French style furniture

Speak of French style furniture and immediately what springs to mind are lavish, opulent and extravagant designs which are so beautiful that they take your breath away. The French embody all things chic, sophisticated, stylish and fashionable and it is inconceivable that anything from that country will be drab or boring. Therefore, if you are freshly decorating your house or are thinking of remodeling the look of your interiors, have a look at French style furniture for your home. Your home will be immediately transformed into something chic and glamorous and as opulent as your taste dictates. Items of French style furniture that is most sought after are the imitations of the beautiful furniture made for royalty, the bourgeoisie and the aristocrats.

There is another category of French style furniture – that of the kind found in the rural countryside – these pieces are quaint and unique in their own way and have a charming appeal. Rural designs include chairs with ladder backs, the seats of which are fashioned with woven rush, they often have cabriole legs and the carvings are simple and scalloped. Typical rural French style furniture in dining rooms and halls often sported a wheat pattern carving which is popular even today and copied by many skilled artisans.  Rural items of French style furniture belong to the shabby chic style of decor and the antique ones are usually layered with many coats of paint over the years which give them that distinctive finish, while new furniture is deliberately given a distressed and faded finish to imitate the classics of yesteryear.  Parisian French style furniture is of course the most stylish, given how Paris is the fashion capital of France, not to mention the world! These designs are more mainstream and suited for a more modern or contemporary home.

Where can you buy French style furniture? You can shop online or go to furniture stores which are exclusively for classic and period designs – you are sure to find them there. You can also look for ads in newspapers about antique furniture sales because many people passionately collect classic pieces of furniture over the years only to sell it at a good price later. And you would be surprised at what treasures yard sales can yield so visit them too, along with antique shops and flea markets. If you do not want to spend too much money or are unable to source French style furniture then get them made by a talented carpenter who can copy the designs from printouts. The closer the copy, the more authentic your furniture will look.

French style furniture can adorn every room of the house – bedroom, bathroom, living room and even the kitchen. Be sure to accessorise your French style decor well with suitable upholstery and accents such as crystal vases and fresh flowers. French furniture is often categorised by period or royalty names such as Louis Philippe furniture, French Gothic furniture, Tudor furniture, Louis XV furniture etc. Have a look at all the styles and designs on offer and choose what you love!