Prepare yourselves for exclamations of OH, THAT’S DARLING and HELLOOOOOO, LOVELY! This French Farmhouse Design Inspiration contains all of the ingredients of a winning timeless and tranquil fantasy, and you’ll even find the exact sources for many of the ingredients. Today’s post revisits the tour of a charming farmhouse in France which may just rock your world!

Photos courtesy of Vivi et Margot
French Farmhouse Design Inspiration & House Tour!
Last week, it was my pleasure to connect with a kindred spirit who dared to take her passion for all things French farmhouse to the next level. I know you will delight in both the decor and lifestyle inspiration you’ll find here as you tour the beyond charming French farmhouse of new-friend-to-Hello Lovely, Charlotte Reiss.
These never before published photos are exclusively for us, and I’m so grateful to her!

There’s much more than a tour in store for you, friends.
You will also discover an interview and a most lovely, timeless, and tranquil French farmhouse shopping source: Vivi et Margot (great sales happening right now!)


Vivi et Margot
Meet the Lovely Founder of Vivi et Margot

Charlotte Reiss grew up in Marlborough, Wilshire in England before her career led her to London, NYC, LA (where she ran a successful modeling agency) and now Charleston, SC. She recently built a home in Charleston where she resides with her daughters and husband Sky Reiss.
Sky is in the construction business, and a few years back, he and Charlotte felt a surge of inspiration upon viewing an episode of HGTV’s House Hunters International.

Raise your hand if ever you get the itch too from watching the show!
Romantic French Country Inspiration

The dream of buying their own farmhouse in France to make sweet-as-macarons memories with family not only became a reality near Bordeaux, but thanks to Instagram, it very naturally led to a new venture for Charlotte: VIVI ET MARGOT, an online shop for French farmhouse finds!

Hello, Lovely Vivi et Margot
Vivi et Margot is named for the couple’s two daughters and offers a full collection of French wares for home, linens, vintage treasures, and extremely popular French market baskets.
The success of the shop has continued to bloom, and you can find them at brick and mortar pop up stores from coast to coast.

Interview with Charlotte of Vivi et Margot
You are livin’ the Hello Lovely dream, Charlotte!
“The home is such a passion project for me. We bought it 7 years ago and have never looked back.”

It Started With a Reality Show
Can you tell us what inspired you to shop for real estate in France?
“We were watching HGTV’s House Hunters International and both looked at each other and decided we want to do that! So we started our search online.”

Those Hex Tiles!
Those beautiful terracotta tiled floors in your farmhouse! Are they original?
“We field so many questions about them! No, they are 200 year old reclaimed tiles we found in Angers…so much work, but we adore them!”

Check Tea Towel: Vivi et Margot; kitchen cabinet color (Neptune – Limestone). Wall paint color: FARROW & BALL Strong White 2001; antique reclaimed terracotta tile floor; table: Neptune; chairs: Maisons du Monde (France). Find a lovely farmhouse table RIGHT HERE and similar wood chairs RIGHT HERE. For a lovely apron farm sink option GO HERE. Kitchen faucet: Cuissimo. Find similar…RIGHT HERE.
Find a terracotta lookalike porcelain tile at a friendly price point for a similar look RIGHT HERE.
Summers in France
I know Kathryn Ireland’s gorgeous book Summers in France also made an impression on you since like Ireland, you are also British and lived in LA.
“Her beautiful book inspired me greatly! I admired her down to earth approach to the renovation of an old farmhouse in rural France while living in America and raising her children. We’re on a similar journey, and I have come to realize it takes time and much patience to create a home we will love spending summers in for years to come.”
(Find Kathryn Ireland’s book RIGHT HERE.)

Thinking Beyond Provence
Your home is located in Deux-Sèvres. So many of us Americans instantly think of the South of France and Provence as dreamy locations for a vacation home, getaway, or dream home. How did you narrow your search?
“The South was out of the question for us financially and rather than seek a particular region, we looked mainly at houses with ‘good bones.’ We looked all over France for properties within our price range, which was under 100,000€.“

French Farmhouse Kitchen Renovation
Your French farmhouse kitchen is so charming! Did it require a lot of renovation?
“The kitchen was a mess! Linoleum floors and cabinets! Also, the main stairs were initially located within the kitchen. My husband moved the stairs to the living room which opened up the kitchen.”

