French Country Decor: The Provencal Farmhouse, Room by Room

French country decor is the farmhouse of Provence. Cream lime plaster on the walls, terracotta tiles underfoot, pale oak beams overhead and tall windows with gray-blue shutters folded back onto the lavender. The house sets the style, and the furniture settles into it.

The furniture is carved and painted wood: curved legs, scalloped aprons, antiqued white and soft gray finishes, with linen upholstery and a little gilt on a mirror frame. Color comes from the textiles and the table: blue and white faience, toile, ticking stripe and the purple of the lavender in a jug.

What makes a French country room feel right is ease. The pieces are elegant, and they are also slipcovered, worn at the edges and in daily use. A carved chair with a linen seat and a table set for lunch read as a home; the same chair behind a velvet rope reads as a museum.

What French Country Decor Is

French country decor is a style drawn from the farmhouses and country houses of Provence and the French countryside, built on warm plaster and terracotta, carved and painted wood furniture, natural linen, and a palette of cream, soft blue and gray, with a relaxed, lived-in elegance.

The characteristics that define it:

• Plaster and terracotta. Warm cream lime plaster walls and hexagonal terracotta tile floors, with pale oak beams across the ceiling.
• Carved and painted wood. Cabriole legs, carved rosettes and scrolls, antiqued white and distressed gray finishes.
• Linen. Slipcovered sofas, tufted linen chairs and linen curtains that move in the breeze.
• Blue and white. Faience jugs, urn lamps, toile bedding and ticking stripe cushions.
• A touch of gilt. One gold mirror frame or a crowned top, kept to a single piece per room.
• Lavender, olives and rosemary. Fresh or dried, in a stoneware jug or a basket on the hearth.

French Country, Farmhouse and Cottagecore

These three share old houses and comfort, and the difference is in how dressed each one is.

Farmhouse is the working American rural house: painted cabinets, open shelving, an apron sink and plain, sturdy furniture. Our farmhouse interior design guide covers it in full.

Cottagecore is the English cottage taken toward romance: mismatched florals, dried herbs and a deliberately wistful mood. Our cottagecore decor guide covers that look.

French country sits between the two and adds polish. Its furniture is carved and shaped, its fabrics are linen, toile and damask, and it allows one formal note in every room: a gilt mirror, a tufted headboard, a chandelier. It is the most elegant of the three and still relaxed enough to put your feet up in.

The French Country Color Palette

• The base. Warm cream and butter yellow plaster, with antiqued white on the furniture.
• The floor. Terracotta in faded red-orange, or wide pale oak boards.
• The blues. French gray-blue on shutters and cabinetry, and cobalt in faience and toile.
• The neutrals. Soft gray, oatmeal linen and pale limestone.
• The accents. Lavender, olive green, and a little antique gold.

French Country Living Room

Start the French country living room with a slipcovered sofa in cream, set against the wall with a gold mirror hung above it. Add one patterned armchair, a wingback printed with birds and flowers suits it well, and put a carved wood coffee table on a blue and ivory damask rug between them. A distressed gray chest of drawers beside the chair holds a blue and white urn lamp.

French Country Bedroom

The bed carries the French country bedroom. A carved bed in antiqued white with a tufted headboard and footboard sets the tone, and a matching pair of carved nightstands with blue and white urn lamps completes it. Dress the bed in white linen, a toile coverlet and ticking stripe cushions.

French Country Dining Room

A round pedestal table is the French country choice for a dining room that seats six: at 58 inches across, six chairs fit around it with room for elbows. Carved arm chairs with tufted linen backs suit it, and a beaded wood chandelier overhead brings the room together. Set it with cream plates, striped linen napkins and a jug of lavender.

French Country Kitchen

Paint the cabinetry and the island the same gray-blue as the shutters and top them in pale stone. Behind the worktop, small cream glazed tiles, a deep farmhouse sink and a brass bridge tap. Two swivel counter stools in gray linen on carved wood frames sit at the island, with a white-washed wood beaded pendant hanging above.

French Country Bathroom

A painted vanity with paneled doors works well against cream plaster, and a deep green makes a strong choice beside terracotta. Hang a carved wood mirror above it with a candle-style sconce on each side, and if there is room, a roll-top tub on brass feet becomes the centerpiece.

French Country Home Office

A white writing desk with turned spindle legs and two drawers is enough for a French country office. Pair it with a rattan task chair, put an urn lamp at one end and keep a few old books on the top. Face the desk toward the window.

French Country Bar

A French country bar is a counter with a limestone top on a painted, paneled base. Pull up two bar stools with white wood frames and linen seats, hang a nickel and glass pendant above, and keep the bottles and glasses on an antiqued white bar cart nearby.

French Country Outdoor

The French country terrace is a bistro table and two folding chairs on gravel, ideally in the shade of a tree. Black aluminum folding pieces are light enough to follow the shade through the afternoon. A row of lavender along the edge and a carafe of rose finish it.

Keeping French Country Relaxed

French country goes wrong when it turns formal. Three habits keep it easy:

• Mix finishes. Pair a carved antiqued white piece with a plain distressed gray one, and let the wood show wear at the edges.
• Keep the gilt to one piece. One gold mirror per room reads as French country; gold on every surface turns the room into glam.
• Use real flowers and real food. Lavender in a jug, lemons in a bowl and bread on a board do more for the style than any accessory.

Materials and Furniture

Look for solid wood under the paint. Carved details on solid wood hold their edges, and a distressed finish on solid wood wears gracefully. Turn a chair over or open a drawer to see the wood before buying.

For upholstery, linen and linen blends suit the style and soften with use. Slipcovers are worth choosing on a sofa because they come off for washing and keep the relaxed look. Terracotta and stone floors are cool underfoot, so a large wool or cotton rug is a practical addition in the living room and the bedroom.

Where to Start

1. Start with one carved piece: the bed, the dining chairs or the coffee table.
2. Add linen where you sit and sleep: a slipcovered sofa, tufted chairs or bedding.
3. Bring in blue and white with a lamp, a jug or a toile coverlet.
4. Hang one gold or carved mirror.
5. Finish with lavender, olives or rosemary in stoneware.

If you prefer to start from a finished room, every room in our French country collection is put together and priced, starting with the French country living room, so you can see what the whole look costs before committing to any one piece.