FRENCH COUNTRY STYLE GALLERY
WHAT IS FRENCH COUNTRY ARCHITECTURE?
Inspired by rural homes in France, French Country Architecture is romanticist in nature. It is derived initially from Romanesque, Norman, and French Gothic styles and includes French Provincial and Normandy styles.
FRENCH COUNTRY ARCHITECTURE CHARACTERISTICS
French Country homes are often grand, elaborate structures, although they are not as ornate as the French City style. Usually faced in stone or stucco, these homes can include half-timbered walls, steep slate or thatched roofs, dormers, tall or very small, often arched windows and doors, large round silo-like “columbiers” or dovecotes, and houses that encompass rooms or even whole barns for domesticated livestock and farm animals.
Other defining characteristics include:
- Hipped roof (all four corners of the roof slope downwards towards the ground)
- Double chimneys (one on each side of the house)
- Beamed or wood planked ceilings
- Natural materials like stone, brick, limestone, clay, and wood
- Plaster walls
- Neutral colors inspired by nature, such as yellow, green, white, cream, and gray
FRENCH COUNTRY STYLE MOULDINGS
French Country style mouldings (moldings) are typically simpler in design and execution than their City counterparts, often left in natural European Oak or Walnut and combined with exposed hand-hewn timber construction. The curvatures of the profiles are not unlike “City” moldings and include the same voluptuous curves, sometimes without quite the delicacy and refinement but certainly all the sophistication.
HISTORY OF FRENCH COUNTRY STYLE ARCHITECTURE
For centuries, the rolling countryside of France has inspired an architectural tradition celebrated for its charm and understated elegance. French Country architecture traces its origins to the rural manor homes and châteaux that graced the French provinces during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. As regional customs evolved, each province cultivated its own distinctive interpretation of domestic architecture, reflecting the varied landscapes that defined the French countryside. Among the most celebrated regions was the Loire Valley, often known as the "Garden of France," where elegant country estates and magnificent châteaux exemplified the refinement.
During the nineteenth century, growing international admiration for French art and architecture introduced these picturesque traditions to new audiences beyond France. The style gained particular popularity in the United States following the First World War, as returning travelers embraced the timeless character of the French countryside. Influential architects adapted these historic provincial forms to American homes, blending Old World inspiration with modern living while preserving the qualities that made the style so admired.
