This week expat Alexis Goldberg, who lives in the south of France and writes the FranceBuyingGuide.com, answers the following reader question about furnishing a home in France:
Article written by The Overseas Guides Company
“We have moved into our house in the Dordogne but are struggling to find a reasonably priced modern furniture store with items in a style that we like. It seems you have two choices in France – cheap or expensive furniture, with nothing in the middle! I like a modern shabby chic style and would prefer not to have to drive over with a load of stuff from the UK – we live in Scotland… Can you help?
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Regarding furniture, I do understand your dilemma; it is hard to come by decent shabby chic items, as much of it in France seems to be either very old or very modern! I think you will do well to seek out some of the “brocantes” which are scattered about most areas of France. You will often find interesting pieces if you take time to rummage around. We found a lovely chest of drawers in one which we painted. Sometimes a piece which looks rather dreary in dark wood is transformed by a coat of paint.
I have a couple of further suggestions for you, which you can Google for websites. Take a look at Maisons du Monde, which has a good range of modern furniture with an ancient touch – plus some very pretty accessories. There are branches in many towns in France. Also there is quite a good on-line shop called Mobilier de France a wide range of sofas, chairs, beds etc. The other online shop that I use frequently is 3 Suisses – they deliver either to your home or to a shop nearby where you can go and collect the items. They have a pretty good range of beds as well as decent sheets/mattress toppers/pillows etc.
For details of properties for sale in France visit the French listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in France, or moving there, is to use a currency exchange specialist when transferring your pounds into euros. For more information on this, visit the Currency Zone or contact Smart Currency Exchange.
To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in France, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘France Property Buying Guide’
The views and comments herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of Rightmove Overseas, Rightmove Group Ltd or Rightmove Plc