Designer French Chic Home Tour Filled With Charm

Today I’m pleased to present a designer French chic home tour that is filled with charm. From the power of paint to the collections of meaningful antiques to the smart use of slipcovers, this is one of the favorite tours that we’ve featured to date! Grab a cup of coffee and settle in to meet homeowner and decorator Lauren Ross and then let us know what you love here in the comments. Lots of before and after shots to inspire you!

I’ve known Lauren on-line for quite a long time now, since the early days when we took most of our decorating inspiration from magazines. In fact I had planned on shooting her home for a couple of magazines some years back on a trip to Austin, but that fell through the cracks. I was pleased to reconnect with her on Instagram a couple of years ago and see what she’s been up to. You’ll find her on IG at – Lauren Ross Design. She is gracious and so talented and has written this post for us, so I’m going to leave it in her capable hands below!

“I grew up in Houston and have always been drawn to older homes.  Our first home as a married couple was a cedar shingle dutch colonial, then a painted white cedar shingle bungalow and then a painted brick 1930’s French eclectic.  We learned a little something from each renovation that would serve us well with each home thereafter! 

After the French house was fully renovated, our neighborhood asked if we would be on a home tour.  Many people that toured the home called later asking if I would help them decorate their homes.  But at that time I had a job as a full time accountant!  The thought of helping others decorate their homes was something I could see myself doing and appealed to me since it would give me an opportunity to work my own hours and spend more time with my 4 kids. 

I began by helping friends for free on the weekends to see if I even thought that would be a career path to consider.  After some soul searching, I decided to leave my accounting job and launch my own design business.  Word spread quickly and soon I was helping neighbors and their friends. 

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Read More Of Her Story…designer French chic home tour

Meanwhile I continued to work on my French style Houston home, tweaking the gardens, adding quarters over the garage and just tending to it and the quirks that come with older homes.  It was truly a labor of love and what I thought would be my forever home. It was even published in several magazines and a BH&G book. 

But as fate would have it, my husband’s job brought us to Austin. I had to let go of my dream home and move to a town where I knew no one.  it was an emotional time after pouring so much of my heart and soul into that home and the thought of leaving all my friends was overwhelming, not to mention the fact that Austin housing was nothing like the traditional older style I was so accustomed to in Houston. 

But after months of searching we found the perfect ready to move in home for a family of 6.  It was the quintessential hill country home with an open concept and perfect for raising a family and hosting birthday parties, company parties, baseball team dinners, you name it.  The home was  featured in Country Living as well as a few books and the popular Cote de Texas blog.  I thought, like the last house, that it would also be our forever home. 

But on a whim my husband and I decided maybe it was time to downsize as 2 of my 4 kids were off at college.  We put the house on the market just to see what would happen and wouldn’t you know it, it sold before we could blink!  We were forced to find something quickly and there wasn’t much on the market at the time in our school district. 

Thankfully we found another home not too far away.  It was not my style and half the size of the other, but I could see past the dark paint and other shortcomings.  I had a little sale at my house of things I knew I would no longer be able to use at the new smaller house and sent invitations to friends and clients.  It was like a little goodbye party to my home.  It was a very emotional move with lots of tears just like all the others.  Homes are like people to me! I just invest so much of myself into them and think about all the special memories I’m leaving behind!

After closing on the new house, we had exactly 2 ½ months to make all the improvements that I wanted to make before we had to be out of the old house.  I had quite a lengthy list so we had to prioritize using our budget and timing to guide us.  We both said this would not be our forever home and that we would just do basic things to make it feel like our previous homes.  

We were fine with the layout of the house but cosmetically it was in need of a change.  I had 3 things that I knew I wanted to tackle first to make the house feel lighter and more like me…..paint the walls a creamy white, add my antique chandeliers, and lay down seagrass rugs.

Our goal was to keep renovation costs down and use our décor to create the feeling that I had in the other homes.  Flowers, candles, slipcovers and curtains transformed the interiors to my aesthetic without tearing down walls or gutting spaces. 

Another common feature you will notice throughout my home are the antiques I’ve found over the years.  I especially love pieces in their authentic paint.  Antiques add charm and make your home feel special even if your home is lacking architecturally.  And hunting for them is much more fun than searching for furniture online! Hope you enjoy these before and afters and that they inspire you in some way!   

