This is my beginner’s guide to the French country color palette.
Today, I’ll show you:
Colors are the foundation of your home.
If you don’t choose the right ones, your home will never get the French country style you’re dreaming of.
Let’s get started!
I. French country color palette
1. Neutral French country color scheme
As you may already know, the French country style is characterized by its neutral color scheme
But which neutral colors to choose and why?
Let’s dive in.
There are multiple reasons to choose neutral colors:
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They are timeless, elegant and relaxing
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They match all colors, so it left more possibilities when choosing paint colors for the furniture
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They allow your vintage and antique items to stand out
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2. What neutral colors to choose?
The first neutral to choose is white. You’ll never go wrong with an ecru or ivory white!
Then, choose 2 or 3 neutral colors among these:
Favor light versions of these neutral colors. They’ll make your room seem brighter and larger. Plus, they’ll guide your attention more on the furniture and accent pieces than on the walls.
Also, pay attention to your floor and your unchangeable furniture.
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Do you have a dark wooden floor? Or dark kitchen cabinets you can’t repaint? Then choose colors that will brighten up the rest of your room.
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Is your floor made of colored tiles? Choose a light neutral for your walls and furniture.
If you loooove color, you may be on the verge of leaving this too neutral post…
But wait, stay with me! Your favorite part is coming…
3. Faded colors
You should now have chosen one white, and 2 or 3 other basic neutral colors.
Here’s the best part: you can finally choose colors!
But not just any one.
Below are some of my favorite French country colors:
In a French country home decor, colors are mostly faded and kind of chalk.
They are unsaturated with colors. Very subtle and soft shades.
They remind us of nature: the sky, the wood, the minerals, the earth or the sand.
Should you choose cool or warm colors?
Warm colors – such as reds and yellows remind us of sunlight and heat (in bref: South of France!). They are used to making large rooms seem cozier. They make the room feel more inviting and comforting.Cool colors – such as blues and greens remind us of the water, the sky and the grass. They are great for small rooms to make them seem larger. They make the room calm and relaxing.
How to choose colors that work well together?
To choose color combinations that look beautiful together, I advise using a color wheel.
What’s a color wheel? It’s a handy tool to help visualize which colors will work nicely together.
Simply turn the wheel so that your favorite color is located at the top, and you’ll see the colors that work well with it. Magic, isn’t it?
You can find this color wheel on Amazon. I think it’s the best one.
4. French blue color
I wanted to write a part specifically on French country blue, because my readers often ask me questions about this color.
So what exactly is French blue? French blue color is a very light and soft blue, that looks fresh and timeless. It’s a color that works very well on a section of wall or on furniture.
Actually, there isn’t ONE French blue but several.
The common point between these blues is their soft and pale tone.
As a picture is worth 1000 words, here are some examples of french blue paint colors from 5★ brands to make it even clearer for you:
6 thoughts on “French Country Color Palette : 2024 Beginner’s Guide”
great guide, thank you!
Very interesting ideas! Each house we have owned has been in a different style and color palette. Our latest and hopefully final home is "American French country". Painted brick, hip roofs, palladium windows and doors. It screams French to me. I have used the muted colors on walls, cabinets and a few furniture pieces. Your guides are extremely helpful. Waiting for more!
Appreciate the detailed information!!!
Thanks for the guide and ideas! ☮️
Lovely blog with so many great ideas.
Wish it would say what colors are in the pictures. Like what’s the color of the blue doors and the white walls with the blue doors?