How To Use French Provence Red Check Patterns
French Red Check Bergere Chair
Decorating with red checked fabric is a sure way of adding the French country into your home. The Paris Breakfast Blog discovered that red check fabric is actually called Nappe à carreaux in France. In fact, most traditional French wine bistros will dress their tables in red checks. In the picture below we see a French styled home with red check fabrics both in the living room and on the seats around the dining table.
Decorating with checks give a very country rustic feel. Pairing red with natural woods is almost a must. In the photograph above you can see in the distance a natural wood French armoire. In addition the walnut chairs look terrific against the red fabric.
You can see how they use it over top of their tables in the living room instead of the kitchen. Consider dressing up your bedroom tables with check fabric, or getting a checked duvet cover for your bed to match it up. Also if you plan on doing a theme around the red, consider the richer woods such as walnut or bombay mahogany stains.
Finding an over-sized check pattern can be difficult. I have’t limited myself in the past and even have used tablecloths to upholster with.
Consider a Bright RED Neoclassical Pattern – Such as The Jack Country Pattern
LinenTablecloth’s rectangular tablecloths are durable, and are made of a heavier fabric than most other tablecloths on the market.
DII Flame Red and White Checkers Tablecloth 60 x 84″ Made of 100 percent cotton
Decorating With Red Check From Country Living Magazine
House Beautiful Magazine Cover
Red Chintz Dinner Ware and Brightly Painted French Red Chest With Gold French Hardware
Beautiful Country Red Rustic Cabinets
Antique French Country Linen Buying Sources
Consider Alaska Quilting Adventures – Red and Blue Fabrics
The Chinese Pavilion Decorated in Red
Decorating With Red For Bedroom Canopy Ideas
French Provence Decorating Red Check Tablecloths
French Provence Decorating Red Check Tablecloths
French Provence Decorating With Red Check Fabrics
Decorating With Red Check For A French Provence Look From Southern Accents Magazine
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Distressing Painted French Provincial Furniture
The best way to practice distressing techniques is on an old piece of furniture that is either a thrift store find, or something you don’t mind donating if the end result is not what you expected. Don’t begin your experiment with pieces that are valuable or antique furniture passed down in your family until you have tried this technique and are confident in the results.
Distressing adds a lot of interest and detail on painted furniture. It is the one technique that will improve a painted finish guaranteed! Over the years of selling white furniture, I have had more men love distressing than women. Distressing can look primitive, rustic and even masculine.
Your painted furniture should either have one coat or multiple coats of paint in the same color with bare wood under the paint. When distressing the piece of furniture, you should see the top color and the wood.
For a layered effect, use a neutral color as your base coat such as gray or black. When you distress the furniture, black will also show along side the natural wood color and your top coat paint color.
The worst thing you can do with distressing is have a white primer under a color. If your top color is white, then, it works just fine. Although you don’t want a red dresser with white paint peeking through.
The way to get around this is to fully sand your furniture before painting so you will have one coat of paint and your natural wood color which shows through distressing.
1. Distressing can be very simple. The first way of distressing is with sandpaper. Start by sanding it with fine sandpaper in the direction of the wood grain. This will greatly improve the look of your finished piece. Sand in the areas which would get banged up over time. The edges of the chest, the feet, the areas around the handle. You want your distressing to look as natural as possible. Use a hand sander, or a foam sander for great results.
2. Heavy distressing involves more than just sandpaper. Metal chains whipped on to a wood chest can depressions to the piece. Be careful that your distressing is random, and not obvious such as a screw driver, or a hammer. Chains work quite well for heavy distressing because the indents will be random than purposeful.
A. Now you want to emphasize the marks you made. You can either use a wood stain in walnut, or brown glazing. Either of these two colors will give the impression of dirt. Both techniques are simply done by painting on a coat of glaze or stain, and wiping it off quickly. Be sure not to use flat white paint with either two approches, as both the glaze and stain will permanently stain the white.
Antique Walnut Polyshade in Satin, or Pecan Polyshade in Satin are great stains to use over white or a color. Apply it with a brush and paint thinner, and wipe it off with a rag.
