Beautiful facades of houses in France. How to decorate a house in the French style

France, without exaggeration, is the heart of Europe, it has always set the tone for its architecture. Almost all successive monarchs, the church, and, of course, the common people, who have their own traditional customs in each province, left their mark on it. Time, of course, has made changes, but the French-style house is still a role model for many today. What is its harmony and what projects today can be taken as the basis for such construction? This will be discussed in this article.

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It is unlikely that anyone will doubt the attractiveness of French architecture, because this country has given the world many masterpieces of medieval architecture, which are admired by representatives of all nationalities.

Reflection of historical events

Each era has formed its own style, the features of which are also visible in the appearance of modern houses.

From the Romanesque architecture that reigned in the 10th century, high massive walls and rounded arches came.

Romanesque style

The Gothic that replaced it introduced the lancet shape of vaults and arches - including doors and windows.

Gothic style

In the 15th century, during the Renaissance, there was a rise in fine arts in France, which also influenced national architecture, which, however, also took into account the Italian experience. An example of this is the huge number of castles and royal residences of those times (Fonteblo, Chenonceau, Amboise, Chambord).
In the era of the reign of Louis XIV, in defiance of the ascetic church styles, a new one developed, expressing the unity of royal power. In the architecture of the 18th century, the unbridled luxury of the Baroque was combined with the restraint of classicism, and from that time a transformation began that served as the basis for the development of modern Paris.

Baroque

At that time, Gothic elements were still used in construction, but the Age of Enlightenment (neoclassicism), which replaced the Rococo, completely revised the architecture, taking it away from ancient canons to modern functionality.

Neoclassic

As a result, the architecture of France became a kind of indicator of freedom of thought, it was possible to see a variety of, often very non-standard solutions in it. The variety of shapes, sizes and colors is sometimes striking, as is the environmentally friendly approach to construction.

french modern

Provincial styles

The change of monarchs mainly influenced the life of the aristocracy, the province has always kept the traditional foundations. In many areas, during construction, they used their own, centuries-old architectural techniques, which depended, among other things, on the characteristics of the local climate. The architecture of Normandy and Provence, as well as houses in the chateau style popular in France, are most widespread.

Features of the Norman style

Normandy is a region located in the northwest of the country. Accordingly, the bulk of its population is made up of people from Scandinavian countries, geographically located closest. It was they who brought to the appearance of their houses a certain severity and monumentality characteristic of Gothic architecture.

A Norman house usually has one floor with an attic, or two or three full floors, certainly with balconies (look at our website).
The fachwerk style of construction, which originated in the Middle Ages in Germany, spread throughout Europe (see link). The geometry of the facade, which is obtained due to the beams and braces of the frame left in sight, is still liked by many today. Therefore, even if they are built using a different technology, the facade of the house is often finished in such a way as to imitate half-timbered houses.

Fachwerk elements on cornices and balcony railings

In Normandy, this style is most widespread, this design technique was called "columbage" in France. Ornaments are made not only by boarding, but also by a simple painting method, combining them with brick, stone or colored plaster.

House in the French style typical of Normandy

In addition to half-timbered elements in Norman architecture, there are also elements of the classics. For example, rustic slabs, which are used instead of stone for finishing openings and corner areas of a building.

Fachwerks painted on plaster

But the main feature of the style, of course, is a high roof, always hip or combined, with many mezzanines and windows on the gables (read about in the article). The roofing material is mainly shingles, but may also be straw.

House with thatched roof

The northern climate also changed the shape of the windows. They are narrow and tall, mostly rounded and decorated with boxes of flowers.
The entrance doors are double-leafed, a massive stone porch, decorated with wrought iron railings, leads to them.

Provence architecture

Provence is the exact opposite of Normandy geographically and architecturally. The style formed in this province is more elegant, devoid of the severity and coldness inherent in the north. The main building material, in addition to wood and brick, is sawn natural limestone, as it is a local fossil here.

The hot climate and the proximity of the sea affect the palette in which both facades and interiors are designed. These are all shades of white and yellow, beige, blue and lilac. For wall cladding, wild or molded stone, decorative plasters, and natural boards are used.
If in Normandy houses usually have a high base, then in Provence it is practically non-existent. Accordingly, there is no porch, and the path leading from the gate leads immediately to the entrance to the house.
Windows are also usually small, but may, being narrow, start straight from the floor. Usually, they are decorated with an interesting layout, bright shutters, without which it is very difficult to escape from the heat.

Note: the invention of blinds and impenetrable blackout fabrics helped in solving this urgent problem for the southerners, therefore, in modern Provence, panoramic windows can also be seen.

