With its romantic flair and utter elegance, the Parisian-style interior is having a major movement, thousands of homeowners and DIY enthusiasts are searching for how to bring a touch of French sophistication into their homes. With its seal of excellence blending tradition and innovation, the Parisian style expresses worldly class, architectural grace and timeless opulence.
Throughout this style guide, identify how to redefine your home with the timeless elegance of Parisian interior design, and understand the principles behind creating lived in interiors that feel effortlessly chic, polished, and enduringly beautiful.
What is Parisian Interior design?
Parisian interior design is the perfect marriage of traditional features, blended with muted colour palettes and twists of modernity injected through decorative additions.
The French aren’t afraid to mix and match. We’re talking textures—heavy linens, delicate silks, or plush velvets; colours—soft neutral tones against striking depths of midnight blue; furnishings—antique or contemporary, we’ll take both! But the foundations of it all are the irreplaceable, permanent features: cornices, ceiling roses, and panel moulding. Without this basis, no Parisian-style apartment would be complete.
What are the key principles of Parisian interior design?
Parisian interior design aims to communicate effortless elegance, historical continuity, and a sophisticated, lived-in personality. This style avoids symmetry, rigid balance and matching furniture.
| Architecture | High ceilings and plaster mouldings are the foundational features in Parisian Styled Interiors. It's easy to create an illusion of high ceilings by using coving with a larger projection. |
| Quality | Instead of filling your space with countless Parisian style pieces, focus on quality. Be selective with a few beautifully made pieces of furniture and favour natural materials like wood, linen, marble or leather. |
| Restrained Colour Palette |
concentrate on colours with low saturation, soft neutrals, muted tones with one subtle accent. Warm whites, greys or beiges paired with burgundy or dark emeralds is a core example |
| Layers | It is important to layer textures against the subtle colour palette, linen, velvet and wool are a good starting point. |
| Art Work | Invest in Art-work to tell stories and make personal choices, this will create a statement contract against the typical architecture and muted. colours. |
| Asymmetry | Embrace asymmetry, focus on different shapes and mismatched arrangements, furniture shouldn't be balanced and styling choices should avoid looking over planned |
| Thoughtful Lighting | Move away from a single ceiling lighting and layer light sources thoughtfully by mixing the colour temperature and embrace shadows. |
What colours are used in Parisian Style Interiors?
When imagining your ideal Parisian sitting room, the colour palette should evoke feelings of calm, style, and elegance. Let us guide you through choosing the best colours for a Parisian-inspired apartment. We would advise beginning with chalky whites, greiges, and delicate creams to create an elegant neutral colour palette as a base.
Now, it's time to work in some romantique shades to build a French chic colour scheme. Timeless French interior colours, such as dusty pinks, sage greens, as well as powder blues, will shape the room beautifully, keeping the space airy but inviting all the same.
Depending on the overall look you're trying to achieve, adding deep, regal furnishing accents to the room works wonderfully against the subtle wall tones. Think crown jewels—using deep reds, emerald greens, and Prussian blues will only elevate your eloquently curated space.
What defines a Parisian-style Interior?
Creating the perfect Modern Parisian apartment design is finding the unique balance between contemporary interiors, integrated with antique architectural foundations, to create that effortless French elegance.
Haussmannian architecture is key to creating classic Parisian interiors, and while your space may not have original features, we supply many of the integral mouldings to help you create your own modern Parisian apartment design.
With the use of decadent cornicing, elegant wall and ceiling mouldings, teamed with an exquisite colour palette and tasteful furnishings, you can recreate the romance of Paris in your very own home.
What architectural details are common in Parisian Interiors?
When thinking of Parisian interior design, The mind conjures up imagery of intricate boiserie, grand marble hearths sitting atop of beautifully buffed parquet floors and to bring all the grandeur together, Stunning decorative plaster mouldings. This may sound like a lot happening in one space, but we think the whole look is ‘Spectaculiare’. The French are the cornerstone of all things extravagant and beautiful when it comes to flamboyancy and grandeur in luxury home interiors; defined by the Haussmann era in the 19th century.
Can you do Parisian Style Interiors on a budget?
Wanting to bring that chic Parisian apartment style into your home? Our vast range of decorative ceiling roses, paired with ornate ceiling cornices as well as our mouldings (which can be effectively used on both walls and ceilings), will take you there.
Our delicately detailed MPC064 decorative coving, paired with our show-stopping LPR060 ceiling rose, will give you an instant French-inspired interior without breaking the bank.And if you want that extra "Oh là là", where the purse strings allow, why not introduce the intricate MR016 decorative moulding?
Parisian interiors are perfected by blending the old and the new: a space that comes together over time by introducing new and antique pieces as and when you find them, and discovering how beautifully they enhance your space.
Why do Parisian homes have ceiling roses?
When thinking about decorative plaster ceiling roses and classic interior design, one automatically thinks of grandeur: an eye-catching focal point of the room. This, however, was not the sole reason for installing a ceiling rose in French interior design. One key feature that Parisian home décor would be lost without is, of course, the chandelier.
Our popular decorative ceiling mouldings were there for a purpose, not just to look pretty. They were added to provide strength and reinforce ceiling structures so they could support the grand and weighty chandelier. Nowadays, many property owners choose to add ceiling mouldings for style over functionality, but the French chose both.
Is coving essential for a Parisian interior?
Coving is at the absolute core of creating the perfect Parisian-style interior in your property. Ceiling mouldings are the perfect way to frame a space. They draw you in and create a feeling of harmony when paired with either an elegant interior design or more traditional Baroque features. When considering introducing Parisian interior design into your home, we implore you to bring as much thoughtful detail into the space as possible.
Your coving is the foundation of your transformation, a working example of this being the LPC024. Adding decorative mouldings such as the classic and timeless MR016 brings extra splendour to your room, and finishing it off with the poetic touch of the MPR063 ceiling rose will undoubtedly give you an enviable Parisian interior.
For Homes Embracing Parisian Sophistication and Effortless Style, We Recommend:
Ceiling Roses:
- MPR061 - A perfect blend of detail and simplicity that is sophisticated and charming
- LPR002 - The perfect focal point that adds a touch of romance with it's whimsy and chic detailing
- LPR007 - Opulent and grand with thoughtful detail that requires attention but is also refined
Coving:
- MPC030 - Whimsy and Romantic, a truly elegant blend from wall to ceiling that effortlessly nods to Parisian Interior Design
- MPC067 - Uncomplicated yet detailed, the clean lines will highlight the interiors architecture and is versatile enough to age well in any property
- LPC017 - Grand yet refined, this Iconic Swan Neck Style provides a sophisticated finish that makes ceilings appear taller.