French Country Style Kitchens

It’s time for you to redesign your kitchen but what do you focus on? Organization and efficiency or personality and functionality? While having your kitchen organized and efficient don’t forget that it should also reflect your personality while be completely functional. If you like a kitchen that is rustic and reflects old world charm, then you should consider a French Country style kitchen.

French Country style kitchens make you feel like you just walked into an old fashioned French cottage deep in the heart of rural France. This style of kitchen truly reflects the joy and the zest for living and the importance of friends and family. Regardless of if you have a home, apartment, or condo you can enjoy the beauty and warmth of a French Country style kitchen. By combining various small touches you can give a French Country kitchen vibrance and romance.

The use of color is key in designing a French Country kitchen. Go online and look up images of French country cottages and you will see walls painted with colors of mustard yellow and butter and cupboards of salmon pink and cornflower blue. The best way to use these colors is to paint your walls blue using the lighter colors as accents.

A French Country style kitchen plays with the use of light integrating it as an essential part of the decor. Windows are covered with Roman shades and the choice in fabric ranges from canvas to toile in solids, stripes, fruit prints, herbs, or vegetables. When decorating your kitchen don’t forget the herbs especially lavender. This is one simple French Country detail that cannot be overlooked. Try hanging a small bunch of dried lavender using a hook and hanging it from the ceiling or in a wall vase. This will bring the scent of the French countryside right into your kitchen.

When it comes to accessories remember to stay functional. For example, a copper or terra cotta vase can also be used as storage on your countertop for cooking utensils. Freestanding racks made of wrought iron or copper can also hold plants, napkins, serving bowls, and place mats. When not using your ceramic trivets, hang them on the wall.

When choosing tables for your kitchen choose light woods such as pine. Don’t forget functionality and use the table as a work place as well as for entertaining friends and family. Choose a table that is large enough for entertaining and preparing meals but not too large that it interferes with the flow of the kitchen. If you have a galley kitchen, you may want to skip this step since putting a table in a galley kitchen can cramp the style and flow.

When you have a small French Country kitchen opt for using vertical storage instead of traditional cabinets. Pot racks are very popular in French styled kitchens and are very easy to find. If you have the room try adding an overhead pot rack using strong hooks. If you don’t have the room display your pots on the wall when not in use still retaining functionality.