The French aesthetic ideal is a little different to the British aesthetic ideal, and this is evidenced in the differences between French and English antiques. Generally speaking, French style furniture, of a certain period, tends to be very well-adorned, elegant and somewhat royal (French revolution notwithstanding.)
In the modern day, there is a huge trend in the UK for French style furniture, and many interior designers use French antiques or French reproduction furniture to add very interesting style dimensions to living spaces. Because French style furniture is often quite decedent in its design it lends itself to interiors that are almost theatrical in their aesthetics.
So, it is common to find French furniture in homes that are of a traditional leaning, however this certainly isn’t always the case. Many modern properties use reproduction pieces because they add a lot to modern design, novel textures and visual effects. They work especially well as part of the shabby chic style, i.e. interesting items of furniture that have a stylish distressed look.
There is a wide variety of French pieces that you can incorporate into your home, and reproduction pieces often work just as well as originals. Often, people will choose French versions of high impact furniture items, such as mirrors or vanity units.
Using French furniture isn’t a case of having lots and lots of money and if you look online you’ll find a range of more cost effective French reproductions.
