Take your color cues from a vibrantly colored quilt.
French country style is the decorating cousin of the American country style, but with a few subtle differences. In the French countryside, the colors are so vibrant because of the strong sunlight. As such, the paint colors used in this style are radiant with the warmth and vibrancy of the French countryside. These paint colors are not only popular on the walls, but on the furniture as well, where distressed or crackled textures are common. These finishes complement and enhance decorative elements like table runners and the toile curtains that are so popular in the Provence region of France.
Instructions
1. Choose vibrant colors when you're painting in French country style. Gravitate toward golden yellow, reds, deep blue and rich greens. Additionally, color combinations like red and white or blue and white are popular, and these colors are not only used on the walls, but seen on toile curtain patterns, on the checkered curtains on windows and in the striped material on throw pillows on couches.
2. Look at your fabric samples for color ideas. Hanging tapestries and quilts on the walls is a common decorative element in French country style. These items will not only give you ideas for paint colors, but provide a colorful contrast to the paint itself. For example, you can play this look up by hanging a deep blue tapestry against a golden yellow wall.
3. Embrace unusual paint color combinations. French country style has been described by Shelter Pop as "perfect imperfection," which means that the French are not afraid to try color combinations in their homes like blue and apricot or orange and pink together if it fits in the overall scheme of things.
4. Find ways to texture and distressed the paint not only on your walls, but also on the furniture you're going to paint. In terms of the walls, plastering is a good way to add texture to the walls before you paint. Consider painting the wood beams of the ceiling. Add crackle paint to your furniture pieces.
5. Create functional art pieces and add these elements to your walls. What this means is that if you feel like painting scenery or flowers on your furniture, you can also give this treatment to the walls.
6. Mix in a few elegant painted pieces without distressing. While French country style is all about comfort, it's not unusual to see a few painted pieces that feature a smooth lacquer-like finish. This goes for the furniture as well as the walls.
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