French Country Kitchen

The French countryside is home to Dijon mustard, pastoral settings, and some of the warmest most inviting kitchens in the world. Recreating this old world charm is as easy as mincemeat pie. Just follow some of these suggestions and your kitchen will be a canvas with which you can paint your culinary masterpieces.

Les Couleurs
As far as colors go, you will want to give your French country kitchen a warm inviting feeling. This includes colors like off white, light beige and taupe. There should be no overly strong colors. Also, you should try and use wood whenever possible. Additionally, you might want to use color accents like rose and soft yellows.

Your next step is to synchronize these colors with carpets, cabinets and furniture. This should give your French country kitchen a monochromatic look. Don¡¯t be afraid though; all of the pots and pans and spices will add the bits of diversity needed for balance.

Back to Basics
First, try and dig up some old rustic looking materials. These kitchen tools will add sophistication to the look of your kitchen. Plus, these tools are often so simple and easy to use that you¡¯ll be amazed that some fool ever decided to replace them with an electronic gadget version.

Make sure that there is lots of storage. This is a feature of any European kitchen. After all, Europe is a small place and the houses as well as the kitchens reflect this. Therefore, storage space is often the top priority to the French chef.

To avoid a clumsy look, be sure to decorate your cabinets with pots and pans and spices. Also, make sure that all of your utensils are stored in one concentrated area.

French Living
In the French countryside, cooking is as communal an activity as eating. Often the entire family will get together and prepare their meal together. The cook is never isolated. Therefore, make sure that there is plenty of space available for all. This includes seating for those in charge of cutting vegetables.

It Doesn't Have to Belong to the Kitchen
You can also use non-cooking related accessories to round out the old world look of your French country kitchen. Try using a bookcase full of old books, antique vases and dried flowers. It will add that certain je ne sais quoi.

All that is left now is creating delicious French cuisine. That, of course is up to you and your abilities. No matter what you do eventually decide to make, it will be made in the best possible environment. So, even if it doesn¡¯t taste like a gourmet meal from Provence, it will at least feel like that¡¯s where you cooked it.

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