Today’s Design: French Living Room Decor
Calling My Francophile Friends-does anyone else get butterflies at the idea of all things Parisian?
My client had a very specific request: she wanted a beautiful, elegant (and slightly formal) Living Room design that summoned all things sophisticated and French.
And my heart was right there with her-I actually studied abroad in France several times growing up and still have a soft spot in my heart for all things French. So I was happy to tap into some European roots and give her a Living Room that checked all her boxes!
But…Who Am I?
But before I start, if you aren’t familiar with Postbox Designs, I’m a mama of three (and an interior designer of about 18 years now!) and all about about “Real Designs for Real Life”. I want to make my clients life easier, by designing everything virtually for them and sending them their room-in-a-box directly to their inbox. From there, they can buy everything they need for their new room in 30 minutes over a cup of coffee (in their PJs). If can see more of How It Works and all of my Room Packages.
We used this inspirational photo (Item #1) and started grounding the room with a beautiful curved (faux) fireplace surround. Even if you don’t have a wood burning fireplace, you can mimic one by creating a false surround like this one (#10) and we topped it with an Anthropologie inspired ornate gold mirror (#3), brass candle stick holders (#4) and faux bust (#5). What is more European than having a bust of one of your ancestors? (even if this one hails from Amazon!)
French Living Room:Final Touches
My client already owned this beautiful nailhead sofa, but I paired it up with a couple of Louis inspired velvet armchairs from Pottery Barn (#6) and if a real, multi-generational vintage rug isn’t floating around in your family, we found this replica (#8) area rug with soft muted hues. But my absolutely favorite way to finish off any Living Room decor is with armful of pillows. If you know me at all, Etsy is always my favorite source to find beautiful, one of a kind, handmade pillows like these (#12-15) with that antelope pattern being my personal fav.
And my absolute obsession is still purchasing a series of digital prints, scanned from real oil paintings for quick & easy artwork. This set (#9) should basically be a “Gallery Wall” in your inbox-this genius shop owner pairs up sets that work brilliantly together. I do always create a wall elevation drawing for my clients to show them what sizes to use/what frames to use/ and how a drawing of how to hang it all (not shown). Just search Etsy for “oil painting prints” and shop away…
French Design Via the Coffee Table
And finally, using another inspirational image (#18), I pulled together some items to style her coffee table with a French vibe including this faux silver vase (#20), a stack of french inspired coffee table books (#21 and #22) and a bubble vase (#19) filled with faux magnolia stems (#24).
And the tiny splurge that every French Living Room needs? A diptyque candle (#23): there is a reason this little baby is iconic.
A few more styling items here and there, and a heart stopper of a crystal pendant (#37) was enough to transform this city condo into a Parisian abode.
French Floor Plans
For all of my Postbox Designs clients, I also always include a full digital Shopping List, Shopping Note, and a dimensioned floor plan.
More Sophisticated Living Room Designs
Does your taste run traditional (and let’s be honest-you are wanting something more sophisticated and classy?). Here are some past design for other clients that run in those lines. This one was for a Michigan cottage that channeled some English hunting vibes:
And this Living Room design was for another fabulous client in a century old house who wanted to channel the traditional farmhouse meets English hues with brass, florals and oil paintings:
And finally while not European, this client requested an alpine ski resort vibe for their Lower Level Living Room decor for this family full of ski enthusiasts.
Need Help With your Room?
So if you have a room in need of some loving (or a full fledge makeover), feel free to drop me a line at kristin@postboxdesigns.com and we can chat all about your custom project!
Cheers,
Kristin