House with a residential attic and glazed veranda

Roofs in Provencal houses can be both hip and gable, multi-gable. Their peculiarity is the mandatory presence of dormers - dormer windows protruding beyond the plane of the roof.
The shape of the roof is designed so that there is also a pediment with a window on the side of the facade. This part of the building is accentuated, and elements of classical architecture are often used for its decoration.
The main entrance, or even the entire facade, can be decorated in an artistic way, but the theme of the drawing is usually vegetative. The door at the entrance is always massive, but more often glazed and with a transom.

House in the style of French Provence with a multi-gable facade

The architecture of any area with a hot climate is characterized by the presence of summer outbuildings in the house: verandas, kitchens, outbuildings, encircling terraces. Everything is for the convenience of the hosts and their guests, who can enjoy a meal in the shade of a canopy covered with flowering plants.

Photos of Provence style houses

The terrace covered with plants is the best place to relax

In the photo - a variant of the design of the facade with painting on plaster

Fachwerk elements can also be

Modern house in Provence style

Terrace or veranda - an important attribute of a house in the south

Village house in Provence

Distinctive features of the chateau

The word "château" in France is not a locality, but an aristocratic country house. And since this is a mansion, it is not at all like in Normandy or Provence. Usually, this is a pompous building with turrets, many ledges and bay windows, chimneys and pointed spiers on the roof.

Country house, French style - a variant of the chateau with a glazed veranda on the roof

Hip roofs are an almost ubiquitous attribute of French architecture, and in this regard, the chateau does not differ much from the two styles already presented. There are also attics here (read on our website:), lancet and trapezoidal dormers and windows.

The basement floor is necessarily designed in the house, which is usually used as a wine cellar. The basement is high, a wide flight of stairs leads to the entrance. Yes, and inside the house there are monumental stairs in marble and beautifully finished metal (see the link).

French chateau style in the interior of a country house

Floor-to-ceiling windows were called "French" because they were originally installed in country houses with two or three floors. They were placed above the first floor, which provided the best daylight for the rooms. Below were the usual small openings.

Home design: French chateau style in a rustic way

Wide windows were often combined with double glazed doors through which you can get to the balcony with access to the facade. There may be not one, but two balconies - in this case they are symmetrically located on both sides of the main entrance. In a modern chateau, there is always an extension, which may contain a garage or a recreation area with a swimming pool.

Photo gallery of the interior of the house in the style of the chateau

The aristocracy of the situation is obvious

The luxury of an aristocratic chateau

total areacountryHouses– 336 sq.m.

Number of floors– 2.

Finishing of the house is planned from natural stone with decorative details from arch concrete.

Distinctive featurearchitectural project:

Since the customer is a fan of architecture in the classical, French and Baroque styles, the land plot for designing and building the house was chosen by him for a reason - rectangular with a calm, even relief.

For the architect, a great challenge in designing was to achieve complete symmetry of all four facades while arranging modern planning solutions designed without sacrificing comfort. As a result, a complex system of rooms is hidden behind simple facades in classic French style.

A feature of the layout of a residential building is a grandly decorated staircase. It is located in the central hall and connects the floors.

Facade design features are the high arched openings of the first floor, which achieve an abundance of light in the rooms.

The design of the facades of the house in the French style was the result of a continuous dialogue with the customer. The customer is a designer with a high sense of beauty, with an artistic taste inherited from his artist father. Therefore, working with him was both easy and difficult at the same time. And it is thanks to our Customer and his perseverance in thinking through the smallest details that the house turned out to be so harmonious both inside and out.

Designed on site a separate outbuilding in the French style - a bathhouse with a relaxation room and living quarters for staff.

The total area of the wing– 134 sq.m.

Number of floors – 1.

France is a romantic country with picturesque landscapes, exquisite French cuisine and incredibly beautiful architecture.

Chateau

The chateau style originated as french castle, country estate of the aristocracy. The houses are solid and beautiful mansions.

Such houses have complex line of the facade with many bay windows, ledges and arches, there are towers, gabled roofs with spiers, numerous chimneys.

On the attic floors lancet windows. Dormers are also possible on pitched roofs.

There are two entrance options: a massive wooden entrance door immediately leads to the garden or a wide staircase, often with double flights, leads to arched-type double doors.

Ground floor obligatory in construction, used as a wine cellar or utility room, home theater or playroom. However, from the outside of the building, there is a feeling that there is no basement floor, since it is not clearly expressed by the cladding.

On the second and higher floors, there are many floor-to-ceiling French windows that allow maximum daylight penetration.

Double doors on the second floor open onto a wide balcony. Balconies can be small and located on either side of the main entrance.

Chateau-style house implies the presence outbuildings, where a swimming pool with a recreation area or a garage can be located.

The colors of the facade are all designed in warm, pastel colors. To finish the facade choose plaster or facade tiles.

