You put everything you like to have around but which is fragile, out of reach of children or dogs’ tails or cats. Makes your house look a bit weird for some years…
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We have always been lucky with cats insofar as breakages go, though we do tend to blutack everything down 
I guess our nine are just too lazy, leave a cardboard box lying around though and …
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It does but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t also be beautiful. Of course, the specifics are in the eye of the beholder.
The next important thing after location is that intangible, walk in appeal. Not everyone is looking for a fixer upper bargain. Not everyone has either the vision nor the cash to see turning a dump into a gem. Not everyone needs to ‘put their own stamp’ on a property.
It is not always an issue of interior design style but more one that says the property has not been neglected. Pride of presentation! I expect that the ‘sameness’ of style may be down to use of Googled sources for interiors. Trends are popular if individually somewhat unimaginative.
Property agents, of whom I have met many, have more than once told me that the homes being sold by English owners in France generally sell quicker. Because they look appealing. And clean. Selling or renting quicker is after all the goal.
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I guess. But I am used to Le Bon Coin and crapy estate agent photos. If I see something that does not fit into that norm, I ask questions. Especially if it is a foreign seller.
Just what I am used to.
That’s why I’ve always been more of an Architectural Digest, Dwell or Vogue Living sorta girl rather than Pinterest or Instagram both of which I try to avoid. I find that actual ‘magazines’ are more helpful for inspiration and ideas whereas the interiors stuff on social media just lends itself to direct copycat designs whether intentional or not. The number of interiors instagram accounts which have different places, but without looking at them closely you’d think they were the same one, and then look at the tags or comments and see a hundred people’s rooms who are absolute clones of the original.
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We’ve had something like this discussion before (leaving aside the fact that some people are very quick to take offence at any perceived criticism of their taste). Buy a French house and leave it largely as it is, apart from necessary redecoration and renovation - but, even then, restoring it to a French taste (whatever that is), or
put your own imprint on it, which might be anything from Trumpian gold taps downwards to your idea of French country living or stuff you’ve seen in magazines or mentioned on Mumsnet
I suppose the third option is paint everything a shade of grey, like Stéphane Plaza and his crew do on Maison à vendre.
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It is interesting that they are painting everything grey here in France, as that is exactly what is happening in UK.
If you watch Homes Under The Hammer almost all the renovations end up being painted grey.
It is the new avacado.
Personally, I find it extremely depressing and would hate to live surrounded by grey.
We get enough of that with the brouillard in November!
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There is something in this that many folk take confidence from having the same as others. Happens with antique collecting too. And fashion. It is human nature.
That whole American ‘shabby chic’ version of French farmhouse….
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There are so many shades of grey. I haven’t seen the aforementioned designer and don’t follow this but I expect they are either mix and matching multiple tones of grey to play with depth and focus and/or using grey as a neutral ground for contrasting artworks. Works well if the furnishing collection is of quality.
I really can’t explain why it is the trend in UK, somewhere that has days of grey weather. The only explanation may be that it is a trend being followed without any reason. People seem to like looking the same. Like jeans.
apparently 50 
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I have just had a thought, that perhaps it is cheaper because it is more popular.
Some people decorate their homes for themselves, some decorate them for others to admire, but it’s not a competition. 
Having looked at a lot of houses until we bought ours last year, there were a wide variety of decor standards and tastes on the market, although those owned by British people were often easy to spot because they were tidier and always seemed to have a ‘motif’ for nationality laying around like a union jack cushion cover or poster of Big Ben. It became something of a game to spot the Brit-owned house.
It may be a regional thing, but in this part of the Morvan, the French owned houses that are well cared for often seem to be painted white inside, while those of an earlier era have a lot of purple (hello 1970s) with floral wallpapers going back a bit further like with our place.
I wonder if we see diferent visual cues, and some perceiving similarity where others see variety?
Yes!! We are looking for a gîte to stay in in the SW. The vast majority of more recent the British owned ones look identical!
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Oh, the other weird thing - who thought black shower enclosures and fittings were a good idea? First saw them all over French suppliers a year ago, now they’re all over the UK too.
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Horrible.
Not ours. Jim hand-built the kitchen himself.
We have engineered oak floors in all the rooms which are not tiled.
We have also stopped renting and told the tourist board, which then told us we hadn’t sent in our figures for last month.
No, it really isn’t but doesn’t stop some from felling it is. As with all appearances. Dress, coiffure, jewellery and accent.
Undoubtedly true. When antique hunting it is always good to have hawk eyes, sweeping over the usual to spot the rare. On the other hand, I do know those who are only interested in finding something that their friend has or they saw in a magazine.
I expect ‘an eye’ is based on individual experience and knowledge. Always remembering with humility, there is no right or wrong, only right for you.
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No good for the claustrophobic. Nor the hygiene phobic.
Imagine the calcaire build up after a few weeks and having to keep it down more so than lighter tiling.
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this is what our bathroom looked like in the cottage, emerald green, puke green, dark brown walls/ceiling and a avocado green enclosure, lovely 