Designer French Chic Home Tour…Room by Room –

Exterior –  After a few years of living in the house we decided to make further changes to the exterior of the house. My husband made new shutters that were more appropriate to the scale of the windows than the previous ones.  He painted them a blue gray color for a pop of color against all the stone.  Over time we changed the landscaping to shrubs that required little maintenance and were deer resistant.  But the biggest change of all was the new front door.  It was a big expense but added instant curb appeal!

Front Porch – A big selling feature of the house was the generous porches both up and down. We added the beadboard ceiling and painted it a soft blue.  My yard guys even got in on the renovations.  They had done some stone work for me in the yard and one day I asked them if they could put stone over the porch’s dark pebble aggregate. They said sure and next thing I knew I had this beautiful Austin limestone gracing the porch and front steps to my home! 

Entry –  When you enter through the front door, this antique pink Bombay chest greets you in the entry. It is just the perfect pop of color to an otherwise neutral space with the dining room to your left and living room to your right.  This antique has to be my favorite piece of furniture that I’ve ever purchased.  That was almost 20 years ago!  I love antiques and I love pink so it’s a match made in heaven! 

BEFORE

A rug with shades of pink carries that color scheme back to the family room through a small hallway.  I guess most people might have blown out this wall to open things up even more but I love having separate rooms for different purposes.  It suits the way we live day to day but not necessarily the occasional party we might have.  People are practically on top of one another when we have guests but that makes it even more intimate and cozy to me.  Each home has taught me lessons and this one has taught me that I really do enjoy living in smaller cozier rooms. 

AFTER

Living room –  The living room underwent a few cosmetic changes, mainly a fresh coat of paint and a seagrass rug, custom cut to fill the room.   I ordered Restoration Hardware stripe silk curtains that I had repleated at the top for a more custom look.  The curtains helped extend the windows and made the room feel even bigger!  The candles, flowers and slipcovers also added to the peaceful and romantic feeling I was going for in this house.

BEFORE

AFTER

Dining room –  The dining room is a perfect illustration of the power of paint.  The change from dark to light and the addition of my antique crystal lighting for sparkle and ambiance were dramatic cosmetic updates. (These are great ideas for anyone who loves a designer French chic home.) The dining room also serves other purposes besides dining. We have tackled many a school project here and also find ourselves working on our laptops or drinking coffee in the mornings in this well-lit room.    

BEFORE

AFTER

Dining room side wall –  I wasn’t quite sure what to do with this narrow bit of wall in our dining room so I used my old sofa table from the last house and it was just the perfect fit.  The mirror reflects the light and magically extends the size of the room!

Butler’s pantry – The previous owners used the butler’s panty for their microwave but we relocated ours to the kitchen and saved this space for a serving station for drinks or desserts.  The small narrow window was perfect for one of my remnants of lace.  And new glass front cabinets were added for displaying my collection of transferware and glassware.    

BEFORE

AFTER

Kitchen – One thing that I loved about the kitchen when I first saw the house was the large window over the sink.  Looking out to the trees on the side yard makes doing the dishes a little more enjoyable!  White paint, new white marble countertops and tile backsplash lightened up the kitchen while keeping the footprint the same.  The kitchen is small with a tiny island that does not accommodate bar stools but it suits us fine, and I have found that I actually function better in a small proportioned kitchen.  The chandeliers and crystal knobs add some sparkle.

BEFORE

AFTER

Pantry – The old laundry room was once in the pantry of the kitchen.  We lived with it that way for awhile but it was so cramped, not to mention noisy.  It has since moved out to what was once part of the garage.  So now I’ve been able to reclaim the pantry for it’s intended purpose.  My husband made a long table from old scraps of lumber for extra kitchen prep and coffee making!  Hidden behind the skirt are all my bulk supplies like paper towels and waters.  Some leftover English chintz wallpaper from our previous home was installed for a dose of cheeriness to a room with no windows. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Breakfast room –  Right after we closed on the house I found this precious chandelier in Round Top, Texas and knew it would be perfect for the breakfast room.  The mirrored armoire reflects the light and opens up the small space. Slipcovers are used generously throughout my home for easy care.  I love being able to wash everything especially in rooms where we eat!  I even added my old washable curtain panels from a previous home for an extra layer of softness.  If this was my forever home I would love new windows but for now, curtains and shades are more economical!   