Building in the style of a chateau pavilion houses, where the foundation is emphasized by the difference in color or cladding of the foundation and walls in a more saturated color.

Norman style

The Norman style was formed in the north-west of France, in the province of Normandy, whose population is predominantly from Scandinavian countries, descendants of the Vikings. Hence the severity and coldness in architecture, the emphasis on ancient Gothic forms.

The house can be one-story with an attic or have two or more floors with balconies painted in the color of the architraves.

On the facade, as a decor, there are curly, geometric or intertwined ornaments, inlaid in the facade masonry.

In our time, the use of fireclay ceramics is widespread.

The corners of the facade and window openings are trimmed rustic panels imitating stone.

A sign of the Norman style are hip roofs having four slopes and wide gables. On the roofs there are attic windows, pitched or gable type, forged ornaments, conical turrets.

Window more often narrow with bindings with semicircular arches on the upper floors. There are flower boxes on the windows, everything is covered with wide gables.

A porch with wrought-iron railings leads to the massive entrance doors.

Modern cottages are built of brick and lined with artificial stone or plaster.

Color solutions in Normandy are diverse - ocher, brown, pink, gray facades. In our country, calmer sand shades are popular.

The use of technical techniques in the Norman style is widespread. collomage(French half-timbered style). It is dominated by wooden vertical posts on the wall picture and the pattern of St. Andrew's Cross (diagonal cross). In the modern design of the facade in the collomage style, it is possible to use polyurethane beams imitating dark wood.

Speaking about the "French style" in the architecture of country houses, one should not forget that we are talking about the signs and elements of style, and design solutions and materials of execution meet modern living conditions. So the houses in the Provence style had floor-to-ceiling glass doors, in the style of the chateau - a specially marked foundation, and in the Norman style - balustrades.

Get inspired and choose the facade of your house!

Modern French country house - the embodiment of elegance, romance and aristocracy. A good option for those who prefer discreet classic decor, spacious interiors and pastel colors in the facade and interior decoration.

Finished project of a French house

Spectacular two-story mansion with a total area of 490 sq. m is designed with an attic and a basement. The compositional and artistic solutions were based on the idea of a modern chateau, with a focus on creating a comfortable living environment and attractive design.

The layout of the internal space involves not only the first and second floors, but also a heated attic, due to which the usable area is increased. The basement floor is designed for utility rooms, here you can equip a wine cellar, a billiard room.

The design of a country house in the French style is implemented in the context of laconic classics:

The entrance area is highlighted by hinged glass doors in an arched portal. The porch is decorated with a low staircase with rounded steps and a wrought iron railing on both sides. A small balcony protrudes above the porch - it is the visual center of the main facade.
Wide arched windows with frequent sashes are combined with narrower windows (including French ones) and figured dormer windows. The abundance of glazing is one of the advantages of the project: it is always light in such a cottage, even if tall trees grow nearby. White window frames and doors make the exterior elegant.
On the rear facade, the second exit is decorated with an original figured portico with round columns. Here you can put a couple of armchairs and a tea table. An open balcony at the top is an additional seating area.
Light colors and discreet decor in the form of rustication and embossed architraves allow you to focus on the graceful facade lines, as well as the beautiful openwork forging of fences and window grilles. A charming touch is a decorative metal fence around the perimeter of the roof.

The French-style cottage looks neat, elegant and very hospitable. The impression is supported by well-groomed lawns with walking paths, a large paved area with an entrance to the garage.

French private houses and their historical features

The architectural style of France is multifaceted. Each historical era added characteristic features that eventually formed an independent direction:

From the Romanesque culture with its love for castles and churches, domed vaults, arched openings, and facade ornaments were inherited.
Beautiful houses in the French style received lancet arches and windows, skillful stained-glass windows from the Gothic style.
The Renaissance added the classical symmetry and rules of the ancient order system with its columns, pilasters and stucco.
Rococo principles brought grace, an abundance of decor in the form of flower garlands and curls, the use of pediments of various shapes, balustrades on the roof.

Modern features of a French country house

A traditional private house in Paris - a two-story mansion with an attic. Inside, it is bright and spacious, which is facilitated by large windows, always with white window frames.

The walls are built of natural light stone or brick. Outside plastered.
The roof is covered with tiles or slate. A mandatory element is a chimney.
Stairs to the second floor are often placed in a built-in round or square tower. In the Middle Ages, it was customary to keep a dovecote here; today this tradition has disappeared, but the tower as an original part of the exterior remains.
The facades of French houses are designed with high windows - arched or rectangular. They make the building more picturesque and visually increase the interior space.
The planning feature of arranging the premises around the central living room, where all family members and guests gather, is associated with the mentality of the French and their thirst for communication.