I love that you are real life renovators like us! I understand your husband is a talented figure in construction and house flipping…was your beautiful kitchen a DIY project?
“We worked with Neptune kitchens (a UK company with branches in France) to create my dream kitchen. Apart from a new range (saving up for one!) it’s complete now.”
*update: look at the new Ilve range and re-painted cabinets (Farrow & Ball Smoke Green)!!!

A Favorite Room in the Farmhouse
It’s so lovely, Charlotte, and I can’t seem to get enough of your lovely photography of the space. Is it your favorite room in the farmhouse?
“It’s one of my favorite rooms but my absolute favorite is our master bedroom. We converted the entire top floor attic to create an open concept bedroom, bathroom and dressing area. There are no walls dividing up the space except for the loo.

The claw foot tub is at the end of the bed, in effect, with a window overlooking the fields. It’s such a roomy open space with high ceilings and exposed beams. It’s my favorite spot for sure!”

Where is Your Farmhouse Located?
Considering that you bought your dreamy getaway sight unseen…are you enjoying the location now that you have spend vacations here?
“Yes! We are two hours from Bordeaux and 80 minutes from Ile de Re, my favorite place to visit.”

Now I want to discover Ile de Re! Where would we stay if we want to explore this Western France gem?
“Hotel Toiras is absolutely my number one recommendation…it is truly spectacular. We fly into Paris and either drive five hours south or take a two and a half hour train ride to Poitiers.”

Sources for Decorating the Farmhouse
Vivi et Margot is stocked with such a charming mix of vintage decor finds from your travels in France and high quality wares for a French farmhouse inspired home. Did you furnish and decorate your home in France with local finds?
“Many items in the home were purchased from France or UK, but I actually incorporated a lot of items from Pottery Barn and Rejuvenation as well as paint from Farrow & Ball.”

How grateful we are to learn the sources of your French farmhouse’s beautiful decor!
Now let’s begin our tour of Charlotte’s summer home in Western France…the tour of the bedrooms, baths, laundry room and living room continues in PART 2 RIGHT HERE since there is so much lovely, and I don’t want you to miss a thing!
Also, don’t miss a helpful Shopping & Resource Guide below (courtesy of Charlotte Reiss) for sources of the furniture, decor, paint colors, and more.

It is so easy to get caught up in the French farmhouse romance, oui?
At this point in the post, find me daydreaming about the perfect baguette, French flea markets, and tooling around town in a sweet bicycle LIKE THIS or even a beachy tricycle in an amazing array of colorways like THIS (I bought a silver one!).
French Farmhouse Tour
French House Tour: Exterior







Country Farmhouse Tour: Outdoor Dining


Tour Charlotte’s Country French Kitchen


Rustic Elegance in Beautifully Renovated Kitchen in France



Charming Check Linens in a French Country Kitchen


Find a terracotta lookalike porcelain tile at a friendly price point for a similar look RIGHT HERE.

Design Inspiration: Interior Paint Colors
Paint colors for interiors throughout the French farmhouse: FARROW & BALL.
Trim, Doors & Beams: FARROW & BALL French Gray
FARROW & BALL French Gray. A soothing green grey. French Gray is really much more green than grey, but characterfully flits between the two depending on the light and time of day. Taking inspiration from French design and wallpapers used in the 19th century, it creates the most relaxed of rooms. This soothing hue is perfect for exterior woodwork and a particular favourite for front doors in matte Exterior Eggshell, or garden furniture where it sits seamlessly amongst the greenery.
Interior walls: FARROW & BALL Strong White 2001
FARROW & BALL Strong White 2001. A grey based white, this cool white is both strong by name and strong by nature. The subtle urban feel of its light grey undertones add a contemporary twist to period homes, while staying in keeping with modern properties. Pair with Skimming Stone, Elephant’s Breath and All White in any combination for an effortlessly cohesive scheme.
Ceilings: FARROW & BALL All White. No. 2005
FARROW & BALL All White. No. 2005. A totally pure white All White is exactly what it says! Unusually, it contains no other pigment except for white, creating the softest most sympathetic colour without the colder blue undertones of a brilliant white. One of our Contemporary Neutrals, All White pairs seamlessly with Skimming Stone and Strong White for a warm scheme with a slight edge. For a clean and almost graphic finish, contrast with fresh, strong tones like Pitch Black and St Giles Blue.
Girls’ Bathroom: FARROW & BALL Middleton Pink No. 245
FARROW & BALL Middleton Pink No. 245. A delicate pink. Our prettiest and most delicate pink was named after the discerning colourist, Catherine Middleton. This light pastel tone is fresh and uncomplicated, especially when contrasted with All White for a gently playful feel. Try pairing our Middleton Pink with Great White for a slightly cleaner urban finish.
Paint color of shutters: TOLLENS Vert Olivier (satin) purchased at Castorama.
This is a traditional French exterior paint color very popular in France. I wrote a post all about this hue and supplied color matches HERE.


