With our social media feeds saturated with high end fantasy level interior design inspo, plenty of looks seem beyond realistic. Are they truly out of reach or do we simply need to expand our imaginations? So many are in the stratosphere when it comes to budgets for rare imported antiques and reclaimed materials from Europe. But online marketplaces for vintage and unique furnishings along with online access to tutorials and decorative resources help. We’ll explore actionable ways to bring European inspired modern country style home.
European Inspired Modern Country Decorating
We have followed a few favorites (Pamela Pierce, Steve and Brooke Giannetti, and others) for more than a decade! In fact, we have kept tabs on the Giannettis’ whereabouts even before the dawn of Patina Farm. Now that there new Patina Meadow adventure is well underway, we’ll peek at various interpretations of European inspired modern country style.
Copying rooms is never the goal; rather, capturing the aesthetic that makes our hearts sing is always what we’re after.
Capturing European Country Aesthetic
For me, those country houses in France, Belgium, Italy, and European countries possess alluring appeal because of their livability and lack of fuss. European inspired modern country style decorating often is distinguished by how it prizes usefulness, age, rusticity, and patina. But can we emulate an authentic look outside of Europe? I think the first step is to acknowledge we can’t do it perfectly. Once we let go of that standard, we are suddenly freer to embrace the underpinnings of this approach to design. We can set a more realistic goal: to create a unique look honoring the same spirit.
I delve into more defining details in THIS if you have the time. Design ingredients often include: antique urns, earthenware, pottery, well made objects withstanding the test of time, architectural salvage, vintage oil paintings, copper pots, quality-made linens, pale paint colors, natural stone, paneling and moldings, timeless furniture, rare objects, and authenticity over mediocrity.
Inspiration from Designers Embracing Timeless European Country
Pamela Pierce’s inimitable MILIEU consistently delivers fresh authentic timeless designs across the seasons. Charlotte Reiss of Vivi et Margot offers French homewares, Tracie of My Petite Maison offers vintage and antiques on Etsy, Chateau Domingue imports fine architectural wares from Europe, and Patina Home dresses our homes and wardrobes!
This eclectic range of resources for your interior designs includes books, magazines, and shops to more easily learn and shop the look.
There was a time we had no choice but to travel to Europe (or spend years hunting) for the perfect pieces…yet now we have unprecedented access!
Let’s get a sense of each of these tastemakers as we study instructive design moments reflecting European inspired modern country elements.
1. Pamela Pierce
Here’s a unique bedroom where we instantly sense refinement:
The quiet color story remains subdued and serene, keeping the mood light and tranquil. There’s an understated contemplative point of view in this kitchen area as well:
A cozier ceiling height, reclaimed stone on the floor, rustic wood beams, and Old World style mixes with a modern stainless work console!
Antiques, vintage objects, and collected treasures become art pieces to use and enjoy everyday.
2. Velvet and Linen
Brooke and Steve Giannetti blend the charms of European modern country living with organic California-infused wholesomeness. In the best ways, it feels both natural AND fresh.
Here’s a short video I created especially for you about a favorite design book!
This design team’s interpretation of European country style incorporates a mix of Swedish antique furniture, tapestries, gilded accents, white oak, minimal ornamentation for architecture, sumptuous velvets and linens, and a pared down aesthetic.
European inspired modern country entails a profound connection to nature, and this design team shows us how beneficial such a connection is to daily life and happiness.
And we have to mention patina because they sort of wrote the book…a few times.
If you gaze at Brooke Giannetti’s former sun-filled hall at Patina Farm, perhaps you’ll consider adding some life to your own pass through:
Patina Farm’s French Farmhouse Nods
There’s something honorable and alluring about collecting everyday objects that are useful and beautiful. They enhance the look while they bring usefulness to daily life.
As you think mindfully about your own daily rhythms, what objects do you reach for? Are there opportunities to upgrade objects to magnify beauty right where you are as you work?
Rustic European Antiques For Daily Use
When it comes to decorating or designing baths, it is often with a purely utilitarian mindset. Could European country antiques (or European inspired examples) be repurposed as a vanity?
Have an opportunity to soften a base cabinet with a natural fabric or linen as opposed to standard cabinet doors?
In a dressing room at Patina Farm, linen panels were paired with beautiful unlacquered brass rings and rods for closet storage.
See what I mean about elevating the everyday with beautiful design? We all have spaces where unattractive doors are clunky, noisy, bothersome, and awkward. Subtraction (along with thinking outside of the box) can be a good thing.
Rustically Elegant Interiors: Patina Farm Primary Suite
When I interviewed Brooke and Steve years ago, I recall Steve alluding to their bedside tables at Patina Farm.
Since they are shop owners, their pieces at home change from time to time. But at the time, the mismatched tables in the couple’s bedroom were relatively inexpensive ($100-150) finds and not budget breaking rare antiques.
European country style often follows a more relaxed approach to decor. Nightstands need not match. Rustic, inexpensive yard sale finds feel at home alongside family heirlooms.
