You may not know that I have the best readers and friends, but it’s true; I do. I just so happen to have several friends who have amazing Country French style, and I’ve asked them to share with us their very best tips on how to add WOW to a room.
ELEVEN GABLES
My favorite way to add “Wow” to any room is with a really great mirror. Not only does a mirror reflect the beauty inside a room, it reflects the light and radiates it all over the room. Even taking down a simple vanity mirror and replacing it with a framed mirror takes a bathroom up a notch. The mirror over the mantle in my living room reflects the cathedral ceiling and chandelier bringing an entirely new perspective to the room. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
MAISON PAX
The busier my life is with three young children, the more I crave space in my decorating… But that doesn’t mean I don’t love drama. One of my favorite ways to add wow to a room is an oversized mirror; they bring presence and reflect light in the room. Trumeau mirrors, with their pretty French curves, are dramatic enough to stand alone and allow me room to breathe. True, antique trumeau mirrors can be extremely pricey, though, so I made my own. You can see the full tutorial HERE.
I’m Debbie at Confessions of a Plate Addict and my favorite way to add wow factor to a room is by using Country French fabrics. After living in France for a time and having the luxury of doing some traveling, I discovered that my favorite region is sunny Provence. With its fields of lavender and sunflowers set against the backdrop of a brilliant blue sky, it still calls to me. I have tried to recreate that Provencal feel in my own home and fabrics are by far the easiest and most cost effective way to do that. Bedding, tablecloths, drapes and throw pillows layered liberally in my home provide that warm and sunny feel that I love!
SHABBY FUFU
My design aesthetic would definitely be categorized as eclectic, since I don’t follow what’s on trend and decorate with what I truly love. I LOVE lighting, and somehow have accumulated lots of vintage and antique lighting over the years. I would much rather have an old fixture than a new one! When a dear French friend who now lives close by offered me the fixture that you see in my home office I said YES and based my thought process for the room design around it! The chandelier is from the 1800’s and was hanging in her home that she still maintains in France and is petite enough to hang in this small room and hangs over my old French desk. I thoroughly enjoy working in my home office and just a few pieces give it a quiet charm. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
SLIGHTLY COASTAL
So many wonderful tips and beauty here to obtain that “wow factor” in a room. Thank you for including me in this wonderful group Anita. Have a wonderful day!!
Wow such good ideas.
Hmm, how do I add ‘wow’ to a room? Good question. I guess it would be to add a little bit of ‘me’ to it. Every person who walks into my house says, ‘this room is really you.
That is great advice Christina.
Thanks for sharing! You always are spot on with your advice.
Great tutorials!
Beautiful examples.
I always try to add a ‘soft’ wow to my rooms:
A tall potted tree next to and slightly in front of, a paned window which doesn’t need coverage for privacy. All windows are paned and painted semi-gloss white.
A dimly lit crystal chandelier for the play of light.
An old black iron gate with five, small, iron flowers in the design, each dry brush painted in barely-there pastel colors.
A pale blue ceiling in my white bathroom, a lighter version of the gray-blue walls in the adjoining bedroom.
An old leather trunk with brass with patina, sitting in a corner on its side, opened up for use of the shelf and drawers inside. Love that!
Large potted hydrangeas flanking my front door.
On the lookout for one of those beautiful mirrors!
Beautifully written Kim. I loved hearing your thoughts.
I love all the advice from the fellow contributors. It makes me want to go implement some of their wow factor tips in my home today. I think a shopping trip is in order…
Thanks for including me.
Nancy
It was my pleasure Nancy!!!
Anita, what a wonderful post. I love French Country Decor, and saw great tips from many of my favorite French Country Bloggers. I hope that you have a wonderful and blessed day!
Thanks Shannon. I am having a great day. I hope you have a blessed day as well.
I follow all of these talented ladies. Great information.
Cindy
Oh wonderful Cindy. They are talented!!!
Thanks so much for including me, Anita! I love the tips from my fellow francophiles! I am excited to check out more of their beautiful spaces! Hugs…Debbie
Of course Debbie. You are a true francophile.
Thanks for the advise…I’m just learning the “science” behind good decor and these ideas help!
I loved learning too Jill.
Great examples with great ideas. Thanks!
Fabulous ways to add wow and thanks for including me! Have fun at Haven!
One of the best topic/answer posts in a long time!! Love that mirror from Eleven Gables and those sconces- oh my!! All kinds of ideas! Thanks for this very special post! Teri
Bring on the Country French ideas. I read these “wow factor” suggestions and immediately went downstairs and implemented two of them.
So many great ideas from each. Loved the photo eye candy as well.
Great tips from some talented bloggers!
Brenda
I loved reading all of the answers from my favorite group of bloggers!
Anita, I thoroughly enjoyed this post ……the country French bloggers are my favorites…comfortable sophisticated style ! Thank you ! Anne
So many creative ideas and beauty in each and every room here on this blog post…thank you all so much!
Anita, thanks so much for a lovely post and tips from wonderful bloggers! Happy weekend, Pam @ Everyday Livng
I love the idea for French Country. I went to Paris last June for the first time and stayed in a Parisian flat for a week. I loved the look and the big windows to see and hear all the sounds of being in Paris. The mirrors are a wonderful suggestion. I love all the different looks that were shown.
Gigi, I bet that flat at magical!
