Rustic Country French Style

In the dining room, new upholstered dining chairs surround a chestnut table. The hutch is from Provence and features its original mustard-color paint finish. Colorful red and yellow pottery fills the shelves with Country French style!

A stunning arched window begs visitors to sit and enjoy the view. The living room includes a custom-designed coffee table and sofa as well as a few French antiques and a 1930s needlepoint rug.

The walls in this space were ragged with a "nicotine gold" glaze. Two antique candlesticks flank a portrait of a French gentleman. Next to the fireplace is a vintage wood bin topped by a pottery lamp.

Yellow-and-blue toile is a sunny foil for the natural woodwork in the library. Overhead, antlers decorate the wall and are draped with sprigs of dried flowers.

A pretty palette of blue and white carries through to a collection of French enamel milk pitchers and a series of French pottery plates hung above the beds. French laundry baskets hold extra linens at the end of each bed.

In the primary bedroom, new furnishings, painted black, fit well with vintage accessories, including a blanket chest with its original finish. Elsewhere in the room a toile chaise nestles in front of a window for lounging.

Near the end of the bed, a set of doors was dressed in a striking black checked fabric, accented with a smaller check and plain black borders.

Here's a home office with character! A painted library table is used as a desk and paired with a toile-covered slipper chair in blue and white. Blue accessories on the walls and desk reinforce the theme. The windows are dressed in complementary patterns of blue stripes.

A conversation area in front of a striking fireplace is accented with a corner chest near the window. Oil paintings on the mantel and on the chest help unify the scheme.

Here's a way to add color and flair, even with a small budget: place a small tablecloth or fabric runner over a coffee table. It's a unique look that adds lots of charm.

Cuddly chenille-covered sofas are piled high with toile and tapestry accent pillows, but the real star of this room is the floor and the magnificent oversize arched window. Touches of pottery, along with a scheme of red and gold, add Country French flair.

Look for Country French Decorating on newsstands now!