Three styles of beautiful French houses

The features of architecture were influenced not only by the historical context, but also by regional affiliation. Depending on the province with its peculiar climate and local cultural traditions, it is customary to distinguish three types of buildings: chateau, Provence, Norman style.

French style chateau house

Initially, the term "château" meant a castle, a country estate of noble nobles in the suburbs of Paris and other large cities. Today, this is how very beautiful mansions and estates with characteristic features are called:

The facade has a complex relief with ledges, bay windows, arches, turrets and spiers, a lot of chimneys. The layout of the building can represent several separate volumes connected to each other, each has its own roof - as a result, the whole structure acquires an interesting multi-slope. But when organizing the internal space, the composition strives for unity, and the main staircase serves as its central element.
A multi-pitched roof implies a lot of attic rooms. They are decorated with round dormer windows, which are needed for ventilation and add expressiveness to the facades due to competent design.
When building a French private house in the style of a chateau, as a rule, they equip a wine cellar in the basement. At the same time, it is customary not to highlight the base with a lining or color different from the walls.
The top floor has many floor-to-ceiling windows, so the inside is always bright. The main entrance area is accented with a wide balcony (double doors open onto it) or a pair of small balconies on both sides.
A chateau mansion is often designed with outbuildings, where you can place a garage or an indoor pool with a seating area. If you strictly follow the architectural traditions of the noble estates, then the adjoining buildings include a greenhouse, a stable.
The modern facade of the house in the French style is finished with smooth plaster or tiles. The color scheme is chosen in warm, pastel shades, the most popular being beige. Roofing often supports the color of the walls and makes the exterior look more cohesive.

Made in the spirit of a chateau - with a spacious attic, open-type balconies and a large glass area. The windows are arranged symmetrically - one above the other and painted to match the walls. Garages are attached from the ends: for one and two cars.

French cottage in Provence style

The peculiarities of design and construction in this southern province are explained by the capricious climate: a strong and cold northwest wind, the mistral, dominates here for months, capable of uprooting trees.

Housing is erected in one, maximum three floors of limestone or brick, with an unexpressed foundation. Mandatory stone cladding is designed to protect against piercing wind, it is made of wild natural stone or artificial imitation of sandstone, shale and limestone.
The masonry is supplemented with wooden sheathing, and the remaining places are plastered with light shades: milky, beige, blue.
The relief of the roof is multi-pitched, dormer windows regulate the pressure inside the attic. Ceramic tiles are used for coating.
Classical Provence style houses rarely have a porch or an entrance portico. Usually the entrance area is represented by a massive door, decorated with forged elements and a viewing window. But modern projects of French cottages offer another solution: glass doors with narrow bindings and high wooden shutters. A path leads from the outer gate to the door.
Windows in historical buildings are narrow and low, in a more fashionable version they are wide and reach the floor. Among the design elements - a complex window layout, bright shutters. In the design of the second floor, you can see a miniature colonnade and neat French balconies.
The harsh appearance of the facades is compensated by the magnificent rose garden that surrounds the villa. Beautiful landscape design with ornamental shrubs and front gardens is also an attribute of Provence.

Classic French houses in Norman style

The architecture of the northernmost province of the country - Normandy - was influenced by Scandinavian and German culture. A clear interest in the old Gothic forms has survived to this day.

One-, two-story buildings with an attic are built of brick. As an external cladding, plaster, artificial stone is used.
The facades are decorated in a rustic style. It sets the geometric clarity, the desired sharpness. Rustic panels imitating stone frame the window openings and highlight the corners of the buildings. Entrance doors are massive, a porch with a forged railing leads to them.
In combination with a rough stone finish, wood “works” beautifully, more precisely, wooden beams like half-timbered houses. In the three-dimensional pattern of the walls, vertical and cruciform racks are combined. With a limited budget, polyurethane beams painted in dark or bright colors are used instead of natural material.
The French style of cottages a la Normandie is manifested in pointed hip or gable roofs with wide gables, conical turrets, chimneys. Attic windows have their own roofs - pitched or gable. Forged decorations in the form of spiers emphasize the complex relief of the roof.
Window openings are most often narrow and high, with small deglazing. If there is a color accent in the design of the walls, the window frames are painted in its tone. A group of windows on the upper floor can be framed by a figured pediment.
The colors of the houses are varied: gray-blue, dark brown, ocher, white shades. In Russia, sand and beige shades, warm and calm, are popular among private developers.

The Norman style inspired the TopDom designers to create. Lancet and triangular pediments, asymmetrical roof with Gothic spiers, square chimneys emphasize the upward trend. And decorative brick layouts, half-timbered elements and floral ornaments interestingly complicate the facade solution.