If you want your kitchen to be both beautiful and warm as well as being amazingly comfortable, then you really cannot beat the French country kitchen. Whether you live in France, Florida or Fuji, you can bring a little of the French country kitchen your own home and make it work. It is a style that is as classic and familiar as any kitchen decor can be.
With that in mind, here are some French country kitchen essentials that will help you to get the look, and feel the warmth, wherever you are.
Creating the French Country Kitchen Style
Pale and Muted
French country kitchens tend to be rather pale and muted. In many ways, they are a reflection of the provincial landscapes that one can see out of the average French country window. This means that you are looking at painting your kitchen in shades of white, cream and more earthy browns or stone colors.
Your cabinets should also reflect the same warm and subdued colors. You can afford to be a little warmer than on the walls, as long as it still feels natural and in keeping with the French provinces.
Rustic
French country kitchens are almost always a little bit rustic. Their owners don’t tend to mind if the cabinets are a little shabby chic or the floors aren’t 100 percent perfect. So, don’t be afraid to use reclaimed wood in your kitchen’s design. Not only does it have the right look for this particular interior decor, but it is also easy to come by and much more affordable than many other options.
Skirting
French country kitchens often have cute skirting on the cabinets, especially in the area under the sink. So, don’t be afraid to add a little chintz to your cabinetry. Although it would look totally ridiculous in a modern kitchen design, it adds to the warmth of a French-inspired kitchen almost more than anything else.
Crown Molding
Many a French country kitchen features crown molding just above the cabinets. It gives the room a traditional feel, as well as adding a pretty touch to the upper portion of the room.
Natural Elements
French country kitchens aren’t about plastics and chrome. They stick to the traditional. So, your cabinets should be made out of hardwood, your floors from the finest stone or timber you can afford, and the same should go for your countertops., You should also not be afraid to experiment with exposed brickwork or wooden beams. Both of which add to the room’s traditional charm.
Kitchen Islands
The French are a hospitable bunch. Most of their hospitality centers around eating food. So it makes sense when you’re modeling your kitchen on the French country style, that you either invest in a very large wooden table, or even better, a kitchen island. This will make up the center of the space and ensure that you and your loved ones can cook, eat and laugh together in the kitchen.
Detailing
If your kitchen cabinets are rather flat and lifeless, they would not be in keeping with the French country style. The cabinets tend to have lots of details and embellishments that make them stand out more but in a very subtle way.
Dark and Light
Most modern kitchens are universally light and airy, and they look great, but if you want to go in the direction of a traditional European kitchen, then you can afford to mix light and dark. For example, your walls and cabinets might be light and neutral, but you could have a dark hardwood floor or vintage brown wooden table, and it wouldn’t detract from the beauty – it would add to it.
Range Cooker
The traditional country kitchen in France would likely be home to a range, like the ones you can purchase at Eurohome Canada, rather than a normal cooker. Ranges are great because they’re always on, providing warmth for the whole kitchen, and because they have greater space and more options for whipping up delicious meals. Not only that, but they are a thing of beauty in their own right too.
A Farmhouse Sink
You can purchase all manners of fancy sinks today, but sometimes simple is best. If you’re going for this particular look, the simple farmhouse style sink is the only sink you need to make it work.
A Pot Filler Faucet
This is a bit decadent, and by no means essential. But if you can afford one, having a pot filler faucet installed in your French country style kitchen is a great idea. This was once very commonly found in kitchens, not just in Europe, but also the US. Typically it was located above the stove, and it was perfect for filling up pots and pans in a hurry.
Copper Pots and Pans
If you were to visit a traditional French kitchen in the countryside, you would undoubtedly see a number of well used, and very beautiful copper pots and pans, like the ones you can buy at FaulkUSA hanging overhead. Not only do they look beautiful and add to the atmosphere in their own right, but they reflect the light in the most beautiful of ways, and copper pots and pans are really good for cooking with too.
Hanging Lanterns
Hanging lanterns might be something that you associate with the outdoors, but it is pretty common to find them in French country kitchens. Some are quite modern using bulbs. Many are little more than hanging hurricane lamps using candles to light the way creating a unique feature in their own right.
A Fireplace
Obviously, not all of you are going to be able to remodel your home and fit in a fireplace. But it’s worth mentioning that traditional country kitchens in France would almost always have had a fireplace. This is where meals could be cooked, and the family could gather around for warms. If you can’t afford to install a fireplace, or you don’t have the room to do so, exposing the brickwork around your Range will harken back to the kitchen fireplaces of old.
Implement even a few of these elements, and your kitchen will instantly feel warmer and more family-orientated than it already did.
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