Be sure to wear throw away Vinyl gloves through this process, as it will save the time getting the chemicals off your skin once you are finished. Vinyl gloves stay on your hands easier than latex and can be used many times before throwing them away through out your painting projects
Simply paint on the stain or the glaze, and within a couple minutes after it sets and dries, wipe the stain off the piece which should leave just enough stain to collect in the holes to emphasize the distressed wood. Often times after glazing I like to add a polycrylic sealant to the furniture. With stain no sealant is necessarily. Enjoy your new antique looking white furniture!
This beautiful bathroom vanity is constructed in a size that is perfect for small bathrooms and is suited perfectly for any French Provence country decor. It has a durable resin top, one faux drawer, one door with one adjustable shelf inside, and a sliding back for easy plumbing connections. It is featured in a striking off white Bordeaux finish with rub through and antique finished fixtures with a biscuit ceramic sink. The Bordeaux collection also includes dining room furniture.
Floor to top of faucet: 41H Floor to top of backsplash: 39H Floor to top of counter: 35H Hardwood Solids with Red Birch Veneers; Resin; Ceramic; Metal
Bishop Coffee Table is shown in Antique White finish on base and Signature Stain top. This solid wood table has one drawer with antiqued drawer pulls.
LOUIS XV CONSOLE;Vintage Cygne Blanc finish on six drawer console with drawers finished in Heritage Stain. Antiqued hardware.
The Provence cabinet boasts hand carved detail and beaded trim for storage with feminine flair. Its antiqued mirrors and Vintage Cygne Blanc finish lend a nostalgic appeal.
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The Secret Ingredient To French Provincial Decorating
Countryside Provence Style French Iron Garden Chairs
Can you imagine how exciting it would be to stay in a rustic log cabin in Aspen, or have a dinner in a formal french restaurant in France?
If you are modern sort of gal, than run with that style. If you like Italian looks, your dominate theme should be Italian.
There is nothing more exciting that FINDING your style and going after mastering that look inside your personal living space.
Cunningham Rustic Iron Reclaimed Wood Console
How do you do this?
Consider slowly exchanging out furniture which doesn’t work.
Trade up. Sell your old with pieces that are more “you” .
You can find antique finds at garage sales, ebay, craigslist and local thrift stores.
I know for myself, I would buy furniture cheap at thrift stores, auctions and so forth, and sell them for a profit on our local craigslist, and the money I gained from the sale I would invest in new furnishings. I would sell our previous furniture for a profit, and exchange it out when I came across that was better and more of my period style.
Rustic French Provence Decorating Ideas From Atelier de Campagne
The power of editing.
I was attracted to a particular style for years, and finally I figured out what period it belonged to, and researched the various elements of that style and ran with it. The various layers of choosing the right furniture, to the right wall finishes, to the right flooring and textiles, it really has been a fun process for me. I don’t have a perfect home, but subtle changes with your furniture and the decor can make a big difference.
Getting rid of decor that just doesn’t go with your period style can be freeing.
A girlfriend of mine had a huge garage sale in which she just got rid of all of her rose floral arrangements and colors that she wasn’t decorating around anymore. It made an impact in her home, and the only reason she hung on to the items is because she spent a lot of money on them. Isn’t that what happens? Selling the items you don’t need anymore, can free up money to spend it where you want.
Sometimes LESS is more in a home, and the right appropriate elements can make all the difference in presenting a style, and I guarantee you, it will make all the difference in the world.
Iron is seen a lot in old world French decorating.
One thing I have learned with Provence French Decorating, in compared to Swedish decorating, is that country side French decorating is based around stone and iron, where as Swedish is all based around wood.
With old Swedish styles, you would see wood plank walls, often painted, and all wood floors painted. Wood was greatly available in this area of the world, so the style is basically dominated by wood.
Compare that to French decorating, and stone is a very common theme. Stone floors, plaster walls, iron wall decor.
