A Reader’s Timeless French Kitchen Design Inspired by HELLO LOVELY!

I was thrilled to hear from a wonderful reader this week who was happy to find inspiration here to create a kitchen for his newly built home. It’s a beautiful timeless French kitchen design filled with traditional style, French inspired design elements, appetizing red accents, and tasteful sophistication. He was also kind enough to share helpful resources and details about how the kitchen design progressed from inspiration to a lovely new space. (There are some secret surprises in this calm kitchen.) In this spirit of generosity, the inspiration simply keeps flowing!

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

A Reader’s Timeless French Kitchen Design!

A New Country French Kitchen With Old World Style

It’s such a gorgeous, tasteful kitchen that it’s hard to pick a favorite detail. All those glass cabinet doors and the magnificent mullion glow happening from inside. Open shelving finished with beaded board and decorative corbels below the cabinets.

The abundant natural light from multiple windows bringing nature inside. A huge island with black finish topped with Taj Mahal quartzite. The whole space feels like a dream for cooking! Let’s deconstruct and chat with the homeowner.

Creamy Paint Color Ideas for a French Kitchen

I love that this creamy warm white was chosen for walls to turn up a warm glow and softly contrast with white cabinetry. The paint color is a former Duron/Sherwin Williams retired color called Millet:

Millet reminds me of sunny stone and a tone you see on structures in the South of France. In this kitchen, you can see how it provides depth and enhances the beautiful cabinetry. Beautiful details on white cabinetry often get lost when walls are the same white.

BM Barbados Sand

Working with yellows is never the easiest! For a similar paint color (though with less yellow undertones), consider Benjamin Moore 1094 Barbados Sand…

Benjamin Moore calls the above color it “A light shade of beige with a hint of yellow, this quiet hue evokes a deserted beach on a sunny morning.” You can probably perceive the tan undertones in Barbados Sand. With a light reflectance value (LRV) of 70.18, it’s going to reflect plenty of light and gently contrast with white.

Benjamin Moore Gentle Cream OC-96

Another BM color close to the retired Millet paint color is Gentle Cream OC-96:

This pretty neutral is described as “A pleasing bisque hue that adds just the right amount of warmth and depth to a space.” It’s so important to have multiple contenders to sample so I hope you will try all of these to arrive at the best tone for your project! A bit lighter than Barbados Cream, Gentle Cream’s LRV is 71.32. (It will reflect 71.32% of light and is on the lighter end of the spectrum.)

Sherwin-Williams Navajo White 6126

One more contender, this one from Sherwin-Williams, is quite a popular warm white:

Sherwin-Williams says “This bright, warm white is as big as the American Southwest. Its clean yellow undertone brings subtle but powerful energy to any space.”

How to Use Hello Lovely Inspiration for a Timeless Kitchen Design?

Did this blog actually launch your kitchen’s design?

“Yes. I landed on a French country feel and came across this post from Hello Lovely and that was exactly the direction I wanted to head.”

What a joy to hear that my pal Tina’s French country kitchen (The Enchanted Home) spotlighted on Hello Lovely helped to create this stunning project. You may recall Tina’s timeless kitchen design combined white cabinetry with a large black island, apron front farm sink, a professional range, and rustic wood ceiling details.

How did you use Hello Lovely inspiration images to arrive at a pleasing design?

“Working with my kitchen designer, I brought her the photos and she nailed the design the first time out. We didn’t make any changes to the original design.”

Look at those beautiful open shelves with so much space for decor, books, and serveware! And the large island! I asked about the exact dimensions of it, knowing readers would be curious. It is 9.5′ by 6.5′.

Kitchen Design Process

Were there surprises along the way in your kitchen’s creation?

“Once we designed the kitchen, we found a ton of space that we utilized to create a hidden pantry. You walk through cabinet doors to access it. That was the most wonderful surprise!”

Truly Custom Design Elements

So special! What a dreamy secret space! Were there any other discoveries?

“Another surprise came when I was hunting for a specific toile type of fabric. We wanted something vintage in feel, Old World, as if it has been around for a while. My other half created an image with AI requesting it to create a seamless pattern of vintage red, green, and tan, with chickens.”

“Low and behold, it did. Joanne Fabrics printed it out on cotton muslin, and the drapes will arrive next week for installation. We’re doing London shades just like in the French country [The Enchanted Home] inspiration kitchen.”

Here it was before the London shades:

And after:

Oh my goodness! An artificial Intelligence generated French toile pattern that no one else on the planet will have in their home! Now that is truly bespoke kitchen design! These toile London shade window treatments elevate an already lovely kitchen. (London balloon shades boast the simplicity of a casual Roman shade as well as the fullness of a balloon shade.)

Challenges in Designing a Kitchen

Were there any obstacles to the kitchen design?

“The biggest hurdle was determining how I wanted the final kitchen to look and feel. I really did hunt down a host of photos and kitchen pictures to see what I was most attracted to.”

It’s so gratifying to know that by providing inspiration photos, homeowners are better equipped to start conversations with their designers, articulating their wishes and aesthetic. Hello Lovely’s archives are an excellent place to start! To think there was a time we were all tearing inspiration from shelter magazines. We now have a plethora of kitchen photos right on our smartphones!

Are Kitchens the New Living Room?

How much time do you spend in here and how do you feel about the finished product?

“I spend about half my day in the kitchen now. We have seating at the island and a cozy wing chair in a corner to read through recipes or mail.”

“With my cooking, baking, and plants, I am always (as my grandmother says) ‘just piddling around keeping busy.'”

Hello Lovely as a Helpful Research Tool

Would you recommend using this site to guide the design process?

“All of my inspiration came from the French country kitchen post on Hello Lovely. So the lesson learned is doing my research before talking with the designer or discussing layout or design. The rest fell into place with ease.”

Shopping Resources for This Timeless Kitchen

Cabinets: Hartford Collection; Koch & Company. Backsplash at Range: Calacatta Gold Lantern Mosaic. Other Backsplash: Roca, Similar wavy white subway tile HERE. Flooring: Engineered Birch wide plank, similar HERE. Counters: Taj Mahal Quartzite. Lighting: Brass Light Gallery, similar Pendant: HERE. Farm Sink: Kohler; Bar Sink: Kohler 19″ Undermount Sink.

Kitchen Bridge Faucet: Delta (Broderick) – options HERE; Beverage Faucet: Delta. Cabinet Hardware: Top Knobs Reeded. Gas Range: 48″ Blue Star (all gas with French door ovens, in black brown, with aged brass accents). Counter Stools: Braxton Culler Chippendale. Dishwasher and Refrigerator columns: Fisher & Paykel.

What a beautiful project from a wonderfully kind reader with excellent taste, willing to graciously share details for those of us hungry for them!

Here’s that POST THAT STARTED IT ALL. Have a room in your house inspired by beauty seen here? We would love to spotlight it!

Peace to you right where you are.

-michele

Thanks for shopping RIGHT HERE to keep decor inspiration flowing on Hello Lovely!

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