French Country Color Trends for 2020

Creating spaces to make us feel serene and pampered are part of the color trends of 2020.  The new list of colors are subdued to bring a tranquility to our living spaces. Valspar's new paint colors of 2020 contain Mint Whisper, Canyon Earth, Desert Fortress, Secluded Garden, Bombay Pink, Utterly Blue, Secret Moss and Pale Powder with names to reflect the beauty of Nature.



 Soft leather upholstered chairs with soft pillows bring warmth.

 Since saving our environment is all on our minds the color trends for 2020 show nature in action.

 The color Golden Straw reflects soothing wheat fields flowing in the wind.

 Buxton Blue shows the beauty of the sky we all share in common.

 The color of Blue Danube reminds us of gentle waters in Europe.

 This soft blue plaid comes from puffy clouds against a blue sky.

 Shades of blue that matches your mood is a color trend for 2020.

 Geometric patterns found in shades of turquoise make your eye pop.

 Nature is found in the reflection of this Bluejay waiting to fly from its branch.

Shades of  green sea color can be found in fabric ready to find a place in your home.  

The vibrant animal fabric can remind you of an African Safari.  

A soft rosy hue blooming from a rose bud can be found in fabrics perfect for a chair  

The paint color Cushing Green HC 125 from Benjamin Moore would be perfect with the French Country Vintage Fabric.  

Nature inspired hues bring serenity to our homes.  A mix of greens neutrals. and pinks remind us of shades of color  from a brisk walk on a lovely day to feel the air.  

Vintage Fabric

I discovered this fabric at Calico Corners and Cutting Corners.  It has tiny pinkish red roses on it.  The blue goes great with my color scheme.  My mother sewed the material in one long piece so all I had to do is drape it across with a swag shape.  I think fabric softens a window.  In Texas alot of people use the blinds alone.  It seems when I visited homes on the east coast it was more common to see drapes.  Since I am more traditional I like the look of a more finished piece.  I wouldn't have bought the blinds but the glare on the TV needed to be blocked out.  They are also very important for privacy.  I used sheers for living room.  

Finding A Place for Cherished Toile Fabric

Fabric speaks to me.  My mother and I picked out the toile fabric several years ago.  She made pillows, recovered a chair and made drapes with coordinating material.  Since my mom is ninety years old she will not be sewing a new set.  So i wanted to keep something to remember her by.  I also shopped for another toile and didn't see one I liked better.

My mom and I  found this chair at an estate sale with cane sides and curved legs, very French.  It is sooo comfortable our cat, Crystal loved to curl up in it.  The chair was saved in the flood so it was a sign to keep it.  My son called it the people fabric.  Every toile tells a story.  The story seems to be about a husband and wife working in fields for survival.  The wife watered the plants in her lovely garden and the husband plowed crops to sell and eat.   Life a hundred years ago was mostly rural.  Husband and wife worked as a team to provide food on the table and sell what was left over.  My mom grew up on a farm in rural Oklahoma and remembers what it was like to grab eggs from the underbelly of a chicken.  It  wasn't romantic at all because the chickens pecked at her.  But it was her job and she did it.  She watched her mother ring the necks of chickens for Sunday dinner.  The toile is a reminder of rural America.

I purchased the book, Country French Living by Charles Faudree to educate me about French design.  As I was thumbing the pages I couldn't believe my eyes.  The same fabric was on page 123 in Charles book.  In fact it was displayed at the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority at the University of Oklahoma.  The same University my elder son was attending.  It's a small world.  

After the Flood

After the flood 

Our family had a wonderful vacation on a cruise.  But while we were away our upstairs bathroom toilet sprung a leak.  Thanks to our neighbor she noticed a river of water coming down our stairs.  I found out while we were on the cruise that everything was submerged in water.  My neighbor Jos said on the phone over seas,

"It's bad Sandra, really bad."  

The tone of her voice made me wonder how bad was it?  

As we arrived home I opened the door to see everything moved out of our home.  Luckily Servpro had been busy with fans blowing to dry the structure to keep it intact.. The next six  months was a journey to what to buy?  What was my plan? Who do I follow?  What is my style?  Do I follow my instincts?

I was raised with a mom who loved fabric.  She could cover her couches and make drapes from her sewing machine in her bedroom.  If she was about to change the living room or den it was countless trips to the fabric stores to see what was the perfect covering for her devan.  If we weren't decorating we loved to go to fabric stores just to see what was out there.  Cutting Corners was our favorite so it was the first place I went to study my plan.

I've always loved Country French so I was so excited when I found this fabric by Alex. It went with Comfort Gray paint color by Sherwin Williams.   My neighbor was so sweet and held it up to get a vision of how it would drape for my dining room.

The other choice was a favorite color but didn't stand out as anything special.

Before I decided on the dining room drapes I needed to have something to coordinate for the living room.  So I went on another trip to Cutting Corners.  The aqua fabric stood out as a friend.  I think of pieces of material as friends because you live with them for quite awhile.  It's not like you can have a fight and say I  won't call you again. (Not that I do that ) The fabrics you choose must feel right.  They are apart of your life.