How To Choose The Right Style Of French Furniture

There is no doubt at all that introducing items ofsimply isn't appropriate because unless your room is
French furniture into the home can generate afairly sizeable, large baroque furniture will simply
fantastic, beautiful and very evocative look. Frenchoverpower anything else in the room, quite apart
furniture has a style that is unmistakable, and canfrom taking up space. In a large room, baroque
really transform a room fairly easily. A bedroom, forfurniture can look stunning, but you need the space
example, can be entirely transformed by introducingfor it to work.
a French style bed, perhaps with a chaise longue atWhen it comes to French furniture most people tend
the foot, an armoire in the corner, a large ornateto think of the Rococo period which flourished during
French mirror on the wall reflecting light from theLouis XV's reign. This style was full of decadence,
window, crisp white linen and gently wafting cottonfancy artwork, frivolous decoration and asymmetrical
curtains at the open window, all adding up to acreativity. Ornate gilt edged mirrors with floral
fantastic look that's a world away from a suburbanengravings and carvings spilling out all around,
high street look.armoires with cherubs and flowers carved in carefree
But before you head out to buy any French styleabandon and even the table legs were designed
furniture it's worth remembering that there is no suchwithout a single straight edge to be seen.
thing as a single style. French style furniture is not aChaise longue were decorated in exquisite material,
style in itself, but a category of styles, and if youdecorated with an abundant collection of intricately
start mixing them together without reallyembroidered cushions and with every delicate piece
understanding the differences in style, then you couldof wood carved, engraved, decorated and painted in
find your classic French look becoming ratherstunning detail.
awkward and inelegant.This certainly makes for a great look, and can be
It's easy to imagine in your mind what Frenchachieved today by buying the right style of French
furniture looks like, and perhaps already you have anfurniture. But remember that after the Rococo period
idea in your mind of what such a bedroom wouldFrench furniture entered the Neo-Classical style,
look like. But there is as much difference betweenharking back to Greek and Roman architectural
Baroque and Rococo as there is between Rococostyles, with a more formal, linear and symmetrical
and neo-Classicism. Then again, all of these styles areapproach. Trying to combine Rococo with
worlds away from the extraordinarily inventive andNeo-classical would be a disaster, and certainly one to
eclectic look of contemporary French furniture.avoid.
You simply can't mix the styles or periods togetherToday there are many contemporary styles in French
and hope they'll work together nicely. They won't. It'sfurniture, and modern designs and styles include nods
also worth remembering that there was a Frenchtowards a variety of previous styles, all with a
Revolution between Rococo and Neo-Classicism, andmodern twist. Bold colours, the use of striking,
the change in style of furniture and decor wassometimes linear patterns on fabric and the use of
directly influenced by the Revolution and the rise ofblack and white contrasting together all result in a
Napoleon.style which is both eclectic, and all its own. When
The Baroque style of Louis XIV was all aboutchoosing French furniture try to stick to a single style
strength and power, with bold architecture andor period, rather than mixing, or you could find your
furniture that was strong, powerful, chunky and aFrench furniture feels awkward and 'à sa place'.
dominant feature within a room. For many people this