How to design and decorate your French renovation - without wasting money, with Christina Rougerie
Episode 18, Season 1
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Whether you’re decorating a French property on a budget, trying to figure out what interior design in France actually looks like beyond the glossy Paris magazines, or wondering whether to hire an interior designer at all - this episode is for you.
Christina Rougerie is an American-born interior architect based in Brittany, and she brings a rare dual perspective: the precision and clarity of the US design market, and a deep understanding of French architectural heritage and how people actually live here. Sue and Rosie aren’t short of questions for Christina - and her answers are very revealing…
In this episode
French interior design vs American: what the differences actually are
The mid-market decor gap in France — and where to find affordable decor
Over-renovating for your market: the mistake that costs expats the most
How to elevate an IKEA kitchen in France
Interior design principles for DIY renovators
When to call in a professional — and why it saves money in the long run
Sourcing home decor in France: Christina’s recommendations
Renovation and resale: what adds value in the French market
Rants and bants: anthracite, bifold doors, and why design isn’t just the “fun bit at the end”
🎁 Exclusive Plum Living offer for French Reno Diaries listeners Use the code FRENCHPLUM5 to receive 5 free samples — you just pay €3.50 towards postage. We earn a small commission on orders placed with this code, which helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for your support!
Q&A with Christina Rougerie
You moved from Houston, Texas to Brittany. What was your first “we’re not in Texas anymore” moment?
Everything is just so much smaller here! In Texas, everything’s bigger - the meals, the drinks, the cars. I arrived and felt like I was driving a toy car. I thought someone’s feet must be running it along from underneath.
You operate at the intersection of French and American design cultures. Before we get into that, can you explain the difference between an interior architect and an interior decorator in France?
In the US I’m an interior designer - that’s my title. In France, the literal translation of architecte d’intérieur is interior architect, but it essentially means the same thing as interior designer in the US. The key distinction in France is between that and an décorateur d’intérieur - an interior decorator - which is a different diploma and a more purely aesthetic role. As an interior architect, I can produce technical drawings and I’m licensed for spaces up to 150 square metres, so I can work with structural interior elements, not just styling.
What’s the biggest difference between French and American clients?
American clients give me everything. Long Pinterest boards, detailed questionnaires, very clear on what they want and don’t want. French clients are the opposite - they expect me to just know. I’ll send a full questionnaire and get back very little, because the attitude is: you’re the professional, figure it out. I’ve had to learn to rely a lot more on intuition with French clients.
What’s the biggest mistake expats make when decorating a French property?
Over-renovating for the market. Expats tend to go in with a renovation-and-resale or renovation-for-rental mindset, and they spend on high-end materials that the local market simply won’t return. Putting a €10,000 bathroom into a small one-bedroom apartment, for example. The French approach to quality is different - they guard it, they don’t strip out characterful features in the name of modernising, but they also don’t over-invest in ways that don’t make financial sense for the property.
You mentioned the French aesthetic is different from what we imagine from magazines. What does French style actually look like in everyday homes?
The aspirational interiors you see in French design magazines - wrinkled sheets, imperfect styling, a lived-in feel - that’s considered good taste here. In the US, good taste means everything is perfect, crisp, hotel-ready. In France it’s the opposite. When I visit my husband’s family, their homes are comfortable, curated, and very well thought out - but function comes before aesthetics. It needs to work before it needs to look good.
Let’s talk about sourcing decor. The mid-market gap in France is a real frustration for many renovators. What do you recommend?
The gap is real and it’s frustrating. In France you’re often choosing between low-quality mass-market options - Centrakor would be the equivalent of Hobby Lobby in the US, or Home Bargains in the UK - and very expensive boutique pieces. There’s not much in between.
That said, here’s where I’d look:
Vide greniers - go early. Some run all year round; there are several in Normandy that are permanent.
Brocantes - hit or miss on price, but worth going regularly. Some have inflated prices, some are slim pickings, but you can find genuinely beautiful pieces.
La Redoute / AM.PM - their catalogue has some really good mid-to-higher-range pieces, and the sales are excellent.
Maison du Monde - yes, it leans into the French shabby chic aesthetic, but it’s where a lot of French people actually shop, and for good reason. The mirrors especially are great value.
Lights.ie - an Irish lighting brand that’s a favourite of mine, because good lighting in France can be painfully expensive.
Plum Living - more on this below, but a real find for upgrading an IKEA kitchen without the custom price tag.
Ferm Living - a Danish brand, well worth knowing for quality mid-range pieces.
Cdiscount - think of it as French Amazon. You can find higher-end pieces at a significant discount, and there are showrooms in larger cities if you want to see things in person.
🎁 A note on Plum Living — and an exclusive offer for French Reno Diaries listeners Christina recommends Plum Living for upgrading IKEA kitchens with quality replacement facades (more on this below). We’ve secured an exclusive code for our listeners: use FRENCHPLUM5 to get 5 free samples — you just pay €3.50 towards postage. We earn a small commission on orders placed with this code, which helps keep the podcast going. Thank you!
IKEA kitchens come up a lot. Do you still get requests for them, and is there a way to elevate one?
Absolutely, and I don’t have a problem with IKEA kitchens depending on the budget and the market you’re working in. The carcasses and base units are perfectly good - it genuinely doesn’t make sense to go custom unless you have the budget for it or you’re dealing with unusual wall angles that require bespoke solutions.
Where IKEA lets you down is the fronts. And that’s exactly where Plum Living comes in. You keep all the IKEA bases and units - which are significantly cheaper than any custom alternative - and you replace the cabinet faces with Plum Living’s higher-quality facades. Then change the hardware. That alone transforms the look completely. It’s a smart way to get a kitchen that doesn’t read as IKEA without paying custom prices.
