Have you always wanted to live in a charming little cottage that transports you back in time? You should probably try adopting French design elements into the decor of your house to live this dream. Rustic architecture has a way of making a building seem more like a home. Even the most urban house might seem like it’s hidden away in a little French town by infusing rustic French country style house design flair into the design.

French country residences integrate traditional European architecture into the modern day by masterfully fusing the rustic and contemporary decor palette. They might be anything from charming cottages to majestic royal palaces. The common factor is that they all have timeless beauty in them.

We have compiled a list of French country house plans for you to use as inspiration when planning your dream home!

1. French Manor House

French Manor House

In medieval French society, a manor was an estate or spatial unit consisting of a lord’s residence and grounds. The residences are distinguished by arched entryways and symmetrical details. They are typically two floors tall and have steep-hipped roofs.

2. French Country Cottage Home

french country cottage house

French cottage style creates charming, inviting homes by combining rustic charm with modern refinement. You’ll have a sense of being surrounded by the vineyards and settlements of the French countryside while using French country colours, motifs, and ornamental elements. Modern French rural homes with vintage elegance are created using aged materials and exquisite accents.

3. French-Mediterranean House

French-Mediterranean House

Houses in the French-Mediterranean style are a harmonious combination of coastal French Riveria villas and Mediterranean architecture. Both styles share elaborate masonry, stucco cladding, and finely carved doorways. Add an elaborate wrought iron balcony to bring emphasis to the front porch of your French country home for a more sophisticated style.

4. Federal French Style Home

Federal French Style Home

Houses in the Federal style are a combination of austerity and classically elegant embellishments. You get a sense of traditional American charm and history when you live in a French-Federal-style home. These houses usually feature wooden shutters, tall french windows with lintels, and charming dormers on the upper level. Mansard roofs with four double-sloped sides are typical of French country-style houses.

5. Stone French Style Country Home

Stone French Style Country Home

Many French architectural designs, from French-style gardens to French Colonial architecture, emphasize the symmetry. The front is often flat and uses rough stone masonry to emphasize the aesthetic of the house. A mélange of rich masonry makes a towering chimney, gable, front terrace, and substructure stand out.

6. Classic  French Style Country Home

Classic  French Style Country Home

Scale, proportion, and symmetrical design are the cornerstones of French country architecture. In addition, the materiality and architectural aspects play a significant role in evoking the rural French style. For example, this home’s shutter-flanked windows, with iron railings, pay tribute to the beautiful balconies found in many French monumental buildings. 

7. French Country-Style House with Vines

French Country-Style House with Vines

This French country home defines what biophilic dreams are. Stucco walls are covered with lush vines, while window boxes on the second floor are overflowing with daffodils and peonies. The red brick highlights contrast nicely with the caramel walls and mossy-colored shutters, lending an old-world feel to the outside.

8. Terracotta Themed French Country Style House

Terracotta Themed French Country Style House

A subdued terra-cotta or burnt orange on the façade of this house gives it a distinctive rustic flavor. The hue varies with the sunlight and rainfall, lending it a timeless quality. The impression of antique French country architecture is heightened by features like a stucco facade, towering arched windows, and a Roman balcony.

9. French-American Country Home

French-American Country Home

This modern french country house masterfully blends classic American architectural features with traditional french design elements. The towering mansard roofline and beautiful shutters are reminiscent of European architecture. However, a welcoming porch makes a nod to traditional American ranch homes, resulting in an unusual fusion of architectural styles.

10. French Country-Style House with a 4-Sided Sloping Roof

French Country-Style House with a 4-Sided Sloping Roof

The design of the roof of French country-style homes frequently makes them easy to recognize. The sloping roof design is one of the most widespread. This form is often a significant aspect of the exterior’s architecture, with four sloping sides that meet in a ridge at the top. You will find quaint dormers protruding out of these slate-clad roofs.

11. French Country-Style House with Stucco Finish Facade

French Country-Style House with Stucco Finish Facade

The exteriors of many French country-style homes are made of masonry, brickwork, or stucco plaster. They provide a sophisticated look and a feeling of timeless quality because of their strength and durability. The doorway is highlighted by a stone arch in this house layout, which combines stucco and stone. A trimmed gable. wrought iron cantilevered balconies and arched dormers create dimension.

12. Modern French Country House with a Chic Porch

Modern French Country House with a Chic Porch

French country house plans follow a hierarchical spatial arrangement. You enter the house through an inviting semi-public porch area. The home has a new porch with a barrel roof, and the French blue exterior shutters stand out against the stucco. Porches are often lined with a series of columns and railings from which to hang vines or grow plants in flower beds.

