Creating a French Country Dining Room on a Budget

I have a little tour of my home to show you that I have been saving! I was excited when Kim at Savvy Southern Style asked me to share my favorite room a while back for her regular Friday feature and, if you know me, I'll bet you can guess which room it is. Yep...my French Country dining room! And...I managed to create my own little corner of France on a budget! I hope you enjoy this up-close-and-personal look at my favorite space!

But first, let me tell you a little bit about myself and how I found my style. As a French teacher, I have had the wonderful opportunity to live and travel in France over the years and to visit and be a guest in beautiful homes, like this farmhouse in Provence. How could I help but fall in love with French Country style! But eventually the birth of my first grandchild drew me back home to Georgia. And I knew what I wanted to do…create a little bit of France in my own home! So I began to look for pieces that reflected what I had seen in France.

My hutch was the very first piece that I found…and I still love it! It has the French Country look that I love and was a blank canvas for me to display my plates! Those are my favorite plates on the wall…

…vintage Quimper faïence found at the Sunday antique market in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France, depicting a couple in the traditional dress of Brittany. I love the way Quimper comes in pairs…and I find that I have to have them both! I can’t separate the little couple, after all!

On top of the hutch is my collection of double happiness jars…named for the Chinese symbol pictured on the face of the jars. They have all come from thrift stores and flea markets except for my original jar purchased 40 years ago.

Although the centerpiece on the table may change with the seasons, this is my favorite…a pumpkin-shaped tureen that I found for a song in slightly funky Grayton Beach, Florida! It was sitting on a shelf looking over my shoulder and calling my name while I was eating breakfast in a little café! I love blue and white…can you tell?

Always present somewhere in the dining room is my mom's vintage Red Cliff ironstone tureen. I love the grape motif...my favorite! I have since been lucky enough to find a few more pieces in the Red Cliff grape pattern in thrift stores, such as the sugar and creamer that you see on the table.

On the opposite side of the room is the matching buffet with a few more pieces of my Quimper collection…a poster topped by another pair of plates and a double wall sconce filled with lavender. And on the buffet…

...is my Victorian silverplate castor set! It is one of my favorite flea market finds! I seem to have a thing about antique silverplate and this one was a steal…a real “start the car” moment!

One of the things I like best about this room is the fact that I can change the look with just a tablescape! Here, we are having a French Country supper with layers of linens. The tablecloth is actually a drop cloth topped with my faux grain sack table runner.

In fact, many of the linens that I use on my table are not French at all, but my much less expensive copy-cat versions of vintage French linens.

And I love decorating my dining room for the holidays! Here it is all dressed in a Thanksgiving tablescape using a ruffled burlap table runner to anchor it.

And here it is ready for the holidays with a Christmas tablescape of more burlap, plaid and glittery stars. That’s my shabby tool box in the background…

…wearing its Christmas garb and stealing the show on my hutch!

But I can also dress it down for every day with favorite pieces from my blue and white collection. In fact, this little tool box has proven itself to be quite versatile and a fun addition to my dining room!

I think this room is my favorite, not only because it is filled with things that I love, but because this is the room that feels more French to me. It gives me a little chance to escape and dream about past adventures in France and hope for more to come!

Thanks so much  for allowing me to show you my favorite room! If you would like to have a look at the rest of my home, you will find a complete tour here.

Remember to pin it! 

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoyed seeing my favorite room! Please visit these wonderful bloggers and their beautiful blogs to see what they are up to and to find a list of this week’s participants. 
Under the Table and Dreaming for the Sunday Showcase Party , Thrifty Decor Chick for Before and After Monday , Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday , The Stories of A2Z for Tutorials and Tips Tuesday , Coastal Charm for the Show and Share Party , A Stroll thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday , My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Inspire Me Monday, Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays ,   French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday , Common Ground for Be Inspired on Fridays , The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday , Craftberry Bush for the Inspiration Gallery on Friday

See you next time! À la prochaine!

Also find me at…

 

Enter your email to have Plate Addict's blog posts delivered


Delivered by FeedBurner