While a kitchen can be looked at simply as a function room geared towards organization and efficiency, it can also be much more than that. By adding a few decorative touches you can add personality and liven up the space, making it a welcoming environment in addition to being a functional place to cook your meals. One of the designs you can pursue is the French kitchens style. It can give you kitchen the feel of a rural French farmhouse or a grand French chateau with just a few basic decorative touches.
If done right, your French country kitchen can make you feel like you’re in Provence with its gorgeous fields of lavender, rustic farmhouses, and authentic pastoral setting. The French country setting tends to look very old, rustic, and typically focus on a warm color palette. It’s a very uniquely French feel. There are a few elements that you’ll want to include in your French country kitchen such as large pieces of wood furniture that may be decorated with ornate carvings. These are typically made out of lighter woods.
Picking a color palette is an important first step in the designing process. Many choose their pallets based on classic French impressionists such as Monet and Renoir. Typically you will choose either a warm palette or a cool palette. Usually people go with a warm palette, which includes sunny yellows, gold, reds, and rust colors. Cool palettes focus on grass green, blue, and soft ocean colors. You can choose vivid color such as sunflower yellow, meadow green, or sunset purple to make the details stand out.
The walls and cabinets in your French country kitchen can be ivory, beige, off white, or taupe. You and even paint your cabinets a glossy white, which will brighten the light-filled areas of your kitchen. Another alternative is leaving your cabinets as their natural wood appearance. These more neutral colors can give your room a more light and airy feel as opposed to using strong colors throughout your design. You may want to save the stronger colors for your fabrics. For things such as curtains and seat cushions you might consider stripes, floral prints, or paisley patterns.
Natural materials also play an important role in designing your French country kitchen. They can be used in cabinetry, furniture, and the walls of the room. You can include natural stone surfaces, granite countertops, or tumbled marble backsplashes to enhance the room. You can also use these materials on your walls as well. You can also rough stain these materials or paint your wood in natural colors. The floor is also an opportunity to use natural materials. Stone or brick makes fora lovely kitchen floor, which you can then cover with wool or cotton rugs. Stone fireplaces and wooden shutters make for additional natural material touches. Furniture and cabinets can be worn, enhancing the rustic feel of the room. Countertops are also an opportunity for natural materials.
Accents are an important part of tying your French country theme together. You can use rustic urns, hand-painted ceramics, tile, and pottery to enhance your theme. Terra cotta pottery pieces are also frequently used. The addition of copper pots can also help encompass and old world team and make for a wonderful accent to the kitchen.
So while you can have your kitchen focus primarily on function, it can be so much more than that. It can have a personality and beautiful design in addition to being a functional space. So why keep it boring when you can live it up and create a welcoming environment that is inviting as well as being functional?
