10 Effortlessly Chic Things the French Do at Home Without Thinking…But You Should Start
A lesson in taste, elegance, and not over-fluffing the throw pillows
I learned early on that elegance can’t be bought. It’s how you live. Every time I’m in Europe, I notice that the most stylish spaces aren’t necessarily the grandest. They are layered and thoughtful…subtly undone in all the right ways. They don’t focus on design trends, but rather on personality. And that quiet confidence I gained by living in France for a short time? I’ve carried it with me ever since.
Now, living in an original 1928 Spanish Revival home in Los Angeles, I think of decorating less as a task and more as a rhythm. An inherited habit. Each room has a story that continues to unfold. A historic painting here, a new candelabra there. An item from that one time my sister and I went to that one place over there. Nothing matches, but everything belongs. It’s the French approach to decor, to make a house feel like a home and not a showroom.
Here are ten things the French do at home without even thinking, and how to make them your own, wherever you live.
1. They Leave Things a Little Undone
A bed that isn’t perfectly made. A stack of books halfway tipped. A painting leaning against the wall for years before anyone bothers to hang it. There’s magic in the unfinished. It gives the room breath. Americans love to style; the French allow their space to be lived in.
2. They Don’t Fear Patina
Chipped plates, weathered floors, scratched marble…it’s all welcome. There’s no urge to replace or refinish. The wear becomes part of the story. In fact, they prefer it that way. You won’t find the French Googling “how to clean brass.” They let it tarnish. That’s character. I recently bought a 1952 bronze stool from Chairish that has some green coloring from oxidation, which developed over time. I rather like it this way and that was part of the charm for me. Had it been in perfect, unlived condition, I honestly don’t think it would be as chic. So French.
3. They Mix High and Low (But Don’t Announce It)
A flea market oil painting next to a Maison Jansen table. A pile of collected art books in the living room (I’m definitely guilty of this one). It’s about composition and how you put a room together, not always the price tag of the items themselves. It’s anyone’s guess which pieces were an investment and which were a steal, but it all flows and works together to create an inviting and unique space. And the French would never utter the phrase “high-low mix,” they just live it.
4. They Treat Lighting Like Jewelry
Overhead lights? Not a chance. Moody candelabra sconces, fringed lamps, ornate bases with custom fabric lamp shades. They place lighting as if they’re casting a scene. It’s cinematic and never too bright. Candlelight over bright ceiling lights. Everything looks better in a glow, especially you.
5. They Don’t Match
Not their chairs, not their frames, not their dinner plates. Matching is a hotel thing. A French dining room is a joyful mess of collected pieces, inherited finds, and that one chair they’re not sure where it came from. I hope to see more of this authenticity in more homes that I visit.
6. They Hang Art Too Low
The age old issue of how and where to hang your art is never even a topic of discussion for the French. They go with whatever feels right, not what the rules say. It’s always a little lower than you expect. Sometimes even off-center. Even joyfully disarming. It feels casual, lived-in, and a little rebellious. Like, yes, I know the rules, but I don’t care to follow them.
7. They Make the Kitchen Beautiful, Not Just Functional
This concept of making the kitchen another joyful room in the house and not just a place of utility and function is one of my favorite takeaways from the French. A copper pot on the stove that may or may not be used. A linen cloth thrown over a loaf of bread. Decorative tiles that add unique charm. Their kitchens are as composed as their living rooms, and often more poetic. Making the kitchen a beautiful and rustic place of joy is something I really focused on in my current home. I keep my favorite cookbooks and wooden cutting boards along the walls on the countertops to really create a warm and friendly feeling and a space that makes me want to simmer something delicious in my large Le Creuset for hours.
8. They Display Books Like Art
Not styled, not color-coded. Just there. Slouching on a stool, stacked high on the floor, tumbled across a table among flowers and objects. Books are furniture. Books are a mood. They are collected and read, flipped-through and enjoyed.
9. They Leave Space Blank
Not every wall needs art. Not every shelf needs objects. The French are comfortable with restraint. They don’t fill space for the sake of it. They allow the eye to rest and have key areas to focus on. A busy space for busy sake is not in their language. Something we could all do more of.
10. They Add a Bit of the Past
Even in the most contemporary spaces, there’s always a piece of history. A portrait, a beautiful piece of silver, a family heirloom candlestick. It keeps the space grounded, timeless and elegant. And interesting. Because nothing new ever looks truly elegant until it’s sitting beside something old. This idea that I always go back to, “one of one,” is something I picked up from the French. It’s a nostalgic way to make your space uniquely yours.
🥂 Closing Thought
Living in Los Angeles, where trends move fast and homes are often dressed to impress in overhauls of neutral and modular everything, I like to think of my space as a little act of resistance. I don’t match. I don’t rush. I collect without hoarding. I remember what is in my highly curated collection that I can bring out to complete a space. I let the room evolve around the life that’s unfolding inside it.
The French may do it without thinking. But once you start, you’ll never decorate the same way again.