BEFORE

AFTER (so perfect for this designer French chic home!)

New laundry/mud room – The new laundry room and mud room is now where the third bay of the garage used to be! This project took place after 3 years of living in the house and lots of planning.  We laid porcelain tile (made to look like brick) in a herringbone pattern over the concrete garage floor.  My husband made a wood top to put over the washer and dryer so we could easily fold clothes.  And now when I enter my home through the driveway I have a nice place to put down my groceries!  To keep costs to a minimum we elected not to have any custom cabinetry made.  Rather we use an old wicker bench for taking off shoes, a stand alone wall mount sink for hand washing, and some inexpensive metal shelving hidden behind long curtain panels for extra storage. 

Powder Room – Fresh white paint brightened this powder room under the staircase with no natural light.  Powder rooms are ordinarily the perfect space to wallpaper but I’ve never been able to settle on anything. If we stay here long enough maybe I’ll tackle that project!

BEFORE

AFTER

Family room – My goal for the family room was to make the room feel bigger than it actually is.  The first step was painting the walls a soft cream and adding the seagrass rug for a cohesive flow with the other rooms of the house.  Although counterintuitive, using larger scale furniture in a small room and mirrors hung almost to the ceiling helped the room feel instantly bigger.

BEFORE

AFTER

Master bedroom – Paint, wall to wall seagrass and an antique crystal chandelier helped the master bedroom seem more like me!  Silk curtains and fluffy white bedding add another layer of softness. ( I think that this room is the epitome of designer French chic!)

BEFORE

AFTER

Master sitting room – The master sitting area is right off my bedroom and a little sanctuary for reading and unwinding.  The fireplace sits at an angle which isn’t ideal.  Rather than going to the expense of taking it all out, I replaced the tile surround with a marble remnant from a local slab yard and worked with the odd configuration.  In person this room has a very serene feel and honestly I think the fireplace adds to the overall aesthetic.  In hindsight I’m glad now that I didn’t take it out!

BEFORE

AFTER

Notice in Lauren’s home how texture adds depth. Whether or not you prefer a designer French chic home style, you can take away elements like these to use in YOUR home.

Master bath – The master bath is the one room that we did decide to tear some things out because we just couldn’t see them functioning for us.  The countertops were really low in here (32 inch) so we replaced the base cabinets to a taller height (36 inch) and used the leftover marble from the kitchen for the countertops.  We gutted the shower and relocated it to where the bathtub was and where there was already plumbing in the walls.  Where the old shower once stood is now my dressing table.  Rather than building more countertop area, I used an old antique table for my vanity area.

BEFORE

AFTER

Rebecca’s room – My daughter’s room is the one room that I painted a color other than cream! It’s a pale gray and one that my daughter requested!  Using a taller headboard helped the room feel bigger and took advantage of the height in the room.  The gray silk curtains blend with the wall color and help keep the room cohesive and peaceful.    

BEFORE

AFTER

Rebecca’s bath – White painted cabinets, white CaesarStone counters and Thasos mosaic flooring transformed my daughter’s bathroom.  The marble flooring was a bit of a splurge but thankfully not much was needed in this designer French chic home.  We hung a pair of my antique sconces over cheap sheet mirror to elevate the look.  The same knobs that are used here were also used in my kitchen.  In this home I tried to be consistent throughout with flooring, paint and even hardware.  Sticking with the same elements really helped me narrow down all the decisions I had to make to pull off this renovation so quickly! 

BEFORE

AFTER

Game Room – Off the upstairs hallway is a game room where the kids enjoy watching tv and playing games.  The entire upstairs flooring of the house had thick carpeting.  In a forever house I might have changed this out to hardwoods but here we decided to go with much less expensive wall to wall seagrass and layer some of my rugs over it for extra layers of comfort.

BEFORE 

AFTER

Guest room – The seagrass, cream walls and antique lighting transformed the guest bedroom before even one piece of furniture was added. 

BEFORE

AFTER

Upstairs hallway – Fresh paint and seagrass flooring updated the upstairs hallway.  Here I was able to use some of my more narrow pieces of furniture like this antique clock found in Round Top.

AFTER

I hope that you enjoyed this designer French chic home tour as much as we enjoyed featuring it! A big thank you to Lauren Ross…head on over and follow her at Lauren Ross Designs!

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