French interior design is eternal because of its charm and elegance. Although there are various styles, they all combine sophistication with a lived-in feel.
Whether you like luxurious designs or a rustic charm, French interior design offers something for everyone. With our help, you can pick any style and create a space that’s not only elegant but also practical.
Therefore, let’s explore six types of French interior design and how you can incorporate their elements into your home.
French Interior Design History
Interestingly, the French began to draw ideas from Italian interior design in the middle of the 15th century. They began to change their buildings by using decorative details in Gothic designs. After that, they were also focusing on the regularity of the whole and symmetry.
One of the famous styles of French design began in the 17th century during the reign of Louis XIV. Ornate furnishings, lavish textiles, and gilded details were part of the Baroque style domination. In the 18th century, the Rococo period brought curved lines and pastel colors, delivering a more delicate esthetic and playfulness. Before the end of this century, the Neoclassical movement brought refined sophistication, Greco-Roman influences, and symmetry.
The 19th and 20th centuries were about blending contemporary trends with traditional elements. This period of French interior design history brought modernism and eclecticism.
Since this design continues to inspire, let’s address its most interesting styles.
Luxury French Interior Design
The luxurious French interior design will bring grandeur and opulence into your home. Since the inspiration comes from French aristocratic homes, it uses lavish elements that showcase sophistication.
Here are the most significant elements of this interior design style:
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Key Features: High ceilings, complex moldings, luxurious fabrics, and grand chandeliers dominate this style. Some of the common statement pieces are ornate furniture pieces with silver or gold accents.
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Color Palette: Use navy, emerald green, and burgundy colors that are complemented by neutral tones of beige and cream and metallic finishes.
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Incorporating the Style: Choose a statement chandelier for your dining or living room. Pair it with plush rugs and antique furniture pieces and add a gilded mirror or an art piece.
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The Trick That Sets You Apart: This style is great but you won’t differentiate from everyone else that uses the same style. We can incorporate metal bases and art pieces that will make your luxurious French design authentic.
Classic French Interior Design
This style is one of the French interior design styles that’s timeless since it delivers a lasting elegance. It’s also known as the luxurious classic French interior design because it uses luxurious elements but with an understated and subtle charm.
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Key Features: Since it’s classical, symmetry is of crucial importance. Expect traditional patterns of textile fabric like damask and toile. Crystal chandeliers and carved wood furniture are also often used. Most of the time, furniture arrangements have a balanced layout.
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Color Palette: Even though pale blue and blush pink are used as pastel accents, the main colors are soft grey, beige, and white.
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Incorporating the Style: You’ve seen in many movies that the usage of cabriole legs and tufted upholstery for furniture is essential for this style. Lace curtains and silk drapes add a delicate touch while paintings and ornate frames for mirrors complete the look.
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The Trick That Sets You Apart: You can use metal ornate frames for your mirrors or metal cabriole legs to set you apart.
Traditional French Interior Design
Logically, this French interior design style is rooted in France’s rich cultural heritage. It’s a style that focuses attention on warmth, tradition, and comfort. However, there isn’t a big difference between classic and traditional French interior design.
The traditional style is a cozier and warmer version of the classic style, especially when it comes to furniture. The classic style is more noble while the traditional is less lavish but it still has a timeless beauty.
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Key Features: Think of more detailed woodwork, antique furniture, and a fireplace. The upholstery of the furniture can have striped or floral patterns and decorative elements include ornate clocks and porcelain vases.
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Color Palette: Light brown, cream, and sage green are common and create an inviting and warm atmosphere.
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Incorporating the Style: Consider a large wooden dining table with upholstered chairs. To enhance the traditional ambiance you can use heavy curtains and layering rugs. Handcrafted decor pieces and vintage light fixtures will tie the look together.
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The Trick That Sets You Apart: As you can see, this style uses more wooden elements and pieces. However, you can still be authentic since we can create a metal door or base for your fireplace, which will be a statement amid tradition.
Vintage French Interior Design
There isn’t a French interior design that’s vintage, per definition. However, you can use various elements from the past to create a unique aesthetic to produce a vintage style. One of the goals of every vintage design is to achieve a sense of nostalgia.
You can search for vintage furniture pieces at antique stores and flea markets. Furthermore, you can display vintage collectibles, and books, and can pick a color palette from any other French style. However, it’s logical to use the most common like cream or natural wood tones to increase the vintage feel. Of course, using crystal accents and antique décor also makes sense.
Since there’s no classical definition and you create the mix, you can use different elements. We can create many metal art pieces that will make your vintage style different.
Modern French Interior Design
The goal of modern French interior design is to seamlessly blend modern aesthetics with traditional elements for a fresh look. It’s a contemporary twist on classic French design styles. Hence why it’s also known as the contemporary French interior design.
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Key Features: Open spaces, minimalistic furniture, and clean lines characterize this style. It incorporates traditional elements like moldings but with a more functional and streamlined approach.
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Color Palette: The colors that dominate the most are white, black, and gray since they deliver a neutral tone. Additionally, there can be bright and contrasting pops of color through modern art and/or accessories.
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Incorporating the Style: You can use sleek furniture with subtle French influences like a minimalist table with cabriole legs or a modern sofa with tufting. Incorporate abstract art and metallic finishes to bridge the gap between old and new.
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The Trick That Sets You Apart: We can make various metal bases for different elements of this design. This includes bases for your sleek furniture, minimalist tables, modern sofas, etc. We also create abstract metal art that will undoubtedly set you apart.
Country French Interior Design
This French interior design is also known as the French Provincial and it’s representing rustic elegance perfectly. If you want a style that showcases France’s rural charm with a welcoming vibe, the country French interior design is the perfect choice.
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Key Features: Consider exposed wooden beams, stone or brick fireplaces, distressed or antique furniture, and ornate details. It also includes weathered finishes, ceramic dishes, and wrought iron accents to achieve a countryside appeal.
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Color Palette: Soft and warm colors like mustard yellow, terracotta, and sage green are complemented by whitewashed finishes, soft pastels, and rustic patterns.
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Incorporating the Style: Choose furniture with natural materials like wood or linen and distressed or antique finishes. Display fresh flowers in ceramic vases and add a farmhouse-style dining table. Incorporate rustic light fixtures and woven baskets to complete the look.
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The Trick That Sets You Apart: To be honest, the Country French interior design doesn’t leave much space for metal elements. However, you can still use it for fireplace bases, furniture legs, etc.
Final Thoughts on French Interior Design
All of these French interior design ideas offer beautiful options if you plan to redecorate your space or build a new home. One more style that deserves to be mentioned is the French Art Deco, which includes architecture and visual arts as well as design.
French interior design has excellent styles, so now it’s your time to make a decision and create something unique that makes your space authentic. When incorporating these ideas, focus on crucial elements such as furniture, color palettes, and decorative details that suit your chosen style. Whether you’re redecorating an entire space or just adding a few touches, these ideas can help you achieve your goal.
If you want to know more, feel free to read our FAQs and contact us at any time to make your French metal design idea a reality!