From France with love… a home with french influence
I’m just back from a week in what I really feel is my second home, France. Every summer (and whenever we can in between) we head across the channel to take a dose of eel needed French chill. We don’t head for cities, we seek out hidden hamlets in the French countryside to hideaway from it all and soak up the peaceful existence we envy so much! Every year on our return I plot changes to our home to reflect the French style and give us a hint of that relaxed vibe we love so much when we’re there!
This year, here’s what’s in my agenda:
Geometric floor tiles
We normally stay in a village house of gite that is at least a couple of hundred years old. Typically, in the south of France the downstairs of the house would have been a storage space for winemaking or crops called a Cave. The middle floor was for sleeping and cooking and the top floor was for relaxing often with a roof terrace to enjoy the sunshine. Throughout the top two floors most houses have tiled floors to help keep the house cool and also clean. The house we stayed in last year has black and white checker board tiles throughout which I adored. This year again the house had geometric tiles, but slightly more ornate. I love the look and am working or where to apply!
Credit: http://www.unehirondelledanslestiroirs.fr/une-maison-familiale-a-fontainebleau/renovation-royal-roulotte-8/
Shutters
Totally practical in the heatwave we’ve all been having in Europe! The kids actually slept past 7am, something the blackout blind has managed to achieve! Shutters are most definitely on my list, although perhaps internal ones that fold out from the sides with horizontal slats for privacy.
Glassware
They have a glass for everything! The aperitif, the water, table wine, draft beer, bottles beers, all slightly different. If my cupboard will allow, I intend to build a collection.
https://www.onekingslane.com/live-love-home/alison-cayne-home-tour/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=blog_alison_cayne_home_tour&f=pinterest
Blue
Blue was so 2005, but actually my trip to France night change my mind. Some of my favourite houses were adorned with blue shutters and railings and they look stunning in the sunshine. Ok so this one might not work at home, but I’m thinking about bringing some blue back into my home potentially as a result of our trip.
Rustic mixed with modern totally works
I’m sure you don’t really need telling that, and we’ve all been trying it out for a while, but my trip to France has concreted in my mind that it’s one of my favourite interior styles. In the house we stayed in this years the walls were perfectly skimmed flat and it had a modern Swedish flat pack kitchen, but they’d retained the interior doors and fixtures and they looked beautiful as part of the scheme. Also, the original kitchen table has been retained complete with wear and tear from the years, sitting perfectly with modern chairs and artwork.
