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French Country walls have taken centuries of wear-and-tear and baking in the sun to give them that mellowed and faded look we all love.
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Stone walls are found inside and outside French Country homes - perhaps not seen as often today as they once were - either left bare or plastered. Due to age the weathered bare stone has developed a gorgeous patina, and if plastered the walls are rough and most often imperfect.
Wall colors are earthy and muted, probably glazed decades ago. Glazing is a technique that has been practiced for centuries, where the paint used was a distemper - a home made paint based on whiting, glue size and water - resulting in a thin, rather chalky finish.
CREATING THE LOOK
- Walls play a dominant role and are key to achieving a complete French Country look. Think of your walls as a canvas or backdrop and try and emulate that aged and weathered look of French walls in soft stone and taupe shades.
- Glazing walls is an ideal way to achieve an aged look for French Country walls. Your craft or hardware store should be able to advise you on the best products and how to apply them.
- You can produce various results between the colored base and the glazed top coat. A good option is to use either a cream or off white colored base with a light sandy or tan colored glaze.
- If wanting a simpler option to faux plaster, paint walls in a warm, subdued and earthy tone, or subtly wash or 'water stain' in a neutral and flat color palette. Again think taupe or soft stone shades for French Country walls.
- It would not be right to discuss French Country walls and not mention wood paneling, which is also a popular option for interior walls. Therefore you can also try paneling, which can give a room depth and emphasis if needed. This way you can also hide unsightly pipes or cables, which is a bonus.
| Click the image on the right if you are interested in faux plaster and how to age walls.
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TIPS
- Water based paints and glazes are best to use as they clean up easily with soap and water, are odorless and they dry much quicker than oil based paints and glazes.
- Use a flat emulsion paint instead of oil based for the base coat under the glaze.
- Try getting some paint testers first and practise various color combinations on poster boards and then tape them to the wall to get an idea first. This way you will avoid buying large amounts of paint or glaze only to find you are not happy with the end result.
- If paneling, paint the raised molding details in a different color, or a lighter shade of the color on the wood paneling.
Personal note:
I aged my bedroom and en-suite bathroom walls by glazing them a very soft tan over an antique white base, but my bathroom still looked a bit 'blah'.
By paneling it half way up the wall and painting it in a warm stony gray and the molding on the top a lighter shade of gray, it immediately gave the room 'oomph' and pulled everything together. The layering created the right effect, giving balance and depth which was needed. The tongue and groove paneling was also so easy to do.
If you're interested in giving it a try, click here to find a diy project on how to panel walls using the tongue and groove method. Once painted, you'll be amazed at the difference. It is also a good alternative to achieving the look of French Country walls if you do not want to glaze your walls.
FRENCH COUNTRY FLOORING
In the same manner as French Country walls are 'organic', so it is with French Country flooring.
 Photo: Mikeandanna |
Stone floors are the most common in French Country homes, especially in kitchens and eating areas. No surprise here, as due to the French's love of natural materials and stone being one of the oldest, it would be very common in the home.
Cobbled stones too are indelibly French. There is something about stone, in that although generally a cold tactile material, it still has a tendency to have a warmth and a glow about it. Perhaps it is due to its range of tones and texture, especially if the stone is well cut.
Another choice for flooring are tiles made from terracotta - another medium as old as the hills. Tiles vary in many different shapes and sizes. From square to rectangle, hexagonal and long narrow pavers. They can either be glazed or unglazed.
It is an interesting fact that some terracotta tiles, each made individually by the Romans centuries ago, are still in use in some very old French homes today. Imagine what a gorgeous patina they must have.
It is not often one sees painted tiles, but they do exist as you can see from the exquisite example above taken from the chateau in Amboise, France.
If you have either stone or terracotta floor tiles, or even stone walls in your home, you are blessed with a great feature to start decorating French country.
Before ending off with flooring, we can not forget wood. Wood being another natural material is found everywhere in the home. Wooden floors would mostly be natural and either waxed, polished or sealed and sometimes wood stained. They can also be limed or colored.
Carpeting is very rarely found in the French country home and if so, it would be coir or sisal. Floor rugs, either simple in form and made from plaited grasses, or decorative and gently worn antique rugs will be scattered on the floor for interest.
Personal note:
Wood is a 'live' material and will expand and contract according to the moisture or dryness in the air, causing a creak or two. But I love my wooden floors, creaks and all, which has warmth and character and is so easy to clean compared to carpeting - especially when my three energetic border collies decide to play catches through the house, muddy paws and all!
TIP:
Don't despair if you have wall to wall carpets and think you can't get the look. Just find a beautiful and aged decorative classic rug or two to scatter. They work wonders in pulling the style together.
You may also be interested in the following components which make up the elements of French Country:
French country colors
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