If you are wanting the Provence look, consider adding more stone elements in your home. Consider a tiled floor. Consider Plaster Wall finishes that replicate the look of stone in some way. Consider keeping distressed wood furniture, but work with a lot of iron decor. Put more effort into the architectural elements, and the little furniture that you do have that is French will POP.
Everyone has a concrete basement in America. Why not look into getting the concrete polished and stained? Use throw rugs instead of carpet in your basement. I am sure this idea would cost a lot less than carpet, or even hardwood floors.
If you have a patio, slowly try to collect furniture that has an iron or metal base.
Think out of the box when it comes to this style. Everyone has seen these vintage sewing machine tables in their local classifieds. These sort of tables do come up quite frequent and they are listed at bargain prices. Some even for $20 dollars, depending on the style. Consider getting a new top made for them, or even take off the existing table top and use the iron to make a long bench for an outdoor table.
Southern Portico’s photostream shows a table that is obviously vintage, but it would transfer extremely well in the countryside French look.
Avescape’s photostream shows a rectangular table that could be used inside or out. Instead of a glass top, consider re-creating a weathered top made from wood. Your local home hardware store sells stripes of wood which you can fit and fit with a regular laser beam circular saw for straight cuts or a for rounded tables a jig saw. All you need to do is some natural distressing, and a rustic wood stain.
Check out This bleached wood furniture on my Swedish Site.
Table TOP Wood SEMI Transparent Stain French Provence
If you do stain your wood, I would highly suggest looking at Behr’s wood stain line in Semi transparent colors. The color to the left are solid stains, while the right provide a semi transparent look which I highly recommend. Wood is beautiful to look at, and staining it in a transparent look, allows you to get the natural wood, while having the wood a shade of the color of your choice.
French Provence Style Decorating Using Iron From Tumblr
French Provence Style Decorating Using Iron From Tumblr
French Provence Countryside Decorating
Circle Set of Two Leather Top Nesting Tables– Featuring leather finish tops with hand-tooled borders on curvaceous iron bases, these nesting tables are a beautiful addition to your decor- $299
Safavieh Winston Black Iron Vanity Bench $155. Black Iron Vanity Bench features a beautiful iron construction and a soft grey cushion
Scrollwork Console Table With A marble Top- $310The sturdy base is made of hand forged iron with a curling, scrolled design. The curved brown and white marble top has a beautiful, rich grain, and a beveled outer edge
SEI Iron Blanket Rack-The perfect spot to showcase the heirloom quilt -3 hang bars allow you to hang more than one blanket in view.
Renaissance Wrought Iron Wine Jail – Ornate scrollwork with antique bronze finish evokes the artistry of the Renaissance a fitting setting for your wine. Holds 45 standard Bordeaux-size bottles behind the slide-lock door. $140
Hudson Iron Crib– Beautifully Handcrafted Iron Crib $700
Antique French Looking Daybed- $1782 This hand forged iron bed by Corsican has a classic style and timeless appeal. Made by skilled craftsmen who uphold a tradition of handcrafted beauty, attention to detail and a commitment to quality.
Iron & Brass Sleigh Bed – Black By Charles P. Rogers – Queen Headboard $800 Iron and Brass Sleigh Bed. Decorative accents are cast by hand directly onto the iron framework in the traditional manner. The crest rail and decorative turning are pure; solid brass with an exclusive antique finish. Stock finishes offer a choice of black with silver highlights or vintage white iron.
Cottage Wrought Iron Day Bed-$475 Made to accommodate any twin mattress it combines the comfort of a couch with the convenience of a spare bed. Offered with an antiqued finish, it is coated with a protective clear lacquer for durability. Double the options with a twin pop-up trundle. Easy to raise and lower with the touch of a lever, it rolls back under the bed for storage. Takes a twin mattress
Set of Three Iron Tables For $65 Dollars
French Rustic Decorating Ideas- Craft Table with Paper Roll Holder by America RetoldProvence Decorating Ideas- Marble Brasserie Table by America RetoldItalia Accent Table Round Top $285– The sturdy four-legged structure provide a steady tabletop, and the hand-crafted wrought iron base with fired copper top create a strong and enduring piece of furniture.- Additional Pieces, Alexander End Table, Console Table, Dining Table
Set of Three Wrought iron nesting tables with flower design tabletops- Imax $146
This beautiful picture featured on Greige Design Blog features a stunning example of Provincial decorating done right. As you can see they have a set of classic French folding wood chairs in a dining room. You can see it works just wonderful.
