When I imagine Paris I see elegance and opulent surroundings. I can image myself in a period building in the heart of Paris, perhaps overlooking the Seine or maybe the Sacre Coeur. My beautiful apartment would be adorned with the kind of French furniture you would expect, including a chaise longue, and I would most probably have floor to ceiling windows and the kind of curtains your mum would never have let you touch as a child, and these days you just admire.

Sadly, my apartment is more of a ‘flat’ and my floor to ceiling windows are small sash windows that have seen better days, but my love for French furniture has not dwindled.

The thing about French furniture that I have always loved is how it manages to be effortlessly beautiful and sensual. The furniture is typically French in my opinion with lavish scrolls, rich in gold and sumptuous detail, reminiscent of the Regence and Louis XV.

These days you don’t have to be outrageously wealthy to afford French furniture. In fact, you don’t even have to rob a bank. With so many people now jumping on the French furniture band wagon, luxurious living, or looking as though you live luxuriously has never been easier, although sometimes you may wish to splash out.

I recently decided that my wrought-iron bed had seen better days and so decided it was time to upgrade and grow up. Our eyes met across the show room and it was love. My beautiful white Rattan bed, with curved head and foot board and stunning scrolled detail to the wooden frame looked every bit the part. This incredible piece of French furniture now takes pride of place and certainly enhances my sleep.

If a bed is a little out of your price range or perhaps you are lucky to already own one, then there are smaller pieces of French furniture that can add that French Regency feel to any home. A gilded mirror, or a Rococo picture frame or even a Valbonne Carved Armchair. I often find that it is the smaller pieces of French furniture that do more to inspire and enhance the beauty of a room than the larger more obvious pieces – although I have to say my bed does look pretty good against the grey painted floor boards.