5 Tips For Affordable Modern French Country Design

Do you struggle with putting together your decor vision while staying in budget? In this post I’m sharing 5 tips for achieving success with affordable modern French country design. You’ll want to read this one to the end!

Many of us simply love French country design, but these days it’s a more modern version. I first discovered my own passion for French country style when I spent a glorious summer with my French cousins in Paris. As an extremely independent 14 year old I was not afraid to walk to the flea market alone, not too far from my cousin’s flat. I would roam the Marché aux Puces de St-Ouen with my francs in hand with glee, picking up tiny trinkets and treasures to bring home.

I learned a lot that first summer in France from my fashionable cousins and from my forays to the flea and the Louvre. That love has stayed with me over my many return trips to France and it’s the predominant style that I use in my home.

Who would ever dream that someday I’d be photographing about those flea market journeys for some magazines here in the U.S! Before you ask me where you can find this, it was from a story at least 10 years back.

Flea market finds are only a part and perhaps the finishing pieces to a modern french country design. Flowers are an after thought accent that makes your decor come to life.

A modern French country design aesthetic is definitely lighter than that of centuries gone by. Gone is the heavy dark overly ornate furniture. The late designer Charles Faudree perhaps brought French flair to American soil more than any designer of the past. His designs were lush and his mix of color and pattern were elegant and cozy.

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Today’s modern French country design is generally lighter and not as formal with a relaxed elegance. So how do you design a room with this more casual style? Here are a few takeaways and a gorgeous new line that I recently discovered with oodles of pieces of affordable modern French country design!

5 Tips For Affordable Modern French Country Design

1. As always, start with grounding your room by placing a rug whenever possible. Keep the rug in pale tones and look for either an Aubusson (here’s a pretty one – AUBUSSON ) or one of the new modern distressed area rugs.
2. Larger pieces of furniture will be the mainstay of your room for a long time to come! I never recommend going the cheap route when it comes to sofas, beds and chairs. You generally get what you pay for with longevity and comfort, so these pieces are what you should budget for. Start with the sofa or bed and go from there. Perhaps create a mood board if you can, as I’ve shown below. Consider hiring an online interior decorator that can save you in the long run.
3. Keep the hard-goods such as coffee tables, accent tables and nightstands in pale bleached out tones and mix things up! If you have old pieces of dark wood that you’d like to paint, check out my HOW TO GIVE FURNITURE A CHALKY FINISH that doesn’t involve much expense or work!
4. Artwork and wall decor should be kept to a minimum and not clutter up your walls. I prefer mirrors to art and talked about it in the post – DECORATING WITH MIRRORS INSTEAD OF ART.
5. Add accessories! Keep a keen eye on not using small tchotchkes or trinkets. Just a few well placed objects perhaps in a tray will do.

Last (but not least!) I wanted to introduce you to a line of modern French country design furniture and accessories that I think you’ll love as much as I do! It’s a curated collection by the fabulously chic Kelly Clarkson, and if you’ve never seen her homes then Google that! Not only doe she have a set of pipes, but her designs are up to date with a new relaxed French country appeal.

You’ll find all of these pieces from Kelly’s line at Wayfair, where I often shop both for my own homes and for our clients in the construction/design side of things. 

Just a couple of quick notes…

No, this is not a sponsored post and I’m just bringing you this line because I feel that it’s so well curated.

On some of these items you can find “open box pricing” and those are even better deals! I’ve purchased some things open box over the years and it simply means items that were either returned or taken out of the box for styling and photographing. They are always in excellent condition and Wayfair has a very generous return policy if you ever come across an issue.

When you find an item that is a must have and it’s out of stock, sign up to be notified when it comes available. I have done this and you do hear back when it’s in!

SOURCES ARE LINKED BELOW – CLICK ON ANY IMAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION