchen. Floorboards give a kitchen a warm, welcoming glow. The colors of the timber can vary from a lighter honey color to a more rich red timber color. For a French Shabby Chic style however, the kitchen floor can also be in tiles, with rustic finishes and in a ivory or off white color to give a clean, fresh look. Hallway. It is important to keep the French provincial style theme running through your doorway. Here, a distressed bench - adorned by decorative pillows in beautiful fabrics- topped by a tapestry or a vintage print of a rooster will work great. If your budget allows it, plan on building an archway in your hallway, that you can then decorate with ornate plaster cornices topped with a wrought iron plaque. The doors can range from paneled doors, with decorative old fashioned door knobs to doors with glass panels. Windows. It is important to dress your windows with beautiful - gorgeous fabrics because they give immediate character to any décor. Soft colors like pale blue or shades of cream mustard and soft reds work well. If you can install a bay window somewhere in your kitchen it will give more room to display decorative items and to create a cozy feeling as well. Walls. Texture on the walls is key to create a French Cottage or French country style. Walls finished with plaster and painted in rich, earthly tones are the signature of this style. I hope you have enjoyed this posting and I hope you got encouraged in creating the French provincial style kitchen you have been dreaming of. This style is fun to create and is not difficult to achieve, but regardless of how many beautiful pieces you collect, the rule to keep it mind is: keeping it uncluttered. A clutter free kitchen not only showcases your collectibles and treasures but it also makes you more productive and happier. Blessings -Cristina- |
