30 French Country Kitchen Ideas: Inspiration for a Charming and Rustic Kitchen

As someone who loves the cozy and inviting feel of a French country kitchen, I am excited to share with you 30 ideas to inspire your own kitchen design.

French country kitchens are known for their warm and welcoming atmosphere, featuring natural materials, rustic accents, and a timeless aesthetic.

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One of the defining features of French country kitchen design is the use of natural materials like wood, stone, and brick.

These elements bring warmth and texture to the space, creating a cozy and inviting atmosphere for family and friends.

In addition to natural materials, French country kitchens often feature vintage or antique accents, adding to the charm and character of the space.

Whether you’re looking to completely overhaul your kitchen or simply add a few French country-inspired touches, these 30 ideas are sure to inspire.

From vintage-inspired lighting fixtures to rustic farmhouse sinks, there are endless ways to incorporate the French country aesthetic into your kitchen design.

So let’s dive in and explore some of the best French country kitchen ideas out there!

1.Use Gilded Finishes

Pin Design by Mindy Laven Home

This French farmhouse-inspired kitchen from Mindy Laven Home is decorated with elegant details like lantern-style pendant lights and scattered paintings with gilded frames on the walls that contrast with the wood beams, cabinetry, and flooring.

2.Add a Statement Oven Hood

Pin Design by Marie Flanigan Interiors / Photo by Julie Soefer

This kitchen from Marie Flanigan Interiors has pale neutral tones, natural wood floors, and a monumental oven hood with classical curves that lends the space a French country-inspired vibe.

3.Collect Copper Cookware

Pin Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Alexandra Ribar

This all-white kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors has a black metal rack mounted to a painted brick wall that houses a collection of copper pots that are as pretty and shiny as they are useful, and will be the last pieces of cookware you will ever have to buy if cared for properly.

4.Opt for a Butcher Block

Pin Design by Marie Flanigan Interiors / Photo by Julie Soefer

This kitchen from Marie Flanigan Interiors gets some French country street cred thanks to a French-style butcher block placed in the center of the room in lieu of an American-style kitchen island.

What are the variations of French country style?

French country style is a blanket term that can look very different depending on whether it’s inspired by the earth tone paletted of a farmhouse in Provence, the dark wood finishes of a rustic cottage in

Normandy, or the ornate furnishings and decor of an elegant provincial chateau.

Many French country interiors in France also mix in English country furniture and decor.

5.Highlight Ceiling Beams

Pin Design by Anne Rae Design / Photo by Jenny Siegwart

The vaulted ceilings in this spacious California kitchen from Anne Rae Design are highlighted by dark stained wood beams that add definition and a refined take on rustic style that adds character to the large, airy space.

Stacked stone finishes enhance the rustic feel.

6.Include a Farmhouse Table

Pin Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Amy Neunsinger

An easy way to add a French country sensibility to your kitchen is to skip the kitchen island and install a farmhouse table instead. 

Leanne Ford Interiors channeled a French farmhouse spirit in this 1920s Los Angeles hunting cabin with a rustic wood table surrounded by simple white chairs.

7.Decorate with Vintage Tools

Pin Design by Anne Rae Design / Photo by Jenny Siegwart

Decorating your kitchen with utilitarian accessories like vintage or antique wood cutting boards and metal cooking utensils and molds is a simple way to add a sense of history and create a layered feel in a modern kitchen, like this space from Anne Rae Design.

8.Incorporate Patterned Tile

Pin Design by Charlie Coull Design

Incorporating pretty patterned tile in soft shades of blue, bentwood bar stools, and vintage-style pendant lights adds a little bit of French country flair to this kitchen from Charlie Coull Design.

9.Choose Natural Materials

Pin Design by Anne Rae Design / Photo by Jenny Siegwart

This kitchen from Anne Rae Design highlights natural materials like wood and stone, with a rustic oven surround and wooden bar stools that add French country finesse.

10.Use Mismatched Cabinets

Pin Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Alexandra Ribar

This kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors channels French country spirit with its mismatched storage pieces.

Stacked vintage cupboards with an aged painted patina hide clutter, while rustic stained wood shelving offers display and storage space.

What do the French call it?In France, French country style is simply called “style campagne,” or “country style.”

It is commonly branded “style campagne chic” to indicate a more refined modern take on the country styles of the past.

The French sometimes refer to “le style French country” when explaining how it is interpreted by the English-speaking world.

11.Use Checkboard Flooring

Pin Design by Marie Flanigan Interiors / Photo by Julie Soefer

This family-style kitchen from Marie Flanigan Interiors has checkerboard flooring with an aged patina that looks like it wasn’t installed yesterday, adding an aged patina to a new kitchen.

12.Highlight Original Features

Pin Design by Jessica Nelson Interior Design / Photo by Carina Skrobecki Photography

You might not live in a French country farmhouse, but embracing original features in your home is one way to channel some timeless Gallic charm no matter where you live. 

Jessica Nelson Interior Design exposed the original brick chimney to add character to this kitchen and the dining room on the other side of the wall.

13.Keep It Rustic

Pin Design by Marie Flanigan Interiors / Photo by Julie Soefer

Chunky wood ceiling beams, a stone-topped wood island, and a row of copper pots hung above the kitchen sink window add rustic charm to this kitchen from Marie Flanigan Interiors.

14.Try Bistro Bar Stools

Pin Design by Marie Flanigan Interiors / Photo by Julie Soefer

A pair of classic French bistro bar stools sitting side-by-side at the end of a peninsula creates a cozy seating area in this kitchen from Marie Flanigan Interiors.

