Achieving that French girl style – a certain je ne sais quoi… 

There is a very good reason that ‘French girl style’ is endlessly debated, celebrated, and re-created. It’s an aesthetic that endures the ferocious fashion trend cycle and keeps us non-French wishing we could pull it off with such seeming ease. And it’s not just their chic fashion – French homes are a dream too, from the charm of rural farmhouses to the stateliness of chateaux, or my particular fascination (maybe obsession) the iconic Parisian Haussmann apartments. There is something about those ornate, high ceilings and doors, classic oak floors, iron balconies and artfully arranged furniture that sets my heart aflutter every time.

These beautiful apartments were my muse when recently styling my bedroom renovation. A beautiful timber floor was the absolute starting point, so I selected the incredibly hard wearing and beautiful ‘Tovere’ from the Amalfi timber range. With its stunning mid-oak tones and wide boards, it completely brought the bedroom to life, and I also really love how it feels underfoot. 

As floorboards are such an important part of classic French apartment style, so too are beautiful rugs. Antique rugs are very popular, but so too are more understated, monochromatic ones. I wanted to keep the look more contemporary and longed for some texture underfoot as I got in an out of bed, so I selected the gorgeous Harvest in Ivory. It is incredibly soft, yet also durable, and it is beautifully bound at the edge.

I love the crisp white paint the French use in their classic apartments. It’s neither too warm nor too cool, and I think the best local match is ‘Popcorn’ by Porter’s Paints. It really brings out the intricate details in the plasterwork on my ceilings and creates an elegant base from which to style up the room.

Whilst our sometimes harsh Australian sunlight is very different to the softer, more diffuse Parisian light, we can recreate it by installing beautiful sheer curtain – which is exactly what I did. The pure white linen look ‘Chalk’ colourway in the Seattle range gives me the perfect balance of privacy and light. The curtains have a dreamy elegance, and I opted to have the hem weighted, so they blow so nicely in a gentle breeze. 

Lighting was my next decision, and it was a pretty easy one. A few years ago, I bought an antique French chandelier and had it rewired to Australian standards. Then recently, a friend who is a former antique dealer gifted me a delicate pair of wall sconces to match. I opted to have them rewired with gold silk cords which dangle gently on either side of my bed, so they now glisten perfectly and give the room an authentic French air.

The French have a very confident and unique way of making older styles of furniture look very contemporary, and a lot of this has to do with incorporating modern artworks, and the occasional slash of bold colour. To achieve this, I bought some very inexpensive French fashion and art prints online and had them printed and framed for a song. I hung them under the wall sconces and popped one on a vintage gilt chair with a thick blue and white striped seat, adding an element of insouciance and quirk to the room, without overpowering the other more traditional elements.