Interior Design & Decor

You simply can’t have an authentic, French country kitchen without a decorative plaster rooster, or at the very least, the apple of his eye, a big, fat ceramic chicken.

Home decor retailers are aware of the popularity of the French country theme for kitchens, so you’ll have no trouble finding a wide selection of plaster roosters, ceramic chickens, cookie jars, mugs, dishes and hot plates, all decorated with images of colorful chickens and fierce, red roosters.

But, if counter space is limited it’s likely that a plaster rooster or ceramic chicken just won’t work in your kitchen.  In a small kitchen, or even in a large kitchen, often you simply can’t afford to dedicate precious countertop real estate to decorative art objects.

So, a good solution to create your theme is to decorate your kitchen with small wall art.  Add color and style and preserve precious counter space by leaning a small painting against the backsplash, or by hanging art under a cabinet, or above the kitchen sink or stove.

Fortunately for those of us who love French country decor, roosters and chickens in the French country style are very popular subjects among artists.  So, even though you’ll find dozens of pieces of “art” at retail stores, you won’t need to settle for that cookie-cutter stuff, manufactured in factories and stamped out by the thousands.

You can create an authentic French country theme and do it with high quality, original art that’s not only collectible, but also very affordable.

Rooster 88 by Artist Ilse Kleyn is a 12″ x 12″ original oil painting on a deep, boxed, cotton canvas that is available for only $125.  This painting is the perfect piece of art for a small kitchen because it’s the right size to hang above a stove or sink, or on the backsplash under a cabinet.

The painting also doesn’t need to be framed.  Unframed oil paintings on boxed canvases look casual and uncluttered, plus showing the edges of the painting emphasizes that it’s an original, collector-quality, one-of-a-kind piece of art.  A nice touch of class and upscale style for a kitchen.

You can read about  Ilse Kleyn who is a very accomplished award-winning South African artist, and see a larger image of this painting at  DiscoveredArtists.com.

And, if you like to hang your chickens in pairs then Chicken and Chick, also by Ilse Kleyn is the perfect companion piece.  It’s the same size as Rooster 25; a 12″ x 12″ on boxed canvas, available for $100 from the artist’s gallery at DiscoveredArtists.com.

But, if you have space for a tryptich then Rooster 65 is a must-have!  This painting completes the series and is also available for $100 from Ilse Kleyn’s gallery at DiscoveredArtists.com.

 

Chicken Strut by artist Jean Hood is another choice chick in a completely different style, also apropriate for your French country kitchen.  This impressionism painting is a 10″ x 8″ original oil on gallery wrap canvas available for $200 at DiscoveredArtists.com.

The artist painted the edges of the canvas, so this painting will also look great hung without a frame.  The paint is applied nice and thick, so you not only have great color, but wonderful texture.  Once again, it’s an obvious original oil painting that adds a touch of class and style to any room, but especially to a kitchen or casual dining area, and Jean Hood is a very popular American artist.

One Proud Rooster also by Jean Hood is a 9″ x 12″ original oil on stretched canvas and a wonderful way to add vivid color to your kitchen.  Once again, it’s in the impressionism style, heavily applied paint and collector quality technique.  This painting is available for $325 directly from the artist at DiscoveredArtists.com.

These are only a few examples of wonderful art for your French country kitchen.  To find more, go to DiscoveredArtists.com and search by theme for animals.  You’ll find a selection of over 4000 original and limited edition paintings perfect for any room in your home, or for your office that you can purchase directly from amazingly talented,  independent artists.