French Country Living by Couleur Nature
Welcome to Mellow Monday, a picture post with beautiful photos from around the web!
Sit back and relax as we present this week’s theme:
The rooster is such a significant element of French Country decor, because of its history with France and its importance to the countryside.
You can learn more about the rooster’s significance here, but this time we’ll mostly be looking at French Country decor with the rooster!
Quick, what’s the first thing you think of when I say “country animal”?
I bet it was a chicken.
And if not, it was probably the second thing you had in mind.
If you’re familiar with the French Country look, chances are you’ve seen quite a few roosters here and there. Roosters are so quintessential to French Country because they’re important to both France and the general countryside.
Southern Living recently featured this gorgeous French-design backyard conservatory created with salvaged windows – we couldn’t resist the temptation to post it here. The owner, Jeri Farmer, wanted a glass garden house and was inspired by the glass Pyramid at the Louvre museum in Paris.
Your Home, Only Better did a post on Color Trends for 2011, discussing the ways we’ll all decorate this year. According to Benjamin Moore’s Colorpulse, four trends that influence this year’s overall theme of “Balance” were discussed - Farm, Order, Escape, and Tribe.
Our favorite theme today, just because it’s a Tuesday and we’d really like to be escaping to the beach instead of working, is. . .of course, Escape.
If you’re new to French Country Design, but love the look, we’ve got a few simple tips to get you started. The first step is to think of Provence and the French countryside, places where you’re sure to see bright sunshine and lavender fields. Think rustic farmhouses, old-world and welcoming. Think contrasting textures – flooring of stone, clay or brick, pale plaster walls, ceilings punctuated with dark rough wood beams. Think warm and casual.
And think color. The colors used for French Country decorating come from the entire color wheel and are based on the gardens of Provence. Sunny yellow, soft gold, cobalt blue and soft ocean tones, fiery red and burnt rust, bright grass green and dark hunter green – each has a place in this very versatile decorating style. Colorful Provencal printed fabrics are best set off against light-toned natural walls and floors and rustic furnishings. 
The look fits well into any home, whether you’re thinking country home or city apartment. The French Country style of decorating, with its relaxed but inviting feel fits beautifully into any decorating scheme.
Start by admiring the look in these photos we’ve borrowed from House Beautiful. Feel inspired? We’ll have more specific ideas right here in the future. And we’d love to hear how you’ve integrated the French Country Look into your own home.
