French Country Kitchen IdeasA kitchen should look like it has always been there.

Wallpaper, painted cabinets, unlacquered brass and old wood. Send a photo of your kitchen and I’ll send it back designed, with every piece named and sourced.

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French country kitchen with ochre and green tree-of-life wallpaper, cream cabinets with brass hardware, a farmhouse sink, marble counters, an oak island, a black range and copper pans — Tree-of-life wallpaper, cream cabinets, an oak island and copper on a brass rail.

Wallpaper the kitchen

Almost nobody wallpapers a kitchen, which is exactly why it works. Any wall without cabinets — around the window, behind open shelves, above a banquette — can take a tree-of-life, a trellis or a small floral. It’s what makes a kitchen look collected rather than fitted.

Paint the cabinets a soft color

Cream, a soft blue-gray or sage, never stark white. Add unlacquered brass knobs and cup pulls that will darken with use.

Make the island look like furniture

Oak or a painted finish, with a marble top and rush or upholstered stools. It should look like an old table someone moved into the room.

Warm French country galley kitchen with oak and cream cabinets, a green range, open shelves, copper pans, a breakfast nook and a vintage rug — Oak and cream, a green range, a breakfast nook and a vintage rug on the floor.

Stone, sink and faucet

Marble with some warmth in it, a fireclay farmhouse sink and a brass bridge faucet. These are the three things you touch every day, so spend here.

Light it warm

A glass lantern or a pleated pendant over the island, sconces by the window and a lamp on the counter. Never rely on recessed lights alone.

English and French country kitchen with blue-gray cabinets, blue and white tile, a cream range hood, brass lanterns, an oak island and rush chairs — Blue-gray cabinets, blue and white tile, brass lanterns and an oak island.

What makes it French

Copper pans on a brass rail, blue and white china, a linen Roman shade, an old painting, wide floorboards and a range trimmed in brass. And something alive: herbs, lemons or a jug of flowers.

Your kitchen, designed

Send a photo of your kitchen. I’ll send it back designed — wallpaper, paint, cabinet color, hardware, stone, lighting and furniture, every piece named and sourced. Starting at $750, within a week.

Questions

Can you design my kitchen from a photo?

Yes. Send photos and rough dimensions, and I’ll send your kitchen back designed: wallpaper, paint and cabinet color, hardware, stone, lighting and furniture, every piece named and sourced. Starting at $750, within a week.

What colors are used in a French country kitchen?

Cream, soft blue-gray, sage and ochre, with natural oak, marble, copper and unlacquered brass. Blue and white china and a warm wallpaper bring it together.

Can you wallpaper a kitchen?

Yes. Use it on walls without cabinets, around the window, behind open shelves or above a banquette. It is the fastest way to make a kitchen look collected.

How do you make a kitchen French country without remodeling?

Paint the cabinets a soft color, change the hardware to unlacquered brass, wallpaper a free wall, swap the lighting for a lantern and sconces, and add a rug, copper and blue and white china.