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From Old School to Modern: The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room

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In this post: I often use the term modern French country decor. I’m not sure it’s a thing, but the evolution of my French country dining room illustrates what it is to me.⇒

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

I’m almost done!

No, really. Just one more thing, I think. 

For those of you following the journey of the transformation of my French country dining room, you’re probably not surprised. At least  one of the changes I’m sharing today, you no doubt saw coming. But, perhaps, not the other. Especially given it’s something I just added not that long ago.

But I’m getting ahead of myself.

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

Let me back up a minute and talk a little bit about my design aesthetic. I’m sure you all know I love French Country decor. It is, after all, my blog’s tag line. 

BUT… I qualify it by calling it ‘Modern French Country Decor’.

Honestly, I don’t know if there is such a thing. But in my mind it’s very clearly defined. In fact, if you google ‘French Country decor’ and ‘modern French Country decor’, you’ll see the difference immediately.

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

This is precisely the refinement I’ve been bringing to my home recently. In many cases the furniture hasn’t changed but the overall look is, I believe, vastly different. Consider the French country dining room the way it looked just 3 years ago, when we moved into this house.

rosy floral dining room

While none of the major furniture pieces have been changed, the room has a completely different attitude. Gone are the mixed patterns and faux florals. In their place I’ve added drape-y linens and antique accent pieces.

You can see the process in these posts:

Stage 1:  Elegant Dining Rooms: Refining an Existing Space

Stage 2:  Dining Room Accessories: 3 Updates That Make a Huge Difference

Stage 3:  How I Transformed My Dining Room Without Replacing the Furniture

In the last post I was nearly done. But there were still 3 aspects I wanted to refine further.

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

Which brings us to our most recent updates. 

The first one is the dining room rug. While I loved the rug that I had recently added, it was a bit dark for this oddly lit room and more significantly, it was too small. I like to keep the table open with one extension leaf and the back of the end chairs weren’t sitting on the rug. An 8 x 10 rug was simply too small.

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

I might not have done anything about it for quite some time, but when a new sponsor, eSale Rugs, contacted me I jumped at the chance. They provided this gorgeous rug from their Villa Rug Collection that’s perfectly suited for the space. I got the 9 x 12 size and the size and color are a certain improvement.

(Rest assured I kept the other rug and I’m loving it in its new location. Stay tuned for that update!)

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

The second adjustment is something I’ve been talking about for a while, and this is the one many of you likely guessed at. If you’ve seen my Instagram stories you know I’ve been changing many of the paint colors in the house. The dining room was among the rooms getting a paint upgrade.

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

I actually almost didn’t paint it because the pale pink was very subtle, but I’m absolutely delighted that I opted to do it. I used Tapestry Beige at 50% strength and this made the room feel  almost complete.

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

I think this French country dining room has well captured my vision of exactly what modern French Country is. I use plenty of antiques with the charm of patina and neutral washed linens in white and stone. Crystal and gilding both have a place here and the contrast of casual with elegance is the signature facet.

A quintessential example of this can be seen in the table setting, where I’ve mixed silver flatware patterns that I’ve recently acquired. Much like I enjoy mixing vintage china, the intermingling of silver patterns gives personality to my styling.

So what is the one last piece of the puzzle I still want to revamp? I’ll leave that one for another day… 😉

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

Now, if someone could just tell me the answer to something that’s been driving me crazy, I would be ever-so-grateful. Should the word “country” be capitalized in French Country? Please let me know in the comments below!

(Updated to add: I have since painted the two dark pieces of furniture. To see those 2 updates visit painted sideboard and painted dining room cabinet.)

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

French Country Dining Room Source List

To get the look, click on the items below for direct links to the products. Where actual items were no longer available, I’ve provided similar options.

(This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.)

The Evolution of a French Country Dining Room: From Old School to Modern

IF YOU LIKED THIS POST, YOU MIGHT ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

  • How I Transformed My Dining Room without Replacing the Furniture
  • Dining Room Accessories: 3 Updates That Make a Huge Difference
  • Elegant Dining Rooms: Refining an Existing Space
  • Dining Room Storage: The Ultimate Guide to Organizing Your Tableware

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25 Comments Filed Under: Evergreen Decor, Homestyle   Tagged With: French country dining room

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Comments

  1. Erika says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 7:58 am

    What a lovely evolution! Beautiful tablesetting, and I love your dining table. The juxtaposition of that warm wood against all the neutrals makes them all sing. You have a truly lovely home. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 10:24 am

      Thank you so much for your kind words!