I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Shopping & Resource Guide

Exterior
Shutters: Custom-made and new, made locally.
Patio Furniture: Maison du Monde (France). Find similar rattan dining chairs RIGHT HERE.

French Farmhouse Bathrooms (see more of them in Part 2!)
Towels, Soaps, Accessories: Vivi et Margot.
Rug: Rejuvenation
Clawfoot bathtubs and faucets: Hudson Reed. Find more LOVELY TUB OPTIONS RIGHT HERE.

Window Treatments
All Drapery: Pottery Barn Beligan Flax Linen drapes.
French Farmhouse Master Bedroom
Rug: Rejuvenation
Bed & Chandelier: Maisons du Monde
Cremone Bolt on Door: Signature Hardware
Skylight: Velux…Find Here.

The beauty continues in PART TWO of the tour right here.

You will love the French farmhouse shopping nirvana that is Vivi et Margot!
And do visit their instagram RIGHT HERE.

p.s. Don’t miss the exceptionally beautiful TIMELESS EUROPEAN COUNTRY HOUSE TOUR of Chateau Domingue’s founder, Ruth Gay!

I independently selected products in this post—if you buy from one of my links, I may earn a commission.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
Shop for items you already intended to buy on Amazon RIGHT HERE, and also find home decor here to keep decor inspiration flowing on Hello Lovely!
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Oh my – 1 of each please! Maybe even 2 of some . VivietMargot !!!!
Michele you have a gift for finding the most lovely. Thank you.
Author
Thank you, Marilyn. This lovely finds its way to us, and I love sharing it with you. Vivi et Margot is something extra special! 🙂
What a dream come true! It’s a sin to be jealous but jealous I am. Love her decorating choices and the fact that her husband can build anything she can dream up. Can’t wait for the next post.
Author
They did such an amazing job, and I am ready to retire and get my own handy husband building! Can’t wait to share more! xox
Ohhhh myyyy goooodnessss! This is a house with so much inspiration! I am bookmarking the link for future reference as well as a when I need a ‘virtual tour’ of the French country side.
So beautiful!
Author
It is a fairy tale wrapped in a French country’s girls dream, oui oui! I knew you guys would die over it! 🙂
I am dreaming of going to France for a few days!! It is yet some 5 years ago we went to the French Provence, and by seeing this gorgeous post of you, I would love to pack right away!!!
Enjoy the weekend my friend! xoxo Greet
Author
Isn’t it charming and romantic!?! Can’t wait to hear about it – wish I was going too! 🙂 Peace to you, Greet.
I’m blown away! This is so perfect!!!! I watch House Hunters International all the time and think, wouldn’t it be great to do that? They’ve done such a beautiful job.
Author
So fun to hear the story of the inspiration and makes me think we could do the same thing! 🙂
This is absolutely stunning house! I adore that kitchen and thank you so much for the resources. Can they provide what type of wood and stain they used for their countertop? Everything I have seen locally is an awful yellow tone. This has such a rich natural look and a slight grayish tone. I bought a tiny house and this is perfect. Thank you!
Author
The owner is Charlotte who has the online shop Vivi et Margot – you could message her on instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/vivietmargot/?hl=en or you could contact Neptune Kitchens who did the kitchen design (cabinetry) and may have done the counters too. For the look you may be after, perhaps consider mixing a grey stain with a natural stain. Many folks don’t realize stains come in a whole range of colors. We stained a pine deck a light driftwood and it appeared aged, weathered, and natural. Hope this helps.