15.Use Industrial Lighting

Pin Design by Rashida Banks for Emily Henderson Design / Photo by Keyanna Bowen

Simple industrial-style pendants, a framed painting leaning casually against the backsplash, and an oversized vase filled with flowering branches adds some refined rustic charm to this timeless modern kitchen designed by Rashida Banks for Emily Henderson Design.

16.Add a Bistro Table

Pin Design by Marie Flanigan Interiors / Photo by Julie Soefer

This kitchen corner banquette from Marie Flanigan Interiors introduces some classic French style into a modern American kitchen thanks to a marble and iron bistro table and some industrial French metal Tolix-style chairs.

17.Choose a Wooden Island

Pin Design by Jessica Nelson Interior Design / Photo by Carina Skrobecki Photography

In this kitchen from Jessica Nelson Interior Design, a French-style wooden two-tiered work table with turned legs adds charm to the space while retaining the function of a modern kitchen island.

18.Add French Accents

Pin Design by Jessica Nelson Interior Design / Photo by Carina Skrobecki Photography

This white, modern American kitchen from Jessica Nelson Interior Design serves as a neutral background that allows French-style details like cross-back wooden bar stools and a crystal chandelier to take center stage.

19.Layer in Natural Elements

Pin Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Alexandra Ribar

In this kitchen from Leanne Ford Interiors, dark wood open shelving and vintage-style metal brackets provide a space to house everyday items, decorative objects, and flowers that bring the beauty of the outdoors inside.

Add some lavender and you can pretend that you picked it from the field outside your window in the South of France.

20.Mix Old and New

Pin Design by Jessica Nelson Interior Design / Photo by Carina Skrobecki Photography

In this kitchen from Jessica Nelson Interior Design, original brick walls, an antique-style chandelier, and vintage-style French country bar stools add character to the all-white kitchen with its modern cabinetry and finishes.

21.Use Rustic Baskets

Pin Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Max Kim-bee

Leanne Ford Interiors added some French country flair to a Pittsburgh home with rustic hardwood floors and a row of woven baskets on the lower shelf of the kitchen island that add texture and storage to the room.

22.Try Herringbone Wood Floors

Pin Design by Kate Marker Interiors / Photo by Margaret Rajic

Rustic wood herringbone floors, white-washed brick walls, and a wood-based kitchen island are some of the details that preserve a sense of authenticity in this historic home renovation from Kate Marker Interiors.

23.Hang a Curtain Under the Sink

Pin Design by Leanne Ford Interiors / Photo by Reid Rolls

In this country cottage from Leanne Ford Interiors, a curtain casually hung beneath the vintage farmhouse sink hides clutter while adding an old world sense of charm and ease.

24.Use Brick Flooring

Pin We Are True HomeWe Are True Home chose a thin brick floor tile that lends a new kitchen an old world European-style feel.

25.Texturize the Walls

Pin Lobster and SwanWhile it’s impossible to recreate the centuries-old patina of an old French farmhouse, you can help to create a time-worn feel by forgoing crisp white walls and adding texture using layers of chalk paint and wax, like this homey kitchen from Lobster and Swan.

26.Install a French Range

Pin Design by Basic Projects / Photo by Kate Towill

Basic Projects turned a dark and cluttered kitchen in Charleston, SC into a clean and classic oasis that mixes old and new.

The designers replaced wood tops with marble, added a farm sink, and installed a classic Lacanche range in dark green that brings a classic Made in France feel.

27.Mix Styles

Pin Design by Brexton Cole Interiors

This bright white kitchen from Brexton Cole Interiors has French touches like a farmhouse table with a matching bench and a midcentury modern chair on the end and French rattan bar stools that reflect the mix of styles and periods that embody the French country aesthetic.

28.Embrace Imperfection

Pin Lobster and Swan

This rustic English country kitchen from Lobster and Swan would look just as at home in the French countryside, with its mix of simple, natural materials, open shelving,

mismatched tableware, industrial lighting, bentwood chairs, and lightly rumpled linen curtains that have an effortlessly chic appeal.

29.Add a Hint of Glitz

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Blame it on centuries of royal reign—no matter how rustic a room might otherwise be, it often still incorporates a hint of Old-World opulence.

An antique crystal-embellished chandelier adds that touch of fanciness, and the colors will play nicely with other patina-ed metals you incorporate into the rest of the space. 

30.Designate a Pantry Space

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The French are all about good eats—and we want to bring that mantra to a French country kitchen for sure with designated pantry space.

This rustic take by Milk and Honey Life features a reclaimed wood door that opens to reveal plenty of space for your cooking and baking essentials.

What should go in a French country kitchen?

A French country kitchen should feature wood cabinetry, a good oven range for cooking family meals, and timeless, and high-quality finishes such as tile, brick, or stone.

French country kitchens often include a long wooden farmhouse table with plenty of seating for gathering family and friends, as well as vintage lighting, a rack of copper pots, or even a fireplace.

What are the best colors for a French country kitchen? 

French country kitchens are often neutral spaces that include light, earthy colors that range from shades of white, beige, gray, and brown, or colors such as yellow, red, and blue depending on whether the inspiration is a Provençal farmhouse, a rustic thatched cottage in Normandy, or a provincial chateau.

What’s the difference between French country and farmhouse style? 

Much of what we think of as traditional or farmhouse-style interiors that are so ubiquitous today have roots in French country aesthetics.

Both styles put an emphasis on a rustic but refined sensibility that prioritizes natural materials such as wood, stone, brick, and metal, embraces timeless everyday objects, and favors warm and family-friendly interiors built for gathering and entertaining.