French Words Describing the Home ('la Maison')

A French family at home
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The home is the center of French family life, so words identifying the house, furniture, and areas of the home are a part of everyday language for French people. It's important, then, to learn some of the most common words for furniture, house, and home in French. Where provided, click the links to hear how the word is pronounced in French.

Ma Maison

Starting with maison (house), as well as chez moi (my home), several words describe a house in French, from searching for a home to buying your abode and perhaps renovating it.

  • la maison > house
  • chez moi > at my house, my home, at home
  • rénover, remettre à neuf > renovate, refurbish
  • construire, bâtir une maison > build a house
  • un architecte > architect
  • un agent immobilier > a real estate agent, house agent
  • acheter une maison > to buy a house
  • une perquisition domiciliaire > a house search

Inside la Maison

Once you're inside a French home, many French words describe its interior, from la cuisine (the kitcchen) to le bureau (the office).

  • à l'intérieur > inside
  • architecte d'intérieur > interior designer
  • décorateur d'intérieur > home decorator
  • la pièce, la salle > room
  • la cuisine > kitchen
  • la salle à manger > dining room
  • le bureau > office, study
  • la salle de séjour, le salon > den, living room
  • la chambre, la chambre à coucher > bedroom
  • la salle de bain > bathroom (does not include a toilet)
  • la salle d'eau > shower room
  • les toilettes, les cabinets / le W-C (pronounced "vay say") > toilet / water closet (British)
  • la salle de jeu > playroom
  • une domestique, une femme de chambre > housemaid
  • le sous-sol > basement
  • le grenier > attic
  • la porte > door
  • le couloir > hall
  • un escalier > stairway

Furniture, Appliances, Equipment, and Home Furnishings

A number of words can discribe les meubles (the furniture) you might use to make your house a home.

Outside a Maison

Once you're comfortable with your home's interior, you might proceed à l'extérieur (outside), where you can use many words to describe the home in French.

  • à l'extérieur > outside
  • une garage > garage
  • la remise à calèches > carriage house/coach house
  • la maison d'invités > guest house
  • le porche, la véranda > porch, veranda
  • le balcon > balcony
  • le patio > patio
  • un auvent > an awning
  • une clôture > a fence
  • le pergola > a pergola (area covered with wooden timbers and climbing plants)
  • le jardin > yard, garden
  • un potager > a vegetable garden
  • un jardin de fleurs > a flower garden
  • un parterre > a flower bed
  • une jardinière > a flower box
  • une fontaine > a fountain
  • bain d'oiseau > a birdbath
  • jardinier > gardener
  • une allée > a driveway
  • une piscine en plein air / découverte > an outdoor swimming pool   
  • le barbecue, le gril > an outdoor grill 
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Team, ThoughtCo. "French Words Describing the Home ('la Maison')." ThoughtCo, Apr. 5, 2023, thoughtco.com/french-home-vocabulary-a-la-maison-1371263. Team, ThoughtCo. (2023, April 5). French Words Describing the Home ('la Maison'). Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/french-home-vocabulary-a-la-maison-1371263 Team, ThoughtCo. "French Words Describing the Home ('la Maison')." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/french-home-vocabulary-a-la-maison-1371263 (accessed March 19, 2024).