French style in the interior of the apartment

What is the French style in the interior and what are the main salient features? To answer these questions, you can carefully consider the interiors of modern French apartments. Despite the great difference in decorative elements, surface finishes, the variety of furniture that fills the atmosphere, they all share a sense of special taste, incredible convenience and luxurious simplicity. The French style has many nuances and shades. One of which is the Provencal style. But it is more suitable for decorating country houses, for creating a calm village atmosphere in them. We will consider the urban option - the French style in the interior of the apartment.

The history and main features of the French interior

The French style in the interior is an ethnic, not historical, style. Therefore, in the design, echoes of various historical eras and styles - baroque, empire, classics, modernism, can freely be present. What is noteworthy: the French are completely not wasteful and thrifty. They respect the history of their people, their family, their home. Furniture, paintings, mirrors, photos within the framework are transmitted from generation to generation, stored and not thrown away. A worn cabinet from the time of Louis XVI can occupy a worthy place in the modern interior, while it can be adjacent to wrought iron of the nineteenth century and modern vases or lamps. This has a special charm and beauty.

Spacious family bedroom with antique wardrobe.

Old wooden doors complementing the new bathroom fixtures.

As for antiquity, it can be skillfully combined with new furnishings. Designers advise to boldly mix old and new, play in contrast. Things with an interesting story are exactly what you need. They set a certain mood and tone, help create an interior design in the French style. If the apartment does not have old pieces of furniture, then it is not necessary to purchase them in an antique store for crazy money. The French make it much easier - they go to the flea market to find the missing piece of furniture.

Tip: if you want to give the atmosphere a certain charm of antiquity, but the option of an antique store or flea market is not suitable for you - age the furniture or decor yourself. Cracked or slightly worn paint, brass matte fittings, faded fabric will help to achieve the desired effect.

Apartment with antique parquet and updated door designs.

The main features of the interior of the French apartment

The modern French style in the interior allows you to combine various materials and objects, interspersed with elements of historical styles, but the basic basis of all French apartments is based on the following features:

• white or light plain walls in combination with light parquet floors;
• lack of sharp contrasts in color combinations (pastel palette);
• the predominance of matte textures;
• antique or artificially aged furniture with the characteristic features of the time (carved legs, forged elements, mosaics);
• the presence in the living room or bedroom of the fireplace (or its imitation);
• various decorative elements (paintings in gilded frames, candlesticks, mirrors);
• a tea table in the center of the room;
• stucco decorating ceilings and walls;
• a combination of different chandeliers, lamps and floor lamps.

Living room library with fireplace.

Important: when working on creating an interior in the French style, it is necessary to moderately fill the room with objects and decor. The abundance of luxurious or old items can overload the environment. As a result, the interior will turn out luxurious or pompous. One needs striving for a refined and simple setting.

Exquisite living room in a classic French style.

The modern French style in the interior highlights convenience and restraint. Luxurious and antique objects do not occupy a dominant place, they are presented as necessary objects of decor. Elegance is complemented by thoughtful mess. That is, you do not need to strive for a perfectly tuned design, perfect symmetry or purity. A bit of negligence must be allowed. This is how you can achieve a feeling of romantic and comfortable atmosphere.

A kitchen combining old and modern textures and materials.

In which case is it worth using the French style for interior decoration

Elegant French style in the interior is suitable for the decoration of such premises:

• Hotel rooms with high ceilings, beautiful stucco and parquet ceilings;
• spacious apartments of the old buildings;
• typical city apartments with high ceilings;
• antique shops with an abundance of decor and furniture;
• cozy small cafes with divided halls and a summer terrace.

Lovely Parisian cafe with an old and comfortable atmosphere.

Interior design in the French style will appeal to many people:

• lovers of antique items, furniture;
• art lovers;
• creative and sophisticated natures;
• romantics.

Everyone who loves life itself in all its manifestations, who cannot imagine himself without romance and beauty, will feel comfortable in an apartment furnished with taste and complemented by objects of art.

Modern monochrome interior with a variety of lamps and paintings.

Features of the layout for the interior in the French style

For the implementation of the interior design in the French style, a spacious apartment with separate separate rooms and high ceilings is suitable. The urban layout of a studio apartment popular today is not a suitable option, as the French prefer the original layout with separate rooms, corridors and pantries.

General planning requirements:

• spacious area with a minimum of passage rooms;
• the presence of large windows, including "French" (from the floor);
• rooms with high ceilings (well, if they are decorated with stucco molding).

Spacious room with large windows, parquet floors and high ceilings decorated with stucco.

Colors specific to the style

“Leave the walls alone, let them be white,” the French say. And this is the essence of the color policy, which dictates the interior design in the French style. White is the fundamental color of the interior. Walls, ceilings, floors, furniture, decor can be white.