      Reply
  2. Taste of France says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 9:05 am

    It’s very beautiful. While your new drapes are simpler and less formal than the old ones, the switch to a restrained color palette and the simple white covers on the chairs, rather than the checks, makes the room both more classic and more modern at the same time.

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 10:25 am

      Thank you!! I was hoping that would be the effect… 🙂

      Reply
  3. Nancy Pharr says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 9:39 am

    That’s biffet and mirror though! ? I say it should be capitalized. Because it’s part of the name. I have a question jay had been bugging me. Maybe you could even do a blog on the answer. What is the difference between French Country and Country French?

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 10:27 am

      Haha! I don’t think there’s any difference between French Country and Country French… 😉 The thing is, farmhouse isn’t capitalized, so why would french country be? Except that French should be capitalized. And then it feels weird to not capitalize country.

      Reply
  4. Candice Shea says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 9:56 am

    Yes, French Country should be in caps.

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 10:24 am

      Thanks! So both words? What if it’s Modern French Country?

      Reply
  5. Diqne says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 10:30 am

    Yes, I think it should be capped, Country, because you are using it in a descriptive title.

    Reply
  6. Elizabeth Roderick says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 11:27 am

    Your beautiful dining room has moved from classy to CLASSY..and yes, all 3 words in caps.

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 2:36 pm

      Haha, thanks!! Great comment… 🙂

      Reply
  7. Holliday Johnson says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 12:19 pm

    I love the evolution! The soft whites help create such an elegant space. Nice look and post!

    Reply
  8. Cathy Tally says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    Retired English teacher (me) says yes you capitalize both because it is a name. I love the updates!?

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 2:24 pm

      Thanks so much! I was waiting for an English teach to weigh in!! 🙂

      Reply
  9. Wendy says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 3:02 pm

    I think I would capitalize the “c” in Country. Your rooms are beautiful.

    Reply
  10. Sheila says

    Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 4:52 pm

    LOVE your dining room so much now Lory – it’s perfect! And no, “country” should not be capitalized but “French” should! (I love that you care about that;)

    Sheila
    xo

    Reply
  11. Barbara Chapman ~ French Ethereal says

    Wednesday, August 15, 2018 at 11:54 am

    Hi Lory! Love the transformation of your living room… sigh! I can’t help you with the French Country dilemna as I think the same thing whenever I am writing, too. Glad that someone above said it should be capitalized!! I’ll go with that answer. 🙂

    Happy redecorating ~ love the new look,
    Hugs,
    Barb 🙂

    Reply
  12. Deb G says

    Saturday, August 18, 2018 at 7:59 am

    Room color is divine. Caps.

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Monday, August 20, 2018 at 11:21 pm

      Thanks!!

      Reply
  13. Deb G says

    Saturday, August 18, 2018 at 8:22 am

    BTW, which paint company? And I am noticing chair rails at 4’. We are installing some and I was wondering what you thought about it. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Monday, August 20, 2018 at 11:21 pm

      The paint company is Benjamin Moore. The chair rails were there when we moved in. I’m fine with them, but I do love more interesting moulding like board and batten. Thinking of that for a smaller room.

      Reply
  14. Donna Milazzo says

    Friday, August 24, 2018 at 11:59 am

    Seems like a consensus already, but all the first letters should be caps. You’d never see Shabby chic, right?? Everything is so pretty! Did you show the old rug? Looks like the same rug on all the pictures I see. Thinking about replacing mine too. Thanks for the inspiration.

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Saturday, August 25, 2018 at 8:20 am

      Thanks, Donna! The old rug is in this post: https://designthusiasm.com/transformed-dining-room/ But I haven’t shown yet where I moved it to… 😉 As for caps, I’m still not sure. It does feel like it should be capitalized, and I can accept the explanation that it’s a title, but then why isn’t farmhouse capitalized? As for Shabby Chic, that’s the name of a company so it’s capitalized, but when referring to the style, it’s actually not always capitalized. You see ‘shabby chic’ all the time, much like farmhouse. With French Country, the complication comes in because French needs to be capitalized.

      Reply
  15. Sue Scully says

    Monday, November 9, 2020 at 8:33 pm

    Beautiful rooms and love your butlers pantry. I have room for one if I redo the old closet. It should be French Country.

    Reply
    • Lory at Designthusiasm says

      Monday, November 9, 2020 at 9:31 pm

      Thank you! We really enjoy it. So glad we did it… 🙂

      Reply

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