Decorating with French Country Flair

The gorgeous textures and colours of rustic French Country style decorating has always been something that I have loved.
It's warm tones and earthy feel make a house feel like a home. If you love this style as much as we do here at The Hamptons House and are looking for ways to incorporate this beautiful style into your home, we have come up with some simple ideas that you can begin to use to inject a touch of classic French Country style into any room of the house....

The Basics - French country style is all about warmth and comfort. It is about creating a sense of homeliness and that 'lived in' feel. French country style incorporates lots of wrought iron pieces, painted furniture and distressed wooden pieces, crisp linens in neutral colours, and splashes of vibrant colours that take influence from the beautiful French countryside such as shades of green, lavender, pinks and pastel or 'duck egg' blues. Decorating with fresh flowers and herb displays are another essential to French Provincial flair - especially the use of lavender...

In the Bedroom - a wrought iron bed or and old garden gate as a headboard bring a rustic homespun feel to the bedroom. Use crisp white or cream bed linens and add splashes of colour with scatter cushions and vintage style glass vases. Distressed wooden picture frames are are great way to display your favourite memories and add a touch of nostalgia to the bedroom.

In the Kitchen - use lots of clear and country style jars to store your ingredients. You can find these inexpensively at second hand and thrift stores. Using quirky rustic iron and wooden signs and clocks on the walls also gives your kitchen a beautiful French provincial feel. Colours such as warm greys and greens are great when used in the kitchen to infuse a bit of colour.

In the Living Room - try to incorporate elements from the outdoors. Use a wallpaper with a subtle leaf or bird design in a neutral tone, as well as scatter cushions in a natural linen with rustic features and designs. Glass vases in vibrant greens and blues are a lovely way to display fresh flowers picked from the garden. Classic furniture made from wood or natural linens are best, search for chairs with vintage detail....

To Keep You Near - Personalised Charms

A friend of ours at the Hamptons House had just launched a gorgeous new business called 'To Keep You Near' that specialises in creating beautiful, personlised charms for weddings, bouquets, bombonierre and baby charms. All handcrafted with care for you with your most treasured photos. We think this a a great idea if you are looking to give a thoughtful and unique gift to a loved one or to create something meaningful for use on your wedding day or other special occassion. And the best part is that you can keep the charm as a cherished momento for years to come! Coming from a background in wedding planning and floristry, owner Anika Steel has had plenty of experience in helping people put the finishing touches on their special occassions! Have a look at a selection of the lovely charms she creates and contact her to see what she can do for you!

How to Decorate Hamptons Beach Style

Decorating your home to incorporate classic 'Hamptons Beach' style is easier than you think - and can also be kind on your wallet! This classic decorating style never goes out of fashion. If you invest in a few key pieces of furniture in neutral shades, you can change up your look through the seasons with current accessories. I personally cannot get enough of this look - it is everything that 'The Hamptons House' style is all about!

Hamptons Beach style comes from the Hamptons region of Long Island in New York - a popular destination among the affluent. It embodies the best of classic decorating with rustic influences. Think of the gorgeous home featured in the film 'Somethings Gotta Give' with Diane Keaton. If you haven't seen this film I highly recommend it (for the house alone!)

If you are wanting to inject some of this classic decorating style into your home, we have some easy tips that you can follow...

Use Light Colors
If you're looking for a classic Hamptons beach style feel, start with color. The idea is to keep things light, breezy and natural. Choose rustic wood flooring that has a sun-bleached look. Stick with white or neutral colored walls. Linen upholstery looks natural and casual, perfect for relaxing after a day in the sun. If you like the look of wicker, choose high-end pieces that don't feel cheap and tacky - white wicker looks especially chic in Hamptons Beach inspired homes.

Create a Style Balance
Interior designer, John Barman, suggests balancing contemporary styles with rustic touches like barn wood elements, original hardware and bead board walls. Using all rustic elements would make the space seem dated and overwhelmingly antique. If all contemporary touches were used, the house wouldn't feel like it was at the beach. Combining these styles is what makes everything come together. It is all about achieving that ideal mix of clean and contemporary pieces with rustic, imperfect touches.