It is complemented by pastel nuance colors:

Exquisite dining room in light beige tones.

Stylish bathroom in white and ash colors.

Mostly, contrasting color combinations are rarely used in French interiors. They take one color as a basis and complement it with shades. For example, brown complement sand, coffee, white, beige, peach.

Girl's bedroom in brown tones.

An important feature: the modern French style in the interior easily combines different patterns. For example, floral and floral motifs can be adjacent to a geometric pattern or complex ornament.

The combination of patterns in the interior.

Wall, ceiling and floor decoration

Depending on what historical style formed the basis of modern French design, they also choose finishing methods. That is, an apartment in a new building can be made with elements of classic or renaissance, complementing the interior with gilded stucco molding or frescoes. The apartment of the old building is not altered, but only retain its original appearance. For example, in Parisian houses of the seventeenth and nineteenth centuries, apartment buildings are distinguished by high ceilings with stucco moldings and parquet floors. They are not removed due to prescription and deterioration, but try to save.

The interior of the living room, which combines old stucco with gilding on the ceiling and original parquet with modern furniture and textiles.

Ceiling

Forming the French style in the interior of the apartment, several types of finishes are used:

• regular whitewashing and surface painting;
• decorate even ceilings with stucco molding in the color of the ceiling;
• pick up a beautiful central chandelier.

For the urban style of France, the decoration of the ceiling with wooden beams is not characteristic. This feature is more suitable for the Provencal style. Designers and suspended tiered ceilings are not recommended. If you choose a stretch ceiling, then it is better to give preference not to a glossy film, but to a patterned or plain fabric.

Walls

Walls can be left just white. So it will be convenient to create an interior on their background. Also, the walls are papered with wallpaper with ornaments, painted with matte paint and decorated with paintings in beautiful frames. It’s good if there are niches in the walls. They have flowers, sculptures or lamps.

White interior.

Floors

If there is an old parquet in the house, even if not of the best quality, you should try to save it. To do this, it is again polished, the damaged boards are renewed and varnished. Parquet flooring is the foundation of the French interior. If there is no parquet, then lay a new parquet board or laminate. The kitchen and bathroom use beautiful tiles - mosaics.

Cabinet with a picture of an old fresco and preserved parquet.

Selection of furniture for the interior in the French style

The main feature of the furniture that characterizes the French style in the interior is antiquity.

That is, the following furniture is used in the interior:

• inherited from wealthy relatives;
• antique items;
• cabinets and chairs bought at the flea market;
• new furniture from the historical collection (baroque, empire, classic), aged artificially.

The bedroom is decorated with wooden furniture, decorated with artistic carvings.

Examples of furniture in the French style:

Tip: it is not necessary to fill the room with exclusively antique and expensive items. If you overload the situation, then convey the simplicity and charm of the modern French style in the interior will not work. You can beat one antique item, complementing it with simple modern furniture. For example, a beautiful oak bed is combined with modern armchairs and a dressing table, while a graceful art-deco armchair is complemented by a modern seating area and a tea table.

Lighting and lighting

The French style in the interior allows a combination of the most diverse in style, shape and cost of fixtures. There should be a lot of them in the room. Floor lamps and lamps are placed on bedside tables, in niches, and tables, near furniture. At the same time, a central chandelier is necessarily hung in the room: pompous and luxurious in the living room, simple and large in the kitchen and in the bedroom.

Most often, lampshades have fabric upholstery, which is combined with upholstery of upholstered furniture or bedspreads. But glass, plastic, wood and crystal are allowed. The more diverse the lighting, the more interesting and picturesque the interior looks.

 

Lamps suitable for the French interior:

French style textiles

Fabrics for interior design choose a calm pastel colors, plain or with a beautiful pattern.They should emphasize the beauty of the design, complement it. They use light-refracting and scattering materials: silk, velvet, satin, organza or taffeta. Fabrics are chosen different for upholstery, curtains and decorative pillows. The ability to beautifully combine a large number of different textiles sets off French interiors. The main impression that should result in the result is a simple and at the same time luxurious interior, created with light negligence.

Textile decoration of the rooms.

Decor and accessories

The decoration of the rooms is the finishing touch that fills the interior design in the French style with life. To decorate the rooms, the following is actively used:

• books (old and new);
• porcelain dishes and figurines;
• fresh flowers in antique vases;
• framed paintings and mirrors;
• tapestries.

Decor cabinet library.

A distinctive feature of the interior is the fireplace. If earlier it had a practical function - it filled the room with warmth. Today it is more of a decorative item, creating the spirit of French luxury in a small apartment.

Living room interior with fireplace.

Examples of decor items that can be used to create an interior in the French style:

Photo of interior design ideas in french style