20 French Country Houses with European Elegance
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Simultaneously rustic and refined, the classic architectural elements of a French country house can be seen in the exterior of a quaint farmhouse to a grand chateau. We may not be able to replicate one in our neighborhood but we can mirror some aspects of what makes the outside of a French country house so charming. Take notes and get inspired by the homes below.
French Country Exterior Materials
French country homes often boast exteriors of stone, brick, limestone, or stucco. These durable materials offer a sophisticated, timeless appearance. Windows typically have multiple panes and may have decorative iron balconies that add charm and elegance. These elements are key to the quintessential French country aesthetic.
French Country Home Roof Styles
French country homes stand out with distinctive roof styles, particularly the hip roof. This design features four sloping sides that converge at a ridge on top, giving it a balanced and elegant appearance. The roof often plays a significant role in defining the home’s overall aesthetic and is essential to the French country style.
Modern French Country Homes
Modern French country homes blend traditional European architectural elements with contemporary touches. For instance, a multi-level house might use stone and stucco for its façade, accompanied by a sloped roof and ornate details that are true to the style. Incorporating black trim, windows, and doors adds a modern contrast, creating a crisp and sophisticated appearance.
New French Country House
Utilizing aged materials and antique-inspired details, this new French country home exudes a timeless old-world style. The stucco siding has a weathered finish, and white-painted shutters complement the quaint, multi-paned windows. Copper lanterns and fittings add the finishing touch, reminiscent of a classic French manor.
French Country Symmetrical Exterior Details
Subtle details hint at the French country influences in this home’s design, such as the symmetry between the windows and the balanced proportions. Stately white porch columns add prominence below a hip roof broken up by three dormers. French doors across the front are painted soft blue-gray, set off beautifully by the antique brick porch floor.
French Mediterranean-Style Homes
French-inspired homes share many notable characteristics with Mediterranean-style houses. Elaborate stonework, stucco siding, and intricately carved doors are standard for the two aesthetics. An ornate iron balcony draws extra attention to the front entrance of this French country house.
French-American Country Home
With a mix of stone and stucco, this rambling chateau references the French country homes that inspired it. The steep mansard roofline and charming shutters are rooted in European style. But an inviting porch nods to classic American ranch homes, creating a unique marriage of architectural influences.
French Country Manor House
Although built in the 21st century, this home looks as authentic as the 18th-century European manor house it was modeled after. Built in the courtyard vernacular, the home, like many others in the French countryside, contains a large square gravel forecourt. Its warm, honey-hued limestone ranges from white to caramel in color; a mixture of smooth and rough-cut pieces was used to create a traditional look. Rustic details, such as a simple portico and wrought-iron flourishes, add old-world panache.
Country French Outdoor Living Spaces
A tonnelle, or pergola, attached to the side of a stone façade provides the perfect venue for casual alfresco dining and relaxing protected from the sun. Made of black hammered iron and topped with a bamboo roof, this pergola exudes French country style thanks to its pairing with French doors framed by shutters in a blue-gray shade. Climbing vines trained onto arched iron support poles further soften the view. A pea-gravel patio lends authentic sounds of the South of France underfoot.
French Country-Style Home Entrance
This Southern California home showcases French Country style, starting with a circa 1670 stone front door surround. The grounds are overflowing with espaliered apple trees, olive groves, and drifts of lavender. The exterior’s low and rambling roofline is capped with 100-year-old red clay tiles. The gate and finials are 18th-century French antiques, but the French limestone pillars are new.
French Country Cottage Home
The roof of this house is built with 100-year-old slate and designed without gutters, soffits, or moldings for a more historically accurate cottage appearance. Leaded-glass windows with beveled, diagonal panes to the left of the front door flood the interior entry with light. The quintessentially French rounded front door features a custom-designed and hand-cast bronze doorknob. Cement-color stucco walls and hand-carved wood shutters complete the look.
French Country Home Exterior
The exterior of this French country home was fashioned from plaster mixed with pale sienna pigment, while the roof tiles were made by hand and shaped over the craftsman’s thigh. The tiles were placed in the same angular way they are in France. They were left unglazed to allow moss to grow, another detail that adds to the overall pastoral look. The main house, guest cottage, and garage are all clustered around a courtyard and garden.
Colorful French Country House
A muted terra-cotta or burnt-peach shade, this home’s exterior color changes with the sun and the rain, much as a Provençal sunset would. The color was chosen to give the petite French country chateau a gentle patina that disguises its newness. Traditional French architectural hallmarks, such as a stucco exterior, tall arched windows, and a Juliet balcony, further the historic illusion.
French Country-Style Backyard
Located in California, this home could easily be mistaken for one in the French countryside. Like a typical French country home, it exudes village warmth while maintaining its city sophistication. Surrounded by plants and edged in rocks, the swimming pool looks like a free-form pond. A stately cypress tree introduces quintessential European charm.
French Country Exterior Design
The goal of capturing maximum light guided the design of this French country home inside and out. On the front of the house, tall, shuttered windows with 20 and 24 panes recall French doors. A majestic pecan tree and leafy pergola filter the light and soften high-summer harshness.
French Country Home Landscaping
A forecourt of large-pebble chert and a zigzag of stepping stones lead guests to the charming façade of this country French-style house. Lush vines climb up the stucco walls, and window boxes upstairs brim with geraniums and petunias. The red brick accents pleasantly contrast with the home’s honey-drenched walls and mossy-colored shutters, imbuing the exterior with an old-world ambience.
Country French-Style Front Porch
This remodeled 1920s Colonial received a country French makeover. A barrel roof now crowns the home’s new porch, and French blue shutters pop against the pale yellow exterior shade. The mahogany front door is capped with a Napoleon hat detail.
Timeless Country French Home
Fitted with iron railings, this home’s shutter-flanked windows pay homage to the charming balconies in many French apartment buildings. The late-1800s bluestone door surround was treated with a slush-and-brush technique to mimic repaired stone. Round windows from a French chateau help instill the distinguished character of a century-old villa in the new home.
Federal French-Style Home
Built in Federal style in the 19th century, this early American home was heavily influenced by French architecture. The home boasts French blue shutters, tall windows capped with window lintels, and cozy dormers on its uppermost level. The mansard roof, which features four double-sloped sides, is characteristic of French country homes.
Stone French Country-Style Home
Stone is cleverly used as an accent to add distinction to this French country home’s interesting architectural features. A large chimney, turret, front patio, and foundation are all impressive, thanks to a medley of warm stonework. Romantic arched windows, French doors, and shutters carry out the home’s French-inspired theme, lending this home a patina well beyond its actual years.
Interiors of a French Country House
French country design doesn’t stop at the front door. The French country-style interiors are as charming and delightful as the exteriors. In the kitchens, you’ll find herringbone patterned floors, painted cabinets, and worn worktables that bring to mind a well-used family space. Throughout French country homes are much-loved antiques, natural fabrics, and usually at least a few touches of toile du jouy. Comfort and elegance are the recurring themes in these interiors.
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