Can you also sense restraint in such a decorating genre?
European homes are smaller than American counterparts. Objects displayed must be multifunctional.
This was a house that only felt established and centuries old…notice the oval transom above the bathroom doorway and the curve of the ceiling!
By now, I bet you are sensing how romantic shapes, flow, and pale colors work together to create an air of sophisticated simplicity.
The interiors are not simply suggestive of the outdoors, nature is welcomed to the very threshold.
Effortless European Farmhouse References in a Dining Area
In other Giannetti projects, plenty of design take aways are ripe for the picking.
A coastal look works harmoniously with European modern country rustic elegance!
European Cottage Coastal Bath
Once again, restraint becomes a powerful guiding principle in the success of interpreting modern country European inspired style.
The designers skipped typical wall to wall tile in this bath, opting for waterproof pool plaster material.
Inspo from an Elegant European Inspired Bath
Elegant European style chandeliers and sconces, natural pale stone, Swedish painted antiques, and warm wood flooring reinforce an Old World feel that works seamlessly for modern living.
Old World Style Breakfast Nook
Sometimes we overlook that styled photo shoots of neutral, understated European country homes reflect but one moment in time. Daily life often ushers in color!
Just so many ample opportunities for seasonal color if your soul needs it!
3. Chateau Domingue
Chateau Domingue is sort of a wonderland of curated architectural antiques as well as building materials of European heritage. See how reclaimed materials can be weaved into amazing interior design projects:
While we cannot easily recreate rooms this set apart, cues from color and mood set us up for success…
And when shopping for pieces to bring a modern French (or Tuscan or English country) look to your home, keep your eyes peeled for similar examples with patina, weathered charm, and similar silhouettes.
Authenticity, Elegance, and Ancient European Influences
Ruth Gay’s kitchen including the sink are is a showstopper. It’s not surprising that it influenced my own choices here at the Georgian where we renovated the kitchen ourselves.
And if you’re curious about the practicality of such a choice, I have lived with it for months now and am sold. Cabinet doors (even quiet ones) have a clunky character to them while billowy linen is gentle and fluid.
French Elegance in the Garden
If you’re a gardener, you’ll appreciate this moment of bliss:
Aged to Perfection Finishes, Reclaimed Beauty & Timelessness
A fantasy dream home (remember, this is a new build, not an ancient chateau!) may be out of reach, but it won’t keep us from curating ideas.
Tone on tone, distressed finishes, marble and stone, and gentle curves work magically together.
A stone sink may not be the most realistic feature to add, but a terracotta pot near the sink? A potted olive tree? Overgrouted backsplashes?
Fine Antiques from Europe
Beautiful vintage art prints are everywhere now with a quick online search.
If you have been to the flea market, you have likely seen rustic shutters which can add wonderful texture even if they are purely decorative.
There are also a slew of chalk paint and antiquing products when you’re in the mood for a project to transform a hohum door into something va va voom:
Is it truly out of reach? Gaze at your spaces and finds with a fresh eye. Consider how you might introduce rich texture and learn something new.
4. My Petite Maison
Her charming Swedish immigrant cottage with its pale interiors is inspiration enough, yet My Petite Maison also sometimes offers unique wares in an Etsy shop.
It’s helpful to see her style in a real home the very objects she offers for purchase. It’s an ethereal and effortless French Nordic look I find utterly charming.
Pale & Serene Rooms With French Nordic Influence
An all white palette can be a superb backdrop to unite design elements.
However, it’s not about choosing a singular shade of white paint and covering every surface. Mix the whites. Add varying textures that invite you to touch. Vary the line and shape of furniture. Train your eye by studying images online and in books.
Chippy paint can be another clever way to introduce texture and age.
Tracie has a love for beautiful garden roses – showcasing them in various vessels and elevating their status in the cloud-like sanctuary.
White painted wood floors may come with their share of maintenance, but plenty of us long to be slaves to them!
Notice how salvaged shutters are used casually for privacy above!
Corral treasures in a tray and watch them instantly become more important!
And don’t forget to create wee moments of joy.
5. Vivi et Margot
We have choices, and it’s a good thing. Because we can feast on the deliciousness she created in her family’s French farmhouse near Bordeaux, shop for Frenchwares in her online store (the MOST charming market baskets), or stalk her IG feed to see her new Provence home unfold.
What a bonus that Charlotte shares paint colors and particular sources for her finds!
Vintage & New French Kitchenware
Now that the designer lives in France full-time, we see more vintage items stocked in at Vivi et Margot.
Timeless & Tranquil French Farmhouse Bedroom
And as her new house is renovated and decorated in Provence, just imagine the journey ahead!
Meet Charlotte Reiss of Vivi et Margot
Visit this post where I interview the multitalented aesthete and entrepreneur.
For more beautiful French inspired beautiful inspiration for interiors, also see THIS and THIS.
Peace to you right where you are.
-michele
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