Houzz Escape: Off to the South of France
Get Inspired to Bring a Little French Style Home
Houzz contributor & founder/ principal designer at KitchenLab | Rebekah Zaveloff Interiors. We're a Chicago based interiors firm specializing in kitchens & baths – the rooms which often begin as the focal point of many of the projects we design & manage. We create a link for our clients between the design process & the construction process which is often missing & we offer tailored interior design services for adjacent rooms or whole houses depending on the scope of the project. We love to mix styles and make our spaces feel like they "grew there" and were collected over time. We also offer e-decorating services through our company Design in a Bag.
Visit me at http://kitchenlabdesign.com http://designinabag.com
Our work has been featured in Kitchen and Bath Ideas Magazine, Dream Kitchens,...
Houzz contributor & founder/ principal designer at KitchenLab | Rebekah... More »
It's hard enough to get back into the swing of things without being distracted by all this eye candy from the recent Houzz design escapes to Tuscany, Greece, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Mexico. All this talk about travel to far off (and warmer) places has me feeling a little wistful. For the past several years, we have had the good fortune of spending Christmas in the south of France with my husband's family. Having spent summers in a camper traveling all over Europe, they are avid travelers and treat going to far off places as if it's an easy weekend getaway. So, when they rent a little house in southern France, drive down from England with a car stocked full of everything from sheets, to towels, to kitchen knives, and say "come one come all," who can deny them? So even though we just got back, with the help of some Houzz photos, I'm going to take another trip across the pond. Want to join me?
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| Cypress trees dotting the landscape, gravel drives and urns — all are signatures of Mediterranean paintings and landscapes.
Tip: To get that French country landscape at home, opt for pea gravel over asphalt or pavers. We did it our farmhouse and never regretted it. Add some urns, a few boxwoods and ornamental cypress looking trees that are hardy in your zone and voila, the look is complete. |
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| The view from the pool at the house we rented this year. On the few days were the temperature hits 60 degrees, we would eat lunch outside. In off season you can get a lot more bang for your buck. Even in winter much of the foliage is still green. Getting up the driveway was a challenge, though. |
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| Said pool...it was about 45 degrees that day so hardly ideal for swimming, but warmer than the Midwest, that's for sure. |
I can just hear the crunch of gravel when I look at this photo. Stone walls everywhere...
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| The farmhouse, or mas, is a typical building seen all over the south. The light blue shutters are also a signature of the region. |
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| The gravel patio with a pergola covered in vines for al fresco dining is a must for every home. |
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| Dining al fresco is the cheapest way to get a little French style into your environment. Take advantage of an unseasonably warm day, set out a linen table cloth, and have lunch outside. This may be in California, but it sure feels like France. Next, more photos that bring a little French flair home. |
Stone floors and simple decor. With materials like this who needs embellishment? I can hear the echoes in this hallway and it reminds me of homes we've visited.
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| Black metal windows always make me think of France and make me wish I lived in a more temperate climate where single pane windows would be enough...not to mention no screens!
Tip: Feeling envious of the black metal windows too? Paint the sashes and mullions only of your own windows and get a similar look. |
Huge fireplaces. Some of the rentals we've stayed in barely had any heat, just a few little wall radiators. So a fire is made every day — not a luxury but a necessity!
| Every year we drive 6 hours west to visit some friends. This terrific spread reminds me of some of the parties we've crashed. No one has ever had an issue with the strangers our friends bring along! |
by Home & Harmony
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Despite most people's idea of a French country kitchen, many are simple and often small. The fabric under the sink is a classic.
Tip: Get some "instant" south-of-France feel right here at home by removing the doors and adding a Belgian linen or grain sack curtain to the front of a kitchen cabinet (if you don't have a farm sink like this one).
Tip: Get some "instant" south-of-France feel right here at home by removing the doors and adding a Belgian linen or grain sack curtain to the front of a kitchen cabinet (if you don't have a farm sink like this one).
This powder room could be in a house we've visited. The furniture turned into a vanity and funky pendants are wonderful.
The herringbone terra cotta floor tile makes me think of places we've been.
Tell us: Do your travels inspire your home decorating?
More Houzz Escapes
Bask in a Mini Greek Getaway
A Trip to Tuscany
Cut out to the Caribbean
Headed to Hawaii
Tell us: Do your travels inspire your home decorating?
More Houzz Escapes
Bask in a Mini Greek Getaway
A Trip to Tuscany
Cut out to the Caribbean
Headed to Hawaii
Ideabook published on Jan. 10, 2011.
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