13. Modern French Country House

Modern French Country House

French country architecture evokes a sleepy charm with a whimsical stone facade, romantic balconies, and arched multi-pane windows. But you can always create a balance between modern architectural elements and classic French country house plans.

For instance, use streamlined facade details by ditching rough stone masonry with smooth lime plaster. Or you might use modern sliding French windows instead of classic arches. 

14. French Country House Plans with Landscape

French Country House Plans with Landscape

French country house plans are not just about the architectural elements, but also how we design the landscape around it. It is a classic French country house, exuding village charm while retaining metropolitan refinement. You can add a pool that takes on the appearance of a free-form pond surrounded by plants and surrounded by rocks. Also, plant trees like magnificent cypress or oaks for a touch of classic European elegance.

15. Modern French Country House with European Facade Details

Modern French Country House with European Facade Details

This French country-style home’s interior and exterior design are both driven by the need to maximize the intake of natural light. Most modern French country houses feature tall, shuttered windows with multiple panels on the front of the house reminiscent of French doors.

Pergolas covered in dangling vines are another intriguing structure that provides shelter from the sun and reduces the intensity of peak heat.

16. French Country Style House with Outdoor Living Area

French Country Style House with Outdoor Living Area

French country home plans emphasize form and function without being ostentatious, but they nonetheless preserve a rustic appeal that will have you indulging in your French wine and dining in no time.

Casual outdoor dining and lounging under the shade of a tonnelle, or pergola, connected to the side of a stone facade, are key features of modern French villas.

17. Rustic French Country Style Home

Rustic French Country Style Home

French country home plans are all about diversity in textures and material palettes. The roof tiles on this French country home were handcrafted and curled over by the artisan. Plaster that had been colored a light sienna shade served as the exterior’s construction material.

The tiles were laid out in the same angular design as was used in France. To add to the overall country aesthetic, they were left unglazed so that moss may grow on the facade.

18. French Chateau

French Chateau

Traditionally, a chateau is a manor house or dwelling of the lord of the manor, or a beautiful country mansion of nobility or aristocracy, with or without defenses. Your French country home plan will qualify as a chateau if it is surrounded by lavish french gardens and other estates elements like stables and outhouses. These houses almost resemble a castle with their towing turrets and intricate face detailings.

19. Forest Cabin Theme French Country Cottage

Forest Cabin Theme French Country Cottage

These dwellings are akin to the quaint little cottages you’ve undoubtedly read about in fairytales. The traditionally French circular front door, complete with a custom-designed and hand-cast bronze handle, adds to the fairytale atmosphere. Hand-carved wood shutters and rustic stucco walls enhance the aesthetic. A comfortable attic bedroom may be created with steep slate-clad roofs and adorable dormers poking out of the superstructure.

20. French Country-themed Villa

French Country-themed Villa

Today most French country home plans are designed on small plots of land which may be devoid of lavish gardens and landscapes. But how do you bring the country vibe to these modern French country houses? French rural influences may be seen in this home’s design through subtle accents.

You can always add a steep hipped roof and porch lined with slender white columns to lend emphasis. Facade details like french doors and masonry exterior walls invoke the French countryside aesthetic.

Master the Ideals of French Country Architecture to Design Your Dream Home!

French country homes are one of the few architectural designs to exhibit a distinct regional flair. The greatest thing is that you don’t need to spend a fortune or utilize cutting-edge technology to build these majestic French Country style homes. You only need a strong grasp of craftsmanship, a passion for working with antiques, and a rustic aesthetic sensibility.

FAQs

1. What Defines French Country Style Home Design?

French country style is characterized as a blend of earthy and polished décor influenced by rural French residences.

2. What Is the Distinction Between French Country and Farmhouse Design?

The elegance of the French country style is subtle, delicate, feminine, and polished. These homes often have a more rustic appearance due to their earthy material palette and textures. The farmhouse has a sleeker appearance, more defined edges, and an increasingly laidback style.

3. What Is the Material Palette of French Country Home Plans?

Soft, subdued hues, unpolished wood and stone, stucco plaster walls, wooden beams, floral and botanic decorations, and natural materials are prominent elements of this design style.

4. What Are the Colours Associated with French Country-Style Houses?

The colour palette of the French country style is muted, consisting of white, ivory, drab, and beige. Additionally, the French enjoy adding soft, fading hues like pale green, french blue, pastel mauve, or violet.

5. How to Decorate a French Country-Style Home?

Although traditional French décor can be more opulent, the secret to a successful French country style is to balance it with humbler sentiments by focusing on more informal and distressed pieces. Consider repurposing vintage furnishings and décor items to create the perfect rustic ambiance.

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