Get Creative with Vintage Finds
Furniture that is interesting and unique doesn't need to cost a fortune! Become an expert at scouring local garage sales, discount furniture stores and local charity shops for distinctive pieces that embody the style you are after. Often these pieces are still in fairly good condition - all that you need to do is give the piece a little TLC to bring it back to life. Sand back your piece, re-paint it in a gorgeous white or duck egg blue and change fixtures such as handles by sourcing these from your local hardware store such as Bunnings. Schots Home Emporium has great antique inspired fixtures also! Thinking about re-upholstering those dining room chairs? DIY the job and save by getting a staple gun, some quality linen at your nearest Spotlight or Lincraft store in a French toil pattern or beach stripe pattern and fix the material to your dining room chairs for a quick and pocket friendly boost to your room!

Incorporate Natural Elements
Bring the outdoors inside by including plenty of living things into the décor of your home. The most important and easiest way to do this is by using plants and shells for decorating. Inexpensive and always beautiful, live plants mimic the lush plant life of the beach and add some color to the décor. Live plants also purify the air, making your home fresher. Items like driftwood, seashells and sun-bleached sand dollars are great ways to incorporate elements of nature. Display them in clear glass jars and as table centerpieces.

Natural Light
Light is one of the greatest decorating elements available. Huge windows that let sunlight wash into the rooms are a great investment. All the light colors can look drab without the sun illuminating them. Consider installing a skylight for more light exposure.

Our Favourite Movie Homes

It's no secret that I love beautiful interior design, and over the years a great deal of my decorating and style inspiration has come from homes that I have seen in some of my favourite films and tv shows. Sometimes a home can be so beautiful and impressive in it's own right that it almost forms another character in a film and I find myself obsessed with watching the film again and again just so that I can soak up the interior design elements of the set... yes, I know that sounds a wee bit crazy!

You may be like me though and find yourself doing the same thing when it comes to beautiful homes. From scoping our real estate online when you are meant to be "working", to going to open houses and display homes just for "fun", or driving through pretty neighbourhoods at a snails pace just so that you don't accidentally miss a beautiful house... the list of obsessive behaviour goes on!

I thought you may enjoy scoping out some pictures from my all time favourite movie homes in this blog entry. Check out the homes that have given me my style inspiration over the years - I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

The Hamptons Beach home from "Somethings Gotta Give"

The Southern Plantation home from "The Notebook"

"The white house with blue shutters"

The Classic American "Father of the Bride" Home

Hamptons House Giveaway!

Hi all! As we know, Christmas is looming on the horizon (scarily enough!). Some of you may have been very good and organised and have your shopping well under control, others (like me) are the type that leave it all to the last minute and then panic at having to face wading through the crowds of people flocking their nearest shopping centre....ahhh the fun of it all!

Shopping online can be a great way to ease your rising panic - it means no crowds, no lines, no opening hour restrictions and best of all no carpark stalking! Which, let's face it, is a big plus. Here at the Hamptons House we have your Christmas needs under control with our range of gorgeous Coastal and French Country inspired items. Each piece is special and you are sure to find just the right thing for your loved one's from our online catalogue - all while sitting back in the comfort of your own home.

Being that the silly season is almost upon us, we wanted to get into the spirit of giving, and that being said our First Giveaway is this stunning set of 4 'Dragonfly Coffee Mugs' (part of our popular Dragonfly range). This set is the perfect way to entertain for afternoon tea/ coffee with friends and family over the holidays.

How to Enter

All you need to do to win this gorgeous mug set is answer the following question:

Where is your favourite place to enjoy a cup of coffee or tea and why?

Rules of Play

- STEP ONE - Simply leave a reply to this question on our Facebook or Twitter page

- STEP TWO - Share this link with your friends by retweeting this on Twitter or sharing this link on Facebook

- Winner will be selected at random based on the best reponse, postage is included.

- Giveaway winner will be announced on Wednesday the 1st of December, 2010.

- Giveaway open to delivery within Victoria only.

Good luck, I look forward to hearing your responses! And Happy Friday to all!