It's the tack taken at Dublin's Winding Stair restaurant. Arriving there, the Murroe, Co Limerick-born author drinks in the painted brickwork, old tables and chairs, new wall units and aged clipboards.

For Ryan, that ability to source beautiful furniture and accessories and mix and match them is in the genes. "My parents were always into antiques and we went along to markets as kids. My father was a hands-on tinkerer, always taking apart a clock or with his head under a bonnet. My mother was from Jersey and was passionate about everything French."

Ryan's take on French style is rustic, and she remembers splashing out 215 on a candlestick after giving up her nursing job to the chagrin of her boyfriend, now her husband. "I knew they were worth more and sold them for 290.

That was the beginning of it, " she reflects. "I met a friend of a friend who was an antique dealer and loved the sound of that kind of life.

I got my boyfriend's van, filled it up with everything I had bought over the years and took off to Newark, the biggest antique fair in England, and sold it all."

Fifteen years later, she is on her second shop in London and is frequently asked to design homes. "When I started out, I didn't concentrate on a particular French aesthetic. It just evolved. I used to get up early and go to the antique markets in Paris and buy odd bits. I always liked the shabby aesthetic."

French style is all about chemistry and confidence, Ryan believes. "It's an 18th century salon chair covered in shredded silk, teamed with a 1930s Lucite table or an oversized contemporary canvas hung above a Rococo console. It suggests the self-assurance that effortlessly combines old and new, that embraces personal quirks, indulges refined preferences and rejects the sterility of soulless design."

While those of us with a less artistic eye than Ryan's may struggle with getting the look, her advice is to take an easy hand. "You can introduce a shelf unit, a stone bowl that can be used for fruit, or a set of old glasses. You don't have to have the whole effect; you can just bring in elements."

It's about taking an overall approach rather than trying to do one room in the style. "It's also about not being afraid to use unexpected objects, like a statue on a sideboard or a garden urn indoors.

"It's also about mixing and matching. A lot of people have inherited pieces that they can reinvent with a lick of white paint."

In a family home, a good way to start is with painted or polished floorboards and keeping a neutral palette with paint. "In our climate the bright yellows and blues of France don't really work without the sun to soften them. You're better keeping colour for furniture and staying with neutral walls."

A slow build-up is the way to go. "Appreciate each piece and each purchase."

If you're keen to trawl flea markets in France, Ryan's advice is to do your homework. Those intimidated by the antiques world or who fear they're not knowledgeable enough should invest in illustrated guides to antiques, as well as familiarising themselves with websites listing auction houses, dealers and periodicals.

Discrimination and persistence are important and language skills are helpful, Ryan says.

She recommends taking a calculator, camera and tape measure with room dimensions. Bargaining skills are another must: "Remember doing so gently and with humour. Dealers respect that."

For those who prefer to shop closer to home, the two big fairs in England are Newark and Ardingly. In Ireland, where Ryan dreams of opening a shop, favourite haunts include Portobello Antiques, Limerick and Avoca. 'I think the Irish have a fabulous sense of style. There's huge creativity here and that's why I'm hoping to do an Irish version of the book in the years ahead. " While Ryan advises being wary of impulse buying, she suggests being alive to the chances of discovering extraordinary things. "It's not necessarily about spending a lot of money, although you can spend a lot on individual pieces. It's a rustic and rural ambience yet it works in the city and appeals to all ages."

Josephine Ryan Antiques, 63 Abbeville Road, London:

0044 20 8675 3900; www. josephineryanantiques. co. uk