A few weeks ago I did a quick roundup of a few of my favorite décor styles, but this week I wanted to dedicate a post just to French Country style – talking about what it entails, as well as some ways to modernize it. One of the things that I wanted to highlight this week is that there is a difference in contemporary French country style, and the French Country style from the days of old. 

What makes a Home French country?

In April, the words I used to describe traditional French Country were:

Elegant, Neutrals, Antiques, Mix-And-Match, Light & Airy, Natural

Many of those words could be used to describe a modernized French country as well, however, from what I’ve gathered, I think that modern French or Modern French Country style combines those elements in a more subdued way. 

If you want to add a MODERN flair to your French style room:

• Try to work with large furniture pieces that fill a room without making it feel cluttered or over-crowded. 

• Combine fresh white or neutral colored linens with pops of brightly colored or patterned ones, to add interest to the space. For instance, the pattern on this pillow from Wayfair could be used as a reference to French Country Blue china sets, and paired with a modern chair, couch, bed, or duvet, would allow the space to reflect French flair, without being over about it. 

• It can also be helpful to curate a collection of different furniture pieces, ones that “go together” but aren’t necessarily identical, or matchy.  

•  If you want to use antique or vintage furniture pieces, you can restyle them with a more modern color palette, and add to the modern-look through hardware or other furniture accessories. 

In this image from Decor Pad, the floral pillows and vintage inspired headboard are balanced by bold yellows, modern and streamlined lighting, and the floor cushions. 

So to conclude, Modernizing a French Country space requires: toning down the space, cutting back on frills, Incorporating modern elements(which can be through line, material, and/or color scheme!)