Such good ideas! I agree that changing light fixtures can instantly change the feel of a room. Something else I use is plants and flowers — big and little bouquets of fresh flowers “fix,” freshen and add “wow” to any and every room.
I have combined my Artography with a small décor business, Sophisticated Rustic Gypsies Décor. I re-furbish re-present vintage elements to form an artistic appealing and comfortable whole.
Your blog is fantastic. My French heritage likes everything French Country and you have presented exciting doable ideas. Thank you. I’m now a fan.
Thank you Dolly. I too have a French heritage.
My mother was French Sephardi and the most wonderful French country cook. What I like about your blog is that if offers offers what I call the “take one element”. You have given some wonderful options for bringing French country into your space,without blowing your budget.
Thank you.
Really enjoyed the post about the sconces from Shabby FuFu. I also bought a really fabulous pair on a whim without knowing where to put them. MINE sat on my dining room table for months until my 4 year old Granddaughter sweetly said, “You know Grandma, I think those things are supposed to go on the wall.” That day, she and I found the perfect spot. Little Decorator in training!
Smiles from Charlotte Des Fleurs
While I may not be able to afford the “real thing” , by following the examples of the wonderful French inspired bloggers, I’m confident I will be able to give a good impression of a country French home. I love all of the blogs, especially Confessions of a Plate Addict , and little by little I’m gathering my versions of French country style for my little house. Just yesterday, I purchased three beautiful blue and white plates {my favorites}, and a gorgeous red and white teacup for my bed tray vignette. The best thing about it is that they only cost me about twenty dollars complete!
I am sure it will be gorgeous Sherrie.
I just scored a 3 tier hanging wire basket on a HEAVY French country pole! The baskets are detachable so that makes it multi purpose. I can use them elsewhere and regular hanging baskets on the pole OR I can use the whole thing in my bath room and put towels, etc. in each of the hanging baskets. Fluer de Lis on top of the pole and verdi gris color. Perfect addition to my new house! 🙂
I love it Constance!!!
Thanks so much for including me Anita, and I so loved reading the other contributors’ posts, as well… 🙂 It was such a pleasure to finally meet you in person at Haven too!!
I very much enjoyed the plentiful ideas coming from different women in the field of home decor. I have been really wanting to up the wow or even color factor in my living space. So this is appealing to me. I am suddenly finding myself drawn to bright colors as well as interesting pattern. Perhaps it’s the season? I am waiting to see 🙂
I love a post like this which sends me to additional places for more inspiration. Yes please, do more of these.
Sue, it was so much fun to put this together.
love this post and the link to other like minded people
Love this post. Just quick tips from some of my favorite bloggers, and now a couple more to add to my list. Thanks to all.
Thank you so much for all the great advice!!!
Thank you Susan.
Anita, all the ideas are beautiful and I share many of them myself. I love my French home!! I like to use old books too. I think they add some old character to the space. Thanks for always giving us inspiration.
Teresa
Excellent idea Teresa!
My taste for all things French is never satiated. I’ve always loved the colors of the French countryside. I’ve found that my direction has evolved and changed through the years. It began with blue (always and ever my favorite color), red, mustard yellow, green. I moved on from a more formal, fussier look and feel to a more rustic French farmhouse. I am influenced by a little coastal look since I now live at the beach, having incorporated a lighter more neutral palette. It’s like a journey for me, trying this, trying that over the years, always looking to hit on what’s exactly me. Now, I’ve definitely found my comfort zone in neutral linen fabrics and added textures. Blue and white plates (meat platters are my weakness), ironstone, rustic accents~an eclectic collection of things that make me happy when I look at them. If it ever goes out of style, I won’t care as I’ve found own French vibe. It’s amazing when I think of how it was a process that was so enjoyable. It may change a little over time, but so do I. I love your ideas and enjoy seeing your spaces as you discover something new, creative renewal of what you love. Thank you for always inspiring me!
I love to decorate with french fabrics and plates. They just make me happy. Thanks for all of the great ideas.
Thank you Liz.
Love this post! Thanks!
Thanks Anne.
Ooh la la Anita! Loved this post and all the great tips. I follow many of these talented bloggers so it was great to find them all in one place. I hope you do it again. My “wow” tip: farm animals! Just scored some adorable place mats on cork backing of a goat, a rooster and a pig. So cute. Also found some red and white bowls with roosters and chickens and chicks. Oh my. And you can’t go wrong with a soulful cow face. These sweet critters say French Country to me. Pat at Bringing French Country Home
Loved all the design tips from you friends. Take a little here and a little there and make it your own! You have a lovely daughter…and you’re training her right I worked for my Daddy and he instilled in me my work ethics…they have served me well my whole lifetime. She will be indebted to you forever!
I’ll tell her you said that Beverly.
great post, wonderful ideas, inspiration, love it!
I enjoyed reading all of these tips. I am slowly trying to add some French looks to our small patio home. My best tip to myself is to remember to keep the clutter down. When I find a more “Frenchy” accessory, the item it replaces goes immediately in the donate box.
Lovely post, great ideas… Thanks for sharing.
I really liked this article. So many great ideas!! I like to wow with something unique that stands out in a room.
great post. thank you so much for sharing!!
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Thank you for sharing this content. We appreciate your efforts and hope that others will find it helpful.