“Meals are the most enjoyable moments of the day. We only miss them on rare occasions,” said Thibaut de Saint Pol, a sociologist at the Ecole Normale Supereure de Cachan, told The Local. Mealtimes are “an important social time,” and “family identity, work teams or friends are built around these moments,” he remarked. “And sharing food is a way of establishing a connection with other people,” the sociologist added.
French Country Dining Room Must-Haves
It can be seen that French loves eating. In fact, according to one study, “the French spend a leisurely two hours, 13 minutes a day drinking and eating, which is far above the average of one hour 30 minutes and represents the most time spent on meals compared to any other country included in the survey.” They do not just love eating, but they also see this as an opportunity to dine with their loved ones.
Part of their love of eating may be attributable to the colors present in their eating areas, especially those that are present in French Country dining rooms, such as soft yellow, muted red, muted blue, or serene green. Yellows are cheery and uplifting colors. It also reflects a welcoming atmosphere to your dining guests. The blues and green are relaxing and tranquil. Green brings out a sense of comfort and togetherness. The blue color is an appetite-suppressing color which could be the reason and cause of slower eating, thus longer time to consume their food. While red is the appetite-stimulating one. Warm colors such as those we mentioned are a must-have in a French country dining room.
Another must-have is a beautifully accented wooden dining table, either with a colorful tablecloth or table runner, lush blooms, or even a mix of those. Round or rectangular tables, it doesn’t matter as long as it can accommodate the family happily eating together. Sunflowers or lavenders in a french vase are two of the most common flowers that adorn French country dining tables. We highly recommend using fresh flowers in your dining space.
A traditional fabric used for covering and decorating the table is toile. Toile fabric can also be used as curtains. Other than using toile fabrics, patterns such as stripes and checkers are usually seen in the French country dining rooms.
French country dining chairs should be those with cabriole legs in ladder back style, or with vertical slats, which are often with rush seating.
A bread basket should be available on your dining table to contain your Pain de campagne.
Other staples in a French country-styled space are good lighting, elegance, and items that are rustic. A chandelier addresses these all during the night and also functions as a rustic decor during daylight. But wait! Anticipate needing more light during the night, so we recommend having a set of candles in floral candlestick holders, especially when having dinner with guests.
A mix and balance of something old and new is the key to your French country dining room. Once achieved, then you’ll definitely say Bon Appetit!