Oh La La: 5 Star-Worthy Design Blogs from France

French design can mean all things to all people—cutting edge and classic, traditional and modern, timeless and à la mode—but for centuries, it has tended to be considered, at the very least, interesting. In honor of the Cannes Film Festival—filled with its own unrivaled mixture of elegance and daring—I’ve collected five design blogs fit to take center stage.

Cocon de décoration is written by Julie, a designer living in Dunkerque, a city that lies along the northern coast of France, near the Belgian border. Her style is fresh, modern, and colorful, with lots of white and natural materials, and while Julie features mostly photos found on the web instead of original photographs, she’s great at explaining what makes a room work, how to make the most of awkward spaces, and how to translate inspiration photos into real life. For example, check out her posts on how to make the most of a corner, 10 ideas for using interior plants, and 10 ideas for effectively organizing a bathroom.

The Socialite Family (shown above) aims to “redraw the contours of the contemporary family” by featuring stylish families in their own element. Think of it as a cross between our House Tours and a photographic profile of family life in the modern urban environment. The site features families from Paris, New York, Milan, London, Barcelona, and Los Angeles, making for a rather eclectic mixture of interiors, as well as a diverse array of family arrangements and lifestyles. Some of my recent favorites include the home of Mary Erlingsen, and her daughters Emma (6 years old) and Margot (5 years old); Emma Cassi, Bertrand Bosredon, and their kids Antonin (9) and Hope (4); and Giovanni and Valentina Cagnato and their daughter Giulia (9 months).

A self-described bricoleuse (someone who collects bits and pieces and puts them together in original ways), Clémence of Turbulences déco considers her blog to be an “inspiration notebook.” It’s a collection of styles, ideas, and photographs that inspire her, and accordingly, the topics she covers ranges widely, but the blog isn’t just a mish-mash. It’s thoughtfully written and organized, chock-full of links, sources, and original writing. Clémence organizes the blog by sets of ideas, as well as by types of home, so you can easily find sections for topics like “country homes” and “color in decor.” For examples of her thorough and insightful commentary, check out her recent posts on the rustic modern home of designers Ina and Matt, the return of Memphis style, and her ever-inspiring weekly roundups.

Blueberry Home is written by Aurélie, a young mother who combines her “little bit of geekiness” with a love of design. She describes her style as a “mixture of vintage and Scandinavian with a bit of American West and a dash of poetry.” If that description alone didn’t have you clicking over to her blog, allow me to quote part of an interview that she had with Le Journal de Femmes:

If you were a color?
Dusty rose. Feminine, poetic, and charged with history.

And a material?
Wood, really cracking underfoot.

Pretty organized or adept at the bazaar?
An organized bazaar. Very organized!

For a dose of Aurélie’s cracking, feminine, and poetic style, visit her posts on pastel ambiance, when a detail can surprise, and dissonance in decor.

Céline, an interior decorator from Paris and author of Frenchy Fancy, has written, “The universe of interior design is vast, rich, and there is something there to fill you with wonder each day if you look in the right place.” Obviously, there are lots of “right places,” but Céline’s blog is a good place to start your daily search for wonder. Frenchy Fancy doesn’t offer a single style or a single look, and this is intentional. Céline says, “I’m a little bit like that: I love everything and it’s opposite. I like black as much as white, old as much as contemporary. I love perfection, attention to detail, the little “thing” that makes all the difference.” To draw your own attention to some of these details, see her posts on green plants in the bathroom, 5 easy ways to create a cozy bed fit for a magazine, and her continuing series on “When Pictures Inspired Me.”