Botanic Bleu: French Fall 5 Ways to Get the Look

F R E N C H F A L L

5 Ways To Get The Look

Welcome to Fall on my covered deck... in Texas... but still French inspired...

If you are searching for ways to include French Country in your house and garden for Fall, I am sharing some key elements for how to get the look and feel.

See the bottom of the post for a special announcement about a giveaway.

This week, October 3-7, Katie at Let's Add Sprinkles is hosting a special Fall tour.... Fall In Love With Texas, where 20+ Texas bloggers are sharing Fall in their Texas homes. This is the second day of the tour, and I am thrilled that Katie invited Botanic Bleu to be part of it.

The other blogs on today's line-up are Jemma @ At Home With Jemma, Stacey @ Poofing the Pillows, and Cecilia @ The B Farm. I've met all of these bloggers personally, and they are as warm and gracious in person as they are on their blogs. You will want to visit all of them to see what wonderful Fall inspiration they are sharing today.

Here are five tips for getting a French Fall look for your house.

#1 Use natural flowers and fruits.

Artificial flowers and fruits have come a long way in recent years, are often beautiful, and are sometimes hard to distinguish from the real thing. However, authentic French Country calls for natural flowers and fruits.

French homes use fresh ingredients for cooking AND for decorating. Where else in the world besides Paris do you find florist shops that have been in business for over a century? Lachaume's current proprietors continue the traditions begun in 1845, and Moulié, in business since the 1870s, sources many of their blooms from their own farm in Brittany.

Fresh white chrysanthemums, white baby's breath (gypsophila), and white Boo Boo pumpkins provide French Country touches to my covered porch this Fall.

#2 Use traditional French motifs.

White pottery with a large single raised design and curved handles reflects simple elegant French Country style. Curves, flourishes, and symmetry, but not too elaborate or ornate, are characteristics of French Country design. Imperfect, rustic touches include subtle layers of colors that allow peeks at the original unfired clay.

#3 Use fine china with rustic settings.

Delicate bone china coffee cups with a yellow, terra cotta, green, and blue floral pattern can serve café au lait, hot chocolate, spiced cider, or hot tea to chase away Fall chills. No plastic or styrofoam cups for serving drinks. French Country juxtaposes elegant with rustic, intermingling heirlooms with peeling painted pieces.

#4 Use vintage French monogrammed linen napkins.

White monogrammed linen napkins are part of French families' heritage. The linens are heavy with elaborate monograms. French supermarkets carry stain removers including wine stain remover for linens that are used routinely in French households.

I found these serviettes (napkins) in September at a brocante (second-hand goods sale in tents) on Rue Cler while in Paris. There were also colored monogrammed linens available at the old Paris flea market, Vanves. While becoming more difficult to find, there are still beautiful French linens being sold from estates.

#5 Use pillows with French phrases and designs.

Sunflowers are grown commercially in France with large fields of them in Provence. Pillows with sunflowers and French phrases are perfect for giving the covered porch a French Fall look.

Browns and yellows with a faint touch of orange add more traditional Fall colors to my predominantly blue and white color scheme. Even though I avoid browns, yellows, and oranges normally, this custom-made pillow from Elliott-Heath Designs is beautiful with its sunflowers, French postal cancellations, and phrases, and I love it.

Soleil is French for sun. With its black background and pale touches of blue, this Elliott-Heath pillow has been a favorite of mine for a couple of years, and I finally purchased it. I couldn't be happier with it. The 100% cotton fabric front is heavy, the dyed pattern is exquisite, and the envelope-style back is heavy canvas.

Do you love these sunflower pillows as much as I do? Then be sure to visit Botanic Bleu again on Thursday of this week when Heather of Elliott-Heath Designs is giving away one of her beautiful custom-designed pillow covers on my blog. I am so excited that one of my readers will win the pillow cover of his/her choice from Elliott-Heath Designs. Currently, there are more than 480 pillow covers from which to choose.

You could win a pillow cover that is the beginning of creating your own French Fall look!

Or, creating your Christmas look.