French Interior Design Tips to Style Your Australian Home

It’s no wonder that the French Provincial interior design style is so attractive to many of us looking to enhance our homes in Australia. Its rustic use of natural materials, cool muted colours, toile fabrics and larger-than-life lighting makes for an enticing interior to any home.

When done properly, French Provincial décor somehow manages to achieve a feeling of decadent luxury and cosy comfort all at once. There are several staples that simply can’t be omitted – exposed timber, detailed mouldings and wrought iron features are always a must.

Think stone features, white interiors, lavish fabrics (linen and velvet work well), and furniture with beautifully curved edges or rounded legs.

You can be subtle, with components like interior French doors helping to zone off different areas of the house in a way that is classy and un-intrusive. Or alternatively, you can go completely in the other direction and embrace your inner Marie Antoinette; with vibrant pastel colours, layered prints and quirky touches like fringed furniture.

So without further ado, here are some nifty interior design tips to instantly achieve French Provincial décor in your home. And remember, as the French say, “A chaque oiseau, son nid est beau”. In English this means, “To every bird, its own nest is beautiful”.

Let’s start with the colour scheme. Warm colours mix with whites, creams and soft blues/greens to radiate that traditional French décor charm before you’ve even furnished the space.

King Louis XV-style chairs are a sure-fire way to adorn your living areas with French interior design. Don’t be afraid to upholster them in vibrant colours or eye-catching designs for a little extra pizzazz! We’ll give you more tips on playing with contrasts in a moment.

Consider hanging classic-style portraits in antique frames of various shapes and sizes along sections of wall in your dining room or living area to utilise vertical space. And finally, it’s always a good idea to go slim when it comes to that traditional French interior design look – coffee tables with slim, curved legs for example.

Now that you’ve arranged King Louis XV-style chairs around the dining table for that traditional look, why not place it all on top of a lavish sea-grass rug or rustic jute rug to introduce the provincial aesthetic?

Another trick for the dining room is to create wall art out of your dishes by storing them in a wall-hung wooden plate rack when they’re not in use for meals. Tin watering cans are a fantastic way to add a splash of “country” to any room in the house – either on their own, as a plant-pot or for another practical purpose.

As you’ve no doubt guessed from the emphasis on both “traditional” and “provincial” here, contrast plays a prominent role in French interior design. The trick is to get creative and have fun with it!

Go for rustic and earthy, but with bursts of extravagance. Simplistic antique chairs with a grand ornate chandelier, for example. Pair exposed beams and stone tile floors with layers of linen in various unassuming colours to combine the rustic with the timeless.

Contrast fluted furniture with the vibrancy of colourful textiles and abstract artwork. Of course, putting distressed wood floors and hanging copper cookware together never fails to evoke French Provincial nostalgia as well.

We take the guesswork out of your interior design; be it Scandinavian style, boho, industrial or the cottage style that you’re after. Book a FREE design consultation to discuss your project.