French Country Decor: The Ultimate Modern French Country House Tour (2024)

In this post: If you love French Country decor but prefer it updated, you’ll love this ultimate (and imaginary) modern French Country house tour.⇒

This house doesn’t actually exist.

Well, the rooms do, but they are not part of the same home. Instead I thought it would be fun to compile an imaginary tour comprised of my favorite rooms that you would find in a typical house, to present what I view as the ideal French Country home. The selected spaces work perfectly together and could easily be part of one home, but alas they are not.

French Country House Tour

The spaces represent an updated French style, embodying a lovely mix of vintage and antique pieces, a European sensibility, but tailored for a decidedly modern American lifestyle. This is my current favorite style and these are some of the rooms that have inspired my own home (or what I would like it to be… ;-)).

Each room is linked to the home it actually belongs in or to the designer who created it and styled it so beautifully. Be sure to peruse their work and the rest of the homes they are genuinely part of, while indulging my fantasy of the ultimate modern French Country home.

The Entry Foyer

I love the open look of the entry foyer above, with its soaring ceilings, airy staircase and natural wood flooring. These elements, along with the pale greige walls impart of feeling of modernity that is fresh and welcoming.

At the same time, the gilded mirror, distressed urn and decorative ironwork bannister hearken back to an earlier time with a European feel that lends a sense of pedigree to the space. The little velvet ottoman adds just the right note of softness to the foyer with a whisper of color and warmth.

This lovely entry is from Marie Flanigan Interiors (and you can see her favorite white paint shades when scrolling through this link). Check out the rest of her Instagram account for more.

The Living Room

Perhaps the one room in the house that should most represent one’s style, the living room affords us the opportunity to best express our taste. Unhindered by requirements like appliances and cabinetry, this room only needs to provide comfort for when we’re relaxing and being entertained.

The space above is the quintessential example of vintage and modern, with Old World architectural detailing and antique accents, mixed with a tailored layout and crisp symmetry. That the room can comfortably host both an ultra-modern coffee table and aged sideboard is testament to the deft mix. The soft palette is particularly inviting, while the antique vellum books and gilded lighting capture my heart.

This room hails from Giannetti Home “Provencal”, but be sure to peruse the entire site because each room is more delightful than the next.

The Dining Room

Compiling an imaginary home that’s made up of your favorite rooms is a worthwhile exercise in self-exploration, as it yields some surprises. As much as I love all white, and use it exclusively in kitchens and baths, I found it enlightening to see how much I leaned toward beiges and light woods, to warm up those white spaces.

In fact I found the balancing of white and cream to be one of the trickiest aspects of this exercise, aptly illustrated in the dining room above. It functions as a bridge between the creamier living room and the stark white kitchen that follows.

I love that this dining room offers the gentle rusticity of the raw wood china cabinet and trestle farm table, yet dresses it up with sleek linen parsons chairs and white pottery. The painted French chandelier is the icing on the cake.

You can find this charming dining room from Lisa Lee Hickman, and again, I highly recommend spending time scrolling through her gallery.

The Kitchen

My selection for the kitchen in my imaginary ideal French Country home is in fact white, but it, too, makes use of natural wood tones to infuse the stark white with a degree of rusticity.

Without a doubt my favorite detail in this stunning kitchen is the cremone bolt hardware that graces the spacious glass front cabinets, a clear signifier of French influence that adds vintage character to the space. The organic serving pieces, both behind the doors and on the counters, deliver the perfect finishing touch.

This kitchen belongs to the wonderfully talented Ellen from Featherglass. Her entire home shares this defining aesthetic.

The Family Room

Not all homes have both a living room and a family room, but if yours does, you may struggle to decorate them distinctly, and in fact, to separate their uses. I feel strongly that all our rooms should be used, so better to style these seating areas in a similar way, than to make one so formal that it’s a museum space that may as well be roped off.

That said, I still like to go a bit more casual in the family room, and this space above feels perfectly suited to such a function. I love the balance of the feminine but comfy French chairs, played off the more masculine chesterfield sofa and farmhouse coffee table.

