French country decor is very liveable. It's more comfortable than your average plasticky pieces offered by the modern furniture makers. Because French furniture is eclectic, it looks and feel elegant in almost any company, in your bedroom or loungeroom. Add an original armoire, hung French-styled chandelier, and your living spcae feels not only upmarket; it feels comfortable and inviting.

One of the most important elements in any French Country home is its kitchen and dining area furniture. A large rectangular or round wooden table that seats the whole family is a must. Wooden chairs are perfectthere's nothing fussy or formal about French Country furniture; it's all part of its charm. A simple iron baker's rack or wood sideboard completes the look and gives you plenty of storage and display space for tableware, decorative accessories, and, of course, bottles of good French wine.

French Country walls are usually covered in wallpaper, particularly toiles. Traditional toile wallpapers feature repeating patterns in a single color, usually blue, red, green, or black, on an off-white background. The fleur-de-lis, a stylized iris flower often used to represent royalty, is especially popular. It's essential to keep your French furniture simple and unassuming if you choose to hang patterned wallpaper. If you prefer to paint your walls, use nature as your palette. A bright, sunny yellow or Mediterranean blue will bring the outdoors in, complement rustic furniture, and keep your home feeling warm and cheerful all year long.

To decorate the windows in your French Country home, stay away from dark, heavy drapes that block out the light. Opt instead for cotton or linen sheers or simple lace curtains hanging from a wrought iron rod with a graceful finial. Letting natural sunlight filter in through your windows makes your furniture look warm and inviting. In your kitchen, leave the windows bare, if you can, or compromise by hanging short café curtains that block any unwanted views but still allow light in. If you've chosen painted walls over wallpaper, you could use toile for your café curtains, to keep that vintage French Country feel.

Try to fit hardwood floors in your French country home. If your wall-to-wall carpeting is covering up wood flooring, rip out the carpet, no matter what condition the wood is in. Sanding and refinishing can be a lot of hard work, but the results are definitely worth it. If it's simply not possible to do away with the carpeting, or if you have vinyl flooring, choose faded Oriental-style area rugs or textured cotton throw rugs to disguise the flooring without detracting from the natural beauty of your French Country furniture.

Don't forget the outside of your home when you're creating your French Country getaway. Feel free to explore your creativity when arranging plants around your home; use topiary trees and hanging baskets as the most "French" in their character. If you have a sunny garden bed, stock it with aromatic French lavender. Also, get rustic patio furniturea bent willow armchair, an old wooden rocker with a distressed finish, and some tile-topped patio tables. This will help you create a unique living area, that you can also use for entertainig.