French Country Shabby Chic Decorating Ideas

20 Rooms That Make French Country Decor Feel Fresh and New

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If you can't get enough of all things French country, you've come to the right place. The spaces below prove that this style works wonderfully all throughout the home—from the living and dining rooms to bedrooms and yes, even the laundry room! Read on to gather all the French country inspiration you need to seriously consider this style for your home. If you gravitate towards a soft palette, touches of gold, curvy wooden furniture, fancy chandeliers, and floral touches, you just might have found your aesthetic match. The great thing is you can go traditional French country or adapt a more modern version of it to find what works best for you and your home.

1. Cozy Living Room

Blogger Deb Foglia's family home features a welcoming, charming living area decorated in quintessential French country style—whitewashed woods, ornate molding artwork, and light upholstery. The eye-catching coffee table, which looks like an oversized vintage clock face, is just one of our favorite features in this sunny space.

2. Formal and Classic

Blogger Lory Bernstein designed a room that errs more on the traditional side but features a few almost glam, French country elements like small gold mirrors and brass curtain rods. The use of an ottoman as a coffee table adds even more plushness and curvy lines to this sweet space.

3. Caned Furniture Perfection

Blogger Jamie Lundstrom seems to know just how much we love caned chairs here at Apartment Therapy. The chairs' distressed look adds plenty of country charm to this gorgeous dining setup. And that homespun linen tablecloth? It's the perfect muted mauve, a key color in the French country palette.

4. Floral Paradise

Another blogger, another modern meets French country style room. Leslie Biggley skillfully combined heavier pieces, like a wooden trunk used as a coffee table, with airier florals and hits of pink. Tufted sofas and armchairs can blend with a variety of styles and certainly work well in a French country space. The star of this setup is definitely that ceiling, though. Sign me up for a floral mural overhead any day!

5. Blue-and-White Bliss

Oh Sweet Basil's Carrian Cheney created a dining area that's both simple and soothing, featuring neutrals, blue-and-white ticking striped chairs, and a gorgeous chandelier that all combine to give off major French country vibes. Hanging plates on the wall is always an elegant, timeless choice when you don't have the right piece of artwork. Sisal and jute rugs also work well to ground French country rooms, since they're a neutral natural material.

6. Symmetrical Style

Suzy Handgraaf designed the most calming sleep space and proves that a little symmetry never hurt anyone, especially when it comes to a bedroom. Shabby chic furniture, wooden lamps, and a ticking stripe duvet contribute to the French country theme in this bedroom. The molding behind the bed adds rustic charm and turns the bed wall into a full-on focal point.

7. Lavish Laundry Room

Blogger CoCo Tyre proves that even a laundry room can get the French country look if you design it right. This white pained wooden chest looks very sophisticated in what's often seen as solely a utilitarian space. The drawers are great for storing laundry supplies, while the flat tabletop provides a perfect spot to sort dirty—or fold clean—clothes.

8. Vintage Chic

Jamie Lundstrom founded the website So Much Better With Age, and her home is certainly reflective of her love of all things French, vintage, and antique. She's a fan of curvy furniture and chandeliers, so her philosophy is to just add these elements to every room she designs. Not a bad strategy if you're trying to create this classic, unique look. Can you believe her space used to be totally '80s pre-renovation?

9. Delightful Sleep Space

Michelle Nemis created the ultimate white bedroom of our dreams. Distressed nightstands on each side of the bed provide touches of French country charm without sacrificing storage. You can also see the corner of what looks like a French door on the left hand side of the picture. French doors equal instant French country style.

10. Family-Friendly Dining Space

Love to entertain? A dining area like Rachel Paxton's of Maison de Pax makes it easy to invite the whole crew over. Another great French country touch? The portable wooden bench, which is a stylish—and more flexible—alternative to your usual set of dining chairs. You can fit a lot of people on that long seat! Adding a throw blanket will soften up the surface and add another opportunity for subtle pattern.

11. Bistro Chair Bliss

If you do prefer traditional seating, Chloe of Boxwood Avenue's dining space will provide plenty of inspiration. Bistro-style chairs are key for creating a French country look and are made comfier with the addition of cushions, which blend into the space nicely. Those linen slipcovered end chairs certainly set off the heads of the table, too. The nice thing about French country style is that often less is more. If you choose substantial lighting fixture and a well-built table and chairs, you don't need a bunch of extra accessories in your space.

12. Cheery and Comfortable

Blogger Kim Nichols designed the most cheerful country bedroom, complete with French touches like a gold ornate mirror and a sweet market basket. Fresh flowers add extra life and warmth to the space. There's also something about iron furniture that feels decidedly French country—this bed frame adds a darker finish to the room, providing a little contrast and edge to an otherwise light and soft space.

13. Mirror on the Wall

Anita Joyce of Cedar Hill Farmhouse jazzed up the wall behind her bed with a large mirror and some porcelain plates that are eye-catching and add an antique feel to the space. We love her light-colored wooden night table, too. If you don't want to go with a fully paneled wall as seen above, wainscoting is a nice rustic touch that jibes well with the French country aesthetic.

14. Neat and Neutral

Liz Fourez designed a beautiful French country dining room that is rooted in neutral woods and looks extremely sophisticated due to her styling. Here's proof that it really is all in the details! A lace runner and arrangement of fresh flowers bring extra warmth and sweetness to tonal space.

15. Pretty and Patterned

You can't get more French Country than a floral patterned loveseat with a shapely wooden frame, as seen in this Illinois home. The chandelier, with its mini lampshades, is also characteristic of this style, as is the Louis XV-style arm chair. Of course, the room still manages to feel down to earth, due to the tiled floor and simple slab white painted cabinetry.

16. Mix It Up

Lauren Vandiver combined two of our favorite styles, French country and modern farmhouse, into her living space, proving that mixing and matching different looks can most certainly be done in a stylish manner. Once again, we love the presence of the gold ornate mirror on the wall. These are really having a moment in home decor right now.

17. Make it Modern

This Brooklyn apartment takes some of the tenants of French country style—natural materials, muted finishes, wooden pieces with patina— and brings them into a 21st century urban setting. On the whole, the space is sunny and open but has an almost vintage feel, due to the charming, pre war fireplace, hardwood floors, and floral touches.

18. Feminine Flourishes

Between the tasseled curtain tie-backs, pretty moldings, and a carved golden wall sconce complete with two taper candles, this sweet little vignette is textbook French country. Drapery hardware plays off the crystal chandelier, and the curvy settee almost recedes into the wall, since it is close to the same shade. Yes, this is a monochrome room, but nothing about it feels boring or cold.

19. Go for the Gold

This Parisian apartment skews a little more glam than rustic, but that just goes to show you that you can work elements of French country into any space. The gilded mirror is the perfect accent over a fireplace and though it looks modern here, when paired with these leather chairs, it would be equally at home with a loveseat covered in toile or linen.

20. Charming Coffee Bar

Ahna Fulmer of Hammers n Hugs designed a beautiful coffee bar with French country accents, proving that even small nooks can be designed around the theme of your choosing. Beadboard shelf backs, some small galvanized storage bins, and wooden open shelves echo the French country elements in the rest of her home. We bet waking up each morning feels way more exciting when you can start the day at a cute coffee station like this one!

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