These classic rustic french table sets don’t only have to be for the outdoors only. Here they have a painted gray / beige sideboard with some manicured boxwood plants with primitive decor such as the wood fruit bowl on the table and the deep tray table sitting inside the sideboard.
This minimal approach to decorating works as only the best of furniture and decor pertaining to what would be found in Provence is featured, while the clutter and modern day decor is removed.
Provence Homes With Iron Furniture
– This outdoor Provence home features fold-able french wood chairs along with a rustic wood table.
-An old world feeling is created in this Provence yard with fold-able metal french chairs.
-In this photo we see painted metal furniture in a French Provence setting.
-In this photo, fold-able wood chairs are painted a bright yellow, a classic Provence paint color.
Provence Decorating Ideas- Marble Brasserie Table by America Retold
French Rustic Decorating Ideas- Craft Table with Paper Roll Holder by America Retold
Stone Veneer Molds:Create Old World French Provence Walls
Stone Walls By Designer Eleanor Cummings
Stone walls are a key component to the look of French Provence, and an architectural element you cannot do without for the ideal old world primive French Provence style.
Many people are turning to do-it-yourself concrete and plaster stone molds which can produce thousands of stones for 28 to 65 cents per square foot. That’s a tiny percentage of what you’d pay for it at a stone yard.
Here are just some of the stones you can create in your own home:
Stone, tile, brick, paver, cobblestone, fieldstone, River Rock, Castle Stone, Ledgestone, Drystack Stackstone and Limestone.
While some of these pictures show entire walls covered in stone veneer, consider starting with a feature wall. Starting with a smaller project will give you the experience to bite off a bigger project.
This stone wall from Aged and Gilded Blog gives you a great idea of how to showcase a wall using stone for a French Provence look.
A smaller wall allows you how to learn stone plaster veneers, and gives you a project that can be finished sooner than an entire room covered in stone. I would suggest making all the molds at once, and then spending one weekend putting them up on the walls.
(French Provence – Italian Tuscan Decorating Ideas – RIVER ROCK stone molds From Ebay Seller Mjm6467)
No experience is necessary. Here are some basic guidelines:
1. Lubricate your mold. You can purchase a mold release spray, or you can coat the mold with light vegetable oil.
2. Mix the bag of pre-mix concrete according to directions. Some people add in sand, and straw to add strength. It is a good idea to mix a little bit of plaster or concrete mix at a time, otherwise the rest ends up being garbaged if you over mix your plaster or concrete.
3. Add some cement color. This is optional, although colorant adds some hue to the stones creating a realistic effect than just plain gray concrete.
4. Pour the concrete into the mold. After the mold is filled to the top,vibrate the mold, to release air bubbles. Depending on the mold you use, you may want to fill a box of sand for flimsy soft plastic molds to sit in. This will allow the pattern to come out without being crushed.
