Home Help: 12 April
France will always have romantic connotations for us more strait-laced Brits, whether it be the mouthwateringly rich food, the charming men presenting roses with a flourish, or the dazzlingly smart French design. But there’s no reason why we can’t recreate the romance of a French home on this side of the Channel, especially as more and more French move to Britain to escape the punishing taxes in their country.
In the sumptuous homes pictured on pages 34 to 36, the walls are covered with beautiful wallpapers. Pierre Frey: 020-7376 5599 – www.pierrefrey.com – a Paris-based company with a showroom in London, still prints some classic French designs in its Braquenié collection.
Many British companies have also taken typical French motifs and pared them down for a simpler, more informal look. The online fabric retailer Fabrics & Papers: 01273-495500 – www.fabricsandpapers.com – which also has a showroom near Brighton, stocks floral linens which have very similar, albeit simpler, motifs to those on the wallpapers of Château d’Outrelaise – a star of the new book, Romantic French Homes. Because many are one-colour prints, they are less expensive than multicoloured ones.
Peony & Sage, based in the Scottish borders, has also taken inspiration from French fabrics for its pretty linens. Kate Forman, who I have previously written about as a purveyor of beautiful French fabrics, now sells very good reproductions of French 19th-century style furniture, including chairs, side tables, a wardrobe and a bed. They are crafted in ash and painted in Stone Grey or Blue Grey.
Many dealers go to France to source antique furniture. Frenchfi nds has a large, well- restored collection, kept in a huge Cheshire warehouse. Don’t be put off by its website where many pieces are listed as ‘Sold’. Apparently, they remain on the site to inspire customers, who can ask the company to source similar pieces.
(Main image above) A selection of cushion fabrics, prices from £34 per metre, by Kate Forman: 01962-732244, www.kateforman.co.uk
From left
Louis XV carved sofa, £995, by Frenchfinds Ltd: 01538-370052, www.frenchfinds.co.uk
Rose Wreath chair fabric, £48.95 per metre, by Peony & Sage: 01289-388650, www.peonyandsage.com
Email your design enquiries to Hugh St Clair at homehelp@lady.co.uk
In the sumptuous homes pictured on pages 34 to 36, the walls are covered with beautiful wallpapers. Pierre Frey: 020-7376 5599 – www.pierrefrey.com – a Paris-based company with a showroom in London, still prints some classic French designs in its Braquenié collection.
Many British companies have also taken typical French motifs and pared them down for a simpler, more informal look. The online fabric retailer Fabrics & Papers: 01273-495500 – www.fabricsandpapers.com – which also has a showroom near Brighton, stocks floral linens which have very similar, albeit simpler, motifs to those on the wallpapers of Château d’Outrelaise – a star of the new book, Romantic French Homes. Because many are one-colour prints, they are less expensive than multicoloured ones.
Peony & Sage, based in the Scottish borders, has also taken inspiration from French fabrics for its pretty linens. Kate Forman, who I have previously written about as a purveyor of beautiful French fabrics, now sells very good reproductions of French 19th-century style furniture, including chairs, side tables, a wardrobe and a bed. They are crafted in ash and painted in Stone Grey or Blue Grey.
Many dealers go to France to source antique furniture. Frenchfi nds has a large, well- restored collection, kept in a huge Cheshire warehouse. Don’t be put off by its website where many pieces are listed as ‘Sold’. Apparently, they remain on the site to inspire customers, who can ask the company to source similar pieces.
(Main image above) A selection of cushion fabrics, prices from £34 per metre, by Kate Forman: 01962-732244, www.kateforman.co.uk
From left
Louis XV carved sofa, £995, by Frenchfinds Ltd: 01538-370052, www.frenchfinds.co.uk
Rose Wreath chair fabric, £48.95 per metre, by Peony & Sage: 01289-388650, www.peonyandsage.com
Email your design enquiries to Hugh St Clair at homehelp@lady.co.uk