Vivienne and Geoff get modern with French country

French country meets modern... as seen in this Cambridge country home, where great styling and confident Resene colour choices are involved the two can live in harmony.

Homeowners Vivienne and Geoff drew initial inspiration for the interior from French style furniture that they already owned, using it to develop the main living areas and bedrooms. In the smaller areas, they adventured into a more modern aesthetic, choosing dramatic colours to make rooms pop – from the moody, warm den painted in Resene Grey Friars to the sleek grey/white striped wallpaper walls in the bathroom from the Walltrends 3 range available from Resene ColorShops.

Top tip: Wallpaper is an easy and quick way to add texture and pattern to your walls. Resene stocks a huge range of wallpaper, or you can you design your own at www.wallprint.co.nz

Vivienne talks us through the inspiration and build of the new home.

Tell us about the home

The house is three months old, with a modernised contemporary French country theme. It has been built on the edge of a reserve overlooking farmland and hills. 

How did you decide on the overall look of the interiors?

We used to own a country lodge in Ohakune with French styled furniture. The colours that were used throughout the interiors of our new home were to complement the existing style of furniture we had.

What Resene colours and products have you used?

We used Resene Black White for the living room, hallway, guest bedrooms, ceilings and exterior. In the master bedroom we chose Resene Silver Chalice, a complementary colour to the Resene wallpaper in the ensuite. The den and internal doors are painted in Resene Grey Friars.

What was the biggest decorating, renovating or building challenge for this project?

The biggest challenge was to give each room in the house a view to either the hills or the reserve. Another challenge was to make it as open as possible and flow seamlessly from room to room while still giving each room its own personality using colour.

What is your advice for someone trying to achieve a similar look?

Don’t be afraid of using bold colours, especially in smaller areas. It's a cost effective way of achieving individuality. We used dramatic colours for the small areas to make them pop! We were after something different that had plenty of personality.

Published: 27 Aug 2015

Do you have a home full of wonderful Resene paint and colour? Send us some snaps by emailing [email protected].

modern French country, black living room, navy lounge, yellow couch, elephant art

Colours in the den flow easily, from the majestic elephant artwork to the moody walls in Resene Grey Friars, and the gold, grey and blues through the assorted furnishings.

pictures

Jessica Judge

French country, white dining room, white kitchen, chandelier, white living room, white lounge

By contrast, the lounge has a more traditional French country feel, with Resene Black White on the walls and ceiling, and timeless touches including a chandelier, wooden dining suite and a curated collection of treasures.

French country, house exterior, black and white, white exterior, brick house

The French country theme carries out onto the exterior, also painted in Resene Black White.

french country, bathroom, ensuite, striped wallpaper, silver bathroom, silver wallpaper

Bathing around beautiful design. The couple went mod with their ensuite bathroom and, just like the den, created a story with the colour scheme. The wallpaper is available from Resene ColorShops, as part of the Walltrends 3 range (code 268743, silver/white, and 25678 black/white).

French country, striped wallpaper, black and white bathroom, black and white wallpaper, toilet

Continuing the theme, a stripy enclave for the toilet. The wallpaper is from the Walltrends 3 collection, code 25678, available from Resene ColorShops. 

French country, bedroom, grey bedroom, neutrals, grey walls, master bedroom

A sun-filled bedroom, painted in soft Resene Silver Chalice. 

master bedroom, grey bedroom, ensuite, French country, grey bathroom, striped wallpaper

A seamless flow from mod bathroom to a master bedroom that leans more towards a French country aesthetic.

French country, guest bedroom, white bedroom, indoor outdoor flow, garden

The guest bedroom is a place to relax and enjoy the surrounding views. Walls painted in Resene Black White.

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Resene Black White

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Resene Silver Chalice

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Resene Grey Friars

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