5. Let the molds stay undisturbed on a level surface over night.
6. Flip the molds over the next day… and take the stones, pavers, or tile out of the molds.
7. Cover with a sheet of plastic again, and let cure for several days. For thicker stones, allow they to dry longer.
8. When you are ready to fix your stone veneers to the wall, in most cases, installation over an existing sound concrete, stone, concrete block, brick or stucco surface does not require additional surface preparation. It can be applied directly over that surface using mortar, or a mixture of mortar and thin set. For more detailed information, see this article from the Mold Store
French Provincial Decorating Ideas Shabby Chic Mania
Decorating With Stone- Provence Style
French Provence Decorating -Rough Stone Walls From Home Furnishing Ideas
French Provence Rough Stone Walls From Home Furnishing Ideas
French Provence Country Home Rough Stone Walls From Home Furnishing Ideas
Rough Stone Walls From Home Furnishing Ideas
Des boiseries chaleureuses – Maison Deco
Photographer JORDI CANOSA
Photographer JORDI CANOSA
Painted Blue French Provence Furniture
Louis XV Hand Painted Fruitwood Armchair early 1900’s Petite Louis XV style hand painted armchair, newly reupholstered in a linen blend. Beautiful hand carved details over entire frame. Beautiful original paint ivory and blue From Jean-Marc Fray French Antiques
Blue can be one of the most calming colors to pick to paint your furniture. A great bonus of picking blue is it works with raw distressed pickled woods, as well as silver very well. Consider the galvanized buckets that you can paint for your outside garden. The colors work seamlessly together.
This door is painted in a classic blue giving this home a very distinct French appearance.
Look how lovely this kitchen looks painted in a blue. The painted appearance looks as though it has been distressed and glazed with brown to give it an antique look.
This vintage French Provincial dresser has been painted in a Robyn’s egg blue and brushed with gold.
This French Provincial Dresser was given a more modern look simply by choosing a brighter color blue.
Look how wonderful a muted blue can appear on a piece of furniture. This chair automatically looks antique with this shade of blue.
Here we have a fantastic French Provincial buffet painted in blue, and antiqued with crackling paint.
This piece shows you how great blue can look with white detailing.
French Louis XV style painted bureau table with two drawers. Foxglove Antiques $4,200
18th Century French Provencale Louis XV Painted Fauteuil with A Rush Seat. The chair has an upholstered back and cushion. Circa 1748 Wirthmore Antiques $4,200
Louis XV Painted Console Table with A Faux Marble Top Wirthmore Antiques $5,495
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Historical French Provincial Color Palettes
French Provence Decorating Colors Flesh Pink, Burnt Orange, Beige, Washed Green- From Shabby Chic Mania
Today we see many modern day French inspired interiors bathed in grays and beige and natural woods. A huge design trend has gravitated towards Greige, a color combination of both gray and beige. Although, which these calming neutral shades, I truly believe we will see a trend historical colors come about, particularly with those who are passionate about French decorating.
The rustic details found in Provence are found in the rich colors of old world plaster walls, the details of the natural elements such as wood and stone and the distressing that occurs over time found in the French antiques.
Châteauneuf-du-Pape area is typical of the southern France countryside- Picture Credit
Looking through many historical French Provence homes, a wide range of pinks, and oranges hues are found in their exterior buildings. Americans tend not to gravitate towards these colors because they are simply just not found in America’s heritage, but the color palette is very common to France. Orange, pink and yellow are common colors found in France.
Charles Spada Interiors Seen on The Boxwood Terrace Blog.
As you can see in the picture by Charles Spada, the color of orange with hues of pink really works just perfect with the wall cameos which merge together in the same color family of gold and beige.
Shades of orange, pink and yellow all work hand in hand in the French historical palette. What captured my attention is the Empire Chest.
Empire chests are not normally painted because they often feature exquisite mahogany veneers, which are just as stunning to look at as Burl wood.
Though if you look at the color of the chest, it is a color often found in French Provence decorating that we often don’t include in our French decorating in the west. Today, French decorating is so dominated by shades of gray and white.
Though there is such beauty in the shades of orange, beige, blue and dark shades of rusty brown.
Beautiful Provence Colors In Pinks and Oranges From About.com
Provence Decorating Colors Using Pinks Oranges, Burnt Orange and Blue From Chic Provence Blog
French Provence Colors From Fuoriborgo
French Provence Colors –Elise Valdorcia & Patina
If you are hoping to add more of the warm reds, browns and oranges, consider terracotta tiles, often found to be square in shape.
Provence Colors in Oranges Pinks and Reds From About.com
Provence Colors in Oranges Pinks and Reds From About.com
Provence Colors in Oranges Pinks and Reds From About.com
Provence Colors in Oranges Pinks and Reds From About.com
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