Add Some Simple French Style to your Dining Room

Last Sunday, it was all about the cottage look. But really, I like to mix that and add some simple French touches to the dining room. Much of what I love about the cottage look is also quite French—a little rustic elegance from a few key elements.

The French Dining Table

I love a mix of old and new. The dining room table could be a rustic vintage piece or a modern table mixed with chairs with a French look.

Our dining room has a rustic table that Brent made years ago. So, needless to say, it has a special meaning. We will always have it in our homes. 

I think it’s the mix that makes it interesting. French-style rooms and country houses seem to embrace the mix—antique pieces with new, more modern pieces. 

Think of a Saarinen table with cafe-style dining chairs, like our New Canaan kitchen. Or even modern Saarinen tulip chairs with a more rustic table for casual elegance in a beautiful French country dining room. I’m thinking of the modern take on this dining room in the home of Julie Goebel.

Julie Goebel​

Display Your Wares

In the kitchen or dining room, a great way to infuse a little French is to display decorative objects, flea market finds, vintage pieces, dishes, and glassware. 

Add one statement piece to your dining area with French country decor. Table linens, plain as well as stripes, and toile fabrics are found at flea markets. A little bit of this can go a long way for the French country look.  We filled our armoire in the dining room and even added a small lamp.

You could use a china cabinet modified a bit for the French country style by adding a skirt. Very reminiscent of French country and cottage style. A skirted table, sink, or shelf adds that finishing touch to antique furniture. 

We added a skirt to our coffee station. The piece has a weathered look. We added a stone top that was a remnant. It fits perfectly with the rustic style. The addition of the skirt and the open shelving are the finishing touches. 

None of our furniture is a specific style. In older homes, vintage antiques found at estate sales and rustic furniture all blend together.

Paint Your Wall White

A white background is a perfect thing as a backdrop for French furniture, antiques, and art. French homes may have limestone walls, but since that is not common in the United States, white walls are the next best thing for a simple space. 

My Favorite White Paints

Simply White

Cloud White

White Dove

Chantilly Lace

Mary Ann used Simply White in her new Florida home. It’s the perfect white for the French country-style that she has in her home that, creates a sense of history. She says it brightens the home that is dark due to the mature trees surrounding her home.

Classic Casual Home

Mary Ann brilliantly mixes design styles in her living room, formal dining room (that’s not at all formal), and entryway. In her modern kitchen, she has her vintage copper hanging on one wall as a focal point.

​Art

Our dining space has only one wall where we can display art. So we used this wall to hang our favorite modern Enzo Mari Apple Pear Poster and two original paintings by friends. 

One is a landscape by Lizzy Love. It’s a favorite vacation spot, not in France, but in Tuscany. 

The other is beautiful flowers by my friend Nancy Sharpe. I feel like the vessel and the loose flowers has the look of a French country home. I love it mixed with the modern graphic poster. 

Some of My Favorite Books

A few of my favorite books also embrace the mix of French décor and new pieces that are more modern with clean lines along with collected finds.

Travel Home

Live Beautiful

Made for Living: Collected Interiors for All Sorts of Styles

Down to Earth: Laid-Back Living Interiors for Modern Living

Thanks for stopping by today! We are planning another trip to France to restock the shop. Let’s see what Mary Ann and CIndy found this week!

Classic Casual Home

Cindy Hattersley Design