What are your key interior design principles for DIY renovators?
Start with the light, not the colour. Before you fall in love with a paint shade, understand the light in the space, especially in older French houses, which often have limited natural light. A north-facing room will kill a colour you loved in the shop.
Then ask yourself: how do you want this space to feel when you walk in? Not what style do you want - how do you want to feel. Cosy? Energised? Calm? That’s the real starting point, and everything else - furniture layout, colour, materials - follows from there.
After that, think about how you actually use the room. A French client’s living room is often used for aperitifs with guests - lots of seating, functional, inviting. An American client’s living room is for movie nights with the family - comfortable, cosy, TV as centrepiece. Neither is wrong, but they lead to completely different design decisions.
What are the most common layout mistakes people make?
Two big ones. First: pushing all the furniture against the walls. It kills the flow of a space and makes it feel static. Furniture needs to breathe, and circulation paths matter.
Second: buying the big sofa before measuring the room. I’ve been called in so many times - both in France and the US - where someone has spent €2,000–5,000 on a sofa that simply doesn’t work in the space. Measure first. Always.
How do you approach colour in a property with existing architectural character?
Let the architecture lead. Colour should complement the space, not compete with it. That doesn’t mean you can’t be bold - it means the boldness needs to be in conversation with what’s already there. If you have dark floors and strong architectural mouldings and a south-facing room with plenty of light, you can absolutely go dark and moody on the walls. That creates warmth.
If you’re nervous about colour, go neutral on the walls and bring it in through accessories - throw pillows, rugs, artwork. That way you can evolve the palette without repainting. And if you want to experiment with something dramatic, the downstairs toilet is the room to do it. Everyone expects something unexpected in there.
For resale, keep walls neutral. Save the personality for things you can take with you.
What about renovation and resale in France - what actually adds value?
Kitchens and bathrooms. That’s where the French market responds most. Beyond that: storage. It’s consistently undervalued in French properties and genuinely sought after by buyers and renters alike. Built-in wardrobes, understair cupboards, fitted shelving - these add real value, particularly in properties where armoires have historically done all the heavy lifting.
One caveat: if you’re thinking about adding built-in storage, think carefully about scale. Any wall you add takes up square metres. A walk-in wardrobe needs circulation space - a minimum of about 60cm just to move around in. Make sure the maths works before you commit.
For rental properties specifically, think about DPE. A better energy rating means a better rental position and a better resale value. If you’re renovating to rent long-term, the DPE isn’t optional.
Find out what French estate agent, Dan Newton, says about DPE in episode 17
When should a DIY renovator call in an interior designer - and why does it save money?
Think of it this way: spend €3 at the start and save €10 later, rather than saving the €3 and spending €13 fixing mistakes. The cost of undoing decisions made without a spatial plan - knocking out a wall and then realising the bathroom layout doesn’t work, or putting in a staircase that blocks natural light - is almost always more than the designer’s fee.
The other thing that rarely gets mentioned: an interior architect can act as a bridge between you and the artisans. When everyone’s working from a clear set of drawings, there’s less ambiguity, fewer mid-project changes, and less of that domino effect where one late decision delays everything else. The French renovation industry is very trade-specific - your electrician does electrics, your plaquiste does the walls, and nobody’s going to step outside their lane to flag a design problem. A designer will.
Do you need a project manager for your French renovation? Listen to episode 13!
Any final advice for someone just starting a French renovation?
If you’ve just arrived in France, live in the space before you design it. Give yourself at least twelve months. You’ll go through all the seasons, you’ll understand how the light changes, how you actually move through the rooms, what you use and what you don’t. Your perspective will shift - especially if you’re transitioning from another culture - and what you thought you wanted at the beginning often turns out to be completely different from what you need.
Rants and bants with Christina
Christina’s rant: Design is not the fun bit at the end. It’s the strategic framework that should be in place from the beginning. Treating it as a nice-to-have you get to once the building work is done is how people end up with beautiful renovations that don’t quite work to live in.
Her other rant: Anthracite. RAL 7016. On every window, every garage door, every fence in France. Christina doesn’t recommend it, doesn’t source it, and might have it written into her terms and conditions!
(Sue’s update: bronze powder coating - RAL 8001 - is quietly becoming the new anthracite for higher-end clients, and against stone it looks genuinely beautiful.
Glossary
Architecte d’intérieur - interior architect/designer in France; a qualified professional licensed for spaces up to 150m² who can produce technical drawings and work with interior spatial planning
Décorateur d’intérieur - interior decorator; a different French diploma focused on the aesthetic side of interiors
Vide grenier - literally “empty attic”; a French car boot sale or flea market
Brocante - a second-hand or antique market; more curated than a vide grenier
Plaquiste - the tradesperson who installs plasterboard and internal wall linings
DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Énergétique) - France’s energy efficiency rating, from A (best) to G (worst); increasingly important for rental and resale
RAL 7016 - the colour code for anthracite grey; ubiquitous on French windows, doors, and gates
RDC (Rez-de-chaussée) - ground floor (French/UK equivalent); what Americans call the first floor
Devis - a formal written quote for works
Resources and links
Christina Rougerie - website: christinarougerie.com | Instagram: @christina_perez_rougerie
Plum Living - Use code FRENCHPLUM5 for 5 free samples (€3.50 postage). This is an affiliate link - we earn a small commission, which helps keep the podcast going. Thank you for your support!
Connect
Email: frenchrenodiaries@gmail.com
Renovation enquiries
Maison Bretagne (Rosie Ellis)
S.R. Charpenterie (Sue Peake-Russell)