If sprawling lawns and impressive masonry is your style, but you lack the pounds to purchase a French chateau, perhaps toning it down to suit your individual home is not the impossible task you think it is. If the exterior of your home cannot change to incorporate this impressive style, don’t be dismayed. Turn your home interior into a chateau with a few clever touches.
Take time to pick the furniture
This is probably the single most important aspect of achieving a French chateau look. Elegance and simplicity are the order of the day here, with each piece of furniture handpicked to fit the space perfectly. Beautifully carved chairs and settees are spread across the chateau and a few areas designated to rest and relaxations bring an air of peace and calm into the chateau. How would you incorporate this into your miniature version? By ensuring that you don’t over buy furniture for the space. Also take time to look for hand carved pieces as well as piece with potential. Sometimes all a piece needs is a fresh coat of paint or varnish, or re-upholstering. Also be careful of use of colour here, you don’t want overly bright or busy fabrics to take away from the detail of the piece.
Shed some light on a beautiful space
You can spend a lot of time, energy and money on picking furniture and accessories and pay no attention to the lighting, which could leave your space feeling dull or crammed. By investing in good lighting a la French style, it could the space from drab to delicious in the flick of a switch. If your space is too small to incorporate a full chandelier, a lot of lighting companies now offer miniature chandeliers to make your space special. Don’t forget about sconces, these can really add a dramatic effect to focus areas.
Fittings and finishes
The furniture and lighting are out of the way, yet the space still looks a little bit drab. The missing link? Have a look at your wall finishes. In this style wallpaper really adds a dramatic flair to each individual space. Experiment a little with this, by using more than one style per room, for instance, instead of having the entire space bedecked in floral wallpaper, how about pairing it with a neutral tone? Also, take time to pick the light switch covers, dramatic mirrors and picture frames. A nice touch would be to look for proper silverware to display, as well as having an authentic candelabrum. Finishing your shelves or counter tops off with a beautiful vase and some wild flowers really brings the space together. The flooring shouldn’t be ignored either. If you are blessed with beautiful elegant flooring or carpeting, adding a few loose carpets in tones used in the room really brings the space together, especially if grouped together. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little with placing a few candles and leather bound books randomly around the room. It pulls the space together and lends to the chateau feel.
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