Our fascination with the elusive and effortless nature of French style doesn’t stop at fashion and beauty. It touches the world of interiors, too.

It’s no wonder, really. There’s a wealth of influence and inspiration at our keyboard-savvy fingertips. And, for guaranteed elegance that boasts a certain je ne sais quoi, we’re often directed to the other side of the Channel. 

Shows like Netflix’s Emily In Paris have helped feed our most recent interest, of course. In fact, searches for ‘Paris interior design’ almost doubled in the past year with an extra 90% of us turning to Google to feed our envy of chic French flair. But how do you translate the décor trends du jour into physical items that’ll transform your own home, exactly?

I’m glad you asked. I took a hop, skip and a jump on the Eurostar to peruse Pari in search of inspiration for the dull living room in my rented flat. Armed with Google multisearch – the platform’s latest feature to take the faff out of finding – I could use what I saw in the City of Light as a living mood board for my homeware shopping list. 

The trends that excited me most were far from the classic shabby chic that dominates most French-inspired Pinterest boards. Instead, I was drawn to the bold prints and textures that were seamlessly interwoven with more familiar Parisian design. It was the rich colours placed in decidedly unassuming setups that gave real character to the shops and cafés I wandered through. 

This fun wallpaper across one section of wall in a petite café near the Gare du Nord managed to be striking rather than gaudy in relatively small proportion. I think it helps that the rest of the decor was minimal: slim black frames around the mirror and neutral furnishings everywhere else. Using Google Lens’s search and shopping function (after taking a selfie, of course), I was able to find similar prints in dimensions more fitting for my small living room, ie cushions and pillowcases. 

For something a little bit different, I was inspired to look to nature. Well, apparently I’m not the only one: according to Google there has been a 270% increase in searches for living room wall decorations among Parisians, with indoor trees, flowers and plants dominating the trending search queries. Walking past an ancient art display at the Natsara pop-up gallery on Rue Taitbout, you can see how I was struck by the window display of a mounted insect. It turns out insect art isn’t quite as niche as I expected it to be. Complemented by the Yayoi Kusama-esque mounted rug, I could see how I might create a surprising focal point that doesn’t completely overwhelm a minimal room.

No visit to Paris is complete without a pitstop at one of the many street-front restaurants huddled beneath an awning. A contemporary twist on aesthetically charming French dining, I enjoyed the combination of brass accents (that French interior enthusiasts have long known and loved) on the bold blue table against the rattan chairs, of which I conveniently already have in the style of a floor pouffe at home. 

Images: courtesy of brands