Window coverings made of the fabrics that are considered French Country are richly-colorful in bold prints and paisleys. Most often done in muted tones of purple, yellow, pink, and green, the whole point of the fabrics is to emulate the colors found by gazing out at the French countryside.

Every window needs some kind of special touch to keep it from looking plain and bare. By adding a gracious window treatment to a window, even the plainest window becomes at once charming and appealing. Somehow a window finished with a beautiful window treatment can become either a focal point or lovely backdrop for your French Country room.

The French are famous for their love of flowers and fruit, both of which are motifs present in many of the French Country window coverings that are available ready-made. You will find designs of plump yellow lemons, delicate purple lilacs, and many other rustic depictions of fruits and flowers.

Intricate lace designs often find a place in French Country window blinds and curtains. Historically white lace was used at the windows to add a feminine touch to an otherwise plain, sparsely-furnished room. Imagine the pleasing balance created between the frothy effusion of lace and the thick posts of heavy wooden furniture.

You will find that most French window treatments incorporate thick, heavy curtains with a decorative valance. If you choose you can add blinds, but traditional French homes very seldom used them in their décor. Most blinds are quite plain, run horizontally, and block out a lot of sunlight.

Toile prints are probably the designs Americans most often associate with the French. Toile is an elegant print fabric which depicts various scenes from everyday French life which are repeated over and over down the length of the fabric. Toile has a look that is both childlike and whimsical. For that reason, it has become a very popular fabric for use in children's rooms. However, it is certainly lovely enough to set the theme in any room.