Add in the rugged beauty of the decorative accents and you have a wonderful place for relaxed family gatherings.

This gorgeous salon belongs to Karen from Sanctuary Home Decor. You can tour the rest of her amazing home at that link.

The Powder Room

A powder room can be a quirky little space, but it offers a golden opportunity to decorate in style without costing a fortune. Its diminutive size accounts for this curious advantage and sometimes all it takes is a wonderful textured or tonal wallpaper, a pretty vanity and accent pieces that are worthy of the enterprise.

In the alluring space above, the brass hardware, as well as decorative mirror and frames, are exhibited beautifully against the simplicity of the small space.

Find this lovely space, along with the rest of the home at Jenna Sue Design Co.

The Study | Home Office

In addition to the specifically French influences seen in these rooms, there are many aspects throughout the compilation, that have a more general feeling of European spirit. As I love to mix and match styles that peacefully coexist, the inclusion of Swedish pieces only enhances the layered look.

This handsome Gustavian writing desk can single-handedly dress up a home office space, whether tucked into a spare corner or taking center stage in a room of its own. Add a flowering plant and a few books and little more is required.

This exquisite work space is credited to Minnie Peters, in her signature style that celebrates antiques from abroad.

The Primary Bedroom

Much like the distinction between living room and family room, the approach to the primary bedroom is a bit more formal and garnished than the other bedrooms. Still, there are notes of rusticity and the entire light and airy feeling is tranquil and relaxed.

My favorite details here include the ‘antique’ gilded bed, the layered textiles with just a touch of pattern, the rug-over-rug effect, and the lovely watercolor urns. The soft palette is nearly neutral with just hints of gentle color.

This ever-so-French bedroom is from the blog Tuft and Trim, and you can visit more of her modern French style at the link provided.

The Primary Bathroom

While many of my selected rooms comprise a good bit of timeworn patina, much like my own home, when it comes to the bathroom, I tend to prefer crisp white, lots of marble, and golden highlights.

That said, this gorgeous herringbone light wood floor lends balance to the polished look and warms up the space. I also enjoy seeing a tub that’s not freestanding, despite popular trends and the large windows bring in an abundance of natural light, always a plus in a bathroom. The stunning chandeliers are reminiscent of the French Empire style, even though they appear to be new.

Check out the rest of this space with its other views at The Fox Group, the team that designed this captivating space for a client.

The Guest Bedroom

If I had to pick a room that represents the quintessence of my direction in decor, it would be this bedroom. I personally have not yet achieved this level of rustic chic in my own home, but this is a pretty good summary of my goal.

There’s not a thing I don’t love about this space, with it’s sleek and spacious architecture featuring both arches and reclaimed beams, along with the ideal mix of decor. The bed is sheer perfection, pairing feminine curves and tufting with rugged deconstructed detailing.

This dichotomy parallels such contrasting notes as the gilded frames on the spare white walls, the elegant white drapery panels over the chunky rattan shades, and the soft and neutral palette punctuated by bits of unexpected color. Everything celebrates the beauty of patina and Euro-style, while delivering a room that’s as updated as can be.

This stunning bedroom was designed by Brittany Jones, whose many projects I have featured before. Be sure to follow her Instagram page to see each new project as it unfolds.

The Guest Bath

A counterpoint to the posh white marble of the primary bath, the look of this second bath is at once equally gorgeous yet quite unique. The most defining aspects are the vintage console-turned-vanity with exquisite patina, the antique style brass hardware and the laundered natural linens for a relaxed aura. Still, crisp straight lines, a sleek tub and simple styling lend an ‘of-the-moment’ sensibility.

This special bath is another project from Giannetti Home, and I know you will enjoy touring the other rooms in that project at this link.

To finish off our tour of this imaginary modern French-inspired home, I thought you’d enjoy this lovely image of an understated, but compelling, back entry. It accentuates the unparalleled beauty of pure white and underscores how little is needed to make a defining statement.

This image is from the exquisite gallery of r.house__, a wonderful Instagram account I encourage you to follow for a plethora of breathtaking inspiration!