French Interior Design is elegant and sophisticated. French designers are renowned for creating beautiful, graceful and feminine designs that use a minimalistic colour palette to evoke feelings of peace and tranquillity. The timeless look of French interior design is easy to replicate in your own home.
Classic French Interior Design
French interior design is sophisticated and chic. Traditional French interior design uses light, sophisticated colours while more modern designs opt for something bolder and more impactful. In both cases, however, the emphasis is on using the designers own original flair to add a dash of flamboyance to the room in question.
The History of French Interior Design
What we think of as iconic French interior design comes from the early 19th century. The 18th century was one of excesses for the royal court, and when that era ended there was something of a backlash in tastes and design style, with restraint becoming the word of the day.
French designers tend to under-decorate – using ornaments sparingly, and favouring simple fabrics with a minimum of frills and ruffles. Prior to the 19th century, interior design was something that was reserved for royalty and nobles only, but over the next 200 years increasing standards of living meant that everyone could enjoy decorating their homes. Fashions began to change more rapidly, with residents enjoying the Art Deco, Art Nouvea and Bauhaus styles falling in and out of favour in Europe.
Famous French Interior Designers
Philippe Starck is one of the most famous interior designers from France. His work includes everything from big pieces of furniture to smaller accessories such as toothbrushes. He is best known for the Louis Ghost chair and the La Boheme Stool. He has done design work for the Cafe Costes in Paris, as well as The Peninsula Hong Kong. His work is rich and elegant, and he leans towards the slightly more modern, bolder style of design with brighter colours.
Vincend Fourcade was another famous French interior designer. His trademark style was “outrageous luxury”. He was skilled in working with furniture and fabrics, and his work appeared in New York Magazine.
French designer Jacques Grange is best known for working with Yves Saint Laurent and Alain Duccasse. He decorated Paloma Picasso’s jewellery shop, as well as the Chateau Gabriel. Grange specialises in merging traditional French interior design with contemporary tastes, creating something beautiful but understated.
Tips to Get The Look
Subtlty is the most important part of French interior design. Use understated patterns on all of your textiles – including the soft furnishings.
Try not to overdo ornaments and decorations – choose a handful of beautiful, rustic trinkets to make your room look lived-in and well loved.
The French love chandeliers. A detailed and extravagant chandelier for your main lighting piece is a good idea. Add ornate lamps around the room so that the property is well lit.
While the French love simplicity and elegance, it is still important to add contrast to your room. Don’t match the colours too carefully, because this will create a Spartan look. Use whites, pale blues and pinks as well as cool greys to create a delicate and graceful atmosphere.
Use one key piece of ornate furniture in each room and keep other pieces and internal doors simple. This will prevent the furnishings from dominating the design.
Interior Design Trends From Around The World
If world décor inspires and interests you, please visit our Interior Design Trends from Around the World Infographic or click the button to see our interactive trend tool.
