House-hunting in France is exciting, but making your new home just how you want it is just as much fun. Here Alexis Goldberg, author of FranceBuyingGuide.com and resident of the Languedoc, draws on personal experience to offer some pointers on furnishing a French property

Article written by The Overseas Guides Company

Furnishing and decorating your French home can be great fun and the most important thing to realise is that nothing is necessarily right or wrong – it is simply a question of what you like and don’t like, a question of personal taste.

Make it easy on yourself at the start and as long as you have the basics, ie a bed, a kettle and a chair or two, take time to think about the look you want to achieve. Doubtless you will have items that you wish to bring with you from the UK and there is nothing wrong with that. However, now is a good time to have a clear out and if you are moving to France lock, stock and barrel, be ruthless with your possessions.

Consider that some things which looked great in your UK home may not suit your new French one. For example, if you are moving from a modern house or flat to a country home in rural France, you may want to get a feel for your new surroundings, see how other French homes are furnished and what is available locally in France.

There are plenty of large superstores and outlet stores selling all manner of furniture in France. A good way to start thinking about kitting out your new home is to decide what you simply cannot do without, whether it is a comfortable bed or sofa or any sentimental items. If you are going to be hiring a removal van or driving one down yourself, make a list of the items you wish to take to start you off but don’t feel that you have to take everything but – or including – the kitchen sink. Think about the cost of removals and weigh this up against the cost of buying new furniture once you are settled in your French home.

When I moved down to the Languedoc area with my husband, we brought two beds, a sofa, some occasional tables, a couple of TVs and small kitchen items with us, as well as personal items we could not bear to part with. We were glad we did not bring absolutely everything, however, as one always underestimates how much of a hassle it is packing up, unpacking and carrying items upstairs.

We have taken advantage of local “vide greniers” and “brocantes” – car boot sales and second hand sales – to buy various articles including some wonderful lamps and decorative objects. When it comes to electrical goods, there is nothing to stop you bringing these down with you; you simply need to kit yourself out with adaptor plugs or – as in Mr Fix It’s case – be willing and able to change the English plugs to French ones.

Furniture is probably rough on a par with the UK pricewise but items such as electrical goods and accessories and also paint can be more expensive so if you have an account with an English firm who ships to France, make full use of it. If you are a fan of IKEA, you will not be disappointed coming to France. There are plenty of IKEA shops dotted all over the country and make no mistake, their kitchen units and even appliances are first class. It could well be cheaper – and more enjoyable – to buy such items once you are here in France than to bring with you old items which may not sit quite as happily in your new environment.

Often a mixture of modern and ancient can sit well side by side. We now have a fabulous kitchen with granite worktops and soft modern lighting but this takes nothing away from the old marble corner fireplace at the dining room end of this room. Mixing the two is quite possible and can work. Marble is quite commonly found in French country homes and here’s a tip: there are plenty of outlets on the edges of towns selling marble and granite, often for funeral parlours I have to say, but they will happily provide you with marble for bathrooms, granite for kitchen worktops and the like and prices are competitive.

When it comes to floor coverings, remember that carpets are not nearly as common in France and as a result of this there is a great choice of tiling and wood to suit every budget. There is a great site called “Le Bon Coin” which is a little like Ebay where you can source all manner of furnishings including tiles, wood etc. As regards paint, there are now a few sites selling English paint to French homeowners and we would advise this as the best way of not only obtaining quality paint but at a cheaper price than in France. The one we use is called UK Paint Depot. Speak to Dominic there.

Every newsagent in France is stocked with some super home furnishing and decorating magazines. Take a browse through for ideas. So many homes in France are very old indeed and benefit from subtle paint colours and treatments. Remember that the older the house, the higher the ceiling is likely to be also which means you can really go to town if you prefer stronger colours.

If you are on the verge of buying property in France or moving there, a simple way to save money is to use a currency exchange specialist when transferring your pounds into euros. For more information on this, download Smart Currency Exchange’s free report or visit the Currency Zone.

For more information on buying property successfully in France download the Overseas Guides Company’s free France Buying Guide – and start receiving email updates from Alexis Goldberg each week. Or to see property for sale all over France visit Rightmove’s France listings.