Provence Decorating – French Provincial Furniture

70 Picture Inspirations Of French Provence Style Interiors

Posted on March 4, 2015October 25, 2021
by Meranda

Grand Provence Style-maison-deco.com

French furniture in the 17th and 18th centuries has been considered to be some of the most breathtaking furniture in history. In 1610 when Louis XIII took the throne, the furniture styles around the regions of France started developing their own signature styles. In Provence, furnishings were carved from walnut, while in Normandy, oak was popular for making armoires, buffets, and vaisseliers.

The Provencal style has always been inspired by the beautiful colors of France. The atmosphere of the countryside picks up the bright colors of lavender, yellow, mint and blue. Provencal style changes with the colors of the seasons. The dirt and natural settings seen around France has been the inspiration for earthenware and ceramic hand-painted pottery.

Some of the key elements of this style are stone flooring, rustic furniture,wrought iron accessories, tin enamel, painted pottery, raw cotton and linen. Architectural elements such as beams and alcoves, basin sinks, concrete corbels bring in the antique elements we all desire and admire. Soft, linen curtains and heavy linen upholstery has been a timeless choice for sofas, side chairs, slipcovers and cushions. The perfection of raw-wood furniture has been thought to be a noble choice for furnishings for centuries. Working with rustic hardware, such as wrought iron brings to mind the pastoral, country living that many people find refuge in. It is not only a style, but a way of life that is deeply anchored in a traditional way of life.

Moissonnier Furniture

Old World French Provence Homes- maison-deco.com

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Country Styled Home in Lourmarin, Provence

Posted on October 5, 2013October 25, 2021
by Meranda

This serene house located in Lourmarin, south of France, belongs to Marie and Frédéric who fell in love with the home and the lifestyle they found in Provence. The house was renovated with help from the locals, and most of the furniture for the home was also made from a local carpenter which added a personal touch and a connection to the region itself. The interior of the home was designed around the Provence style found in the countryside of France. Concrete walls, metal window frames, stone tiled floors which were complemented with stone colours such as purples and pinks. You won’t find anything unnecessary in this home; the furniture and decor has been well thought out.

This house was abandoned for decades before it was lovingly restored. The owners did a great job keeping the old features of the house authentic to the region. Exposed brick walls, old wooden beams and stone floors added the elements found in old world France. By adding a few modern architectural elements such as the staircase and plumbing, allowed this home to functional. The muted colour palate which revolved around sand colours such as light blue, greens, greys and pinks worked with the authentic colors found in Provence.

Consider the color palette for your own home. Combinations of dusty pink and mauve work quite nicely with mink, grey, cream and milky coffee shades. These tones can add warmth in a home decorated around the rustic elements found in the countryside of France. Neutral tones and natural materials, such as stone and wicker add that country element, while the modern furniture give this home a happy mix of the new and old.

Photos from Cotemaison.fr Photo: Nicolas Mathéus

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A Restored Farmhouse In Provence, France

Posted on July 22, 2013October 25, 2021
by Meranda

When the three farm buildings merged to create a single luxurious home, the result was a functional, yet beautiful to live in. A trio of worn 1850s structures in Provence was transformed into a single, spacious farmhouse. Renovating a trio of Provence farm buildings wasn’t an easy process. It all started with two decrepit houses and a gaping barn in between. Today the three buildings are linked together, which are seen as one whole home with all the modern comforts and old-world charm. Old beams and stonework were preserved, and the new stonework was created mimic the original. A wisteria-shaded pergola is the perfect spot for taking in the tranquil scene of the stone-edged reflecting pool. The house’s original structural beams are displayed in the living room area, enhanced by the patina of generations of paint. To add depth to these beams, the flaking and peeling layers were lightly sanded to reveal the wood with just a touch of subtle colour. Double living rooms bring an open floor plan to the main level of the home. These two rooms are linked by newly constructed arch. A fruitwood-topped buffet running along the rear wall of the large living room provides display space for the homeowner’s antiques.

In the kitchen area, old stone gives this room an old Provence feel. Wooden cupboard fronts, and limewash blends the shelving subtly with the rest of architecture. An antique Italian mirror at the top of the stairs makes a strong statement. A trumeau mirror is heavily distressed and works nicely with a rustic wood pedistal which sits am urn with a splash of red foliage. One of the bedrooms shows an saturated blue painted ceiling and beams. The bathroom shows off a pair of porcelain basins were mounted into a country table.

All images and information from Remodeling Center.

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Dan Carithers French Provincial Designs

Posted on June 19, 2013October 25, 2021
by Meranda

Dan Carithers October 1999- Featured on Magpies and Magnolias Blog

Now retired after a 50-year career creating rooms photographed for shelter mags like Veranda, House Beautiful, Traditional Home and Southern Accents, Carithers rooms still remain current, and is often the most blogged about designer around. In 2003, Carithers was named one of House Beautiful’s “Giants of Design”—the highest honor bestowed by the magazine; it’s only been given to a handful of honorees during its 100-year history.

Dan Carithers grew up in small town Jefferson, Georgia, and first gained notoriety as the design director for home furnishings at Rich’s Department Store. The job had an added bonus of being able to travel abroad which exposed Carithers to the latest home fashions and antiques from London and Paris. Carithers launched his own firm, and also established a long-time consulting position with Baker Furniture, and created an high-end upholstery line with Sherrill Furniture.

Carithers tends to lean towards the elegant side of decorating. Antique-filled homes with bold punches of color is a signature style of Dan Carithers. He suggests to pick out your accent color first, and repeat it throughout the house. As you can see in many of his designs, he tends to use neutrals on the walls, such as chocolate browns, creams and beige. Carithers often used mirrors to expand light, using slipcovers that often left the bones of the chair exposed. He often utilizes thought-out pieces for his rooms often looking around for the perfect choice. He mentions that a chair can have great impact in the direction of a room.

Dan Carithers French Style Decorating – Carither’s Home Featured in Southern Accents

Dan Carithers French Style Decorating Featured in Southern Accents

Dan Carithers French Style Decorating – Carither’s Home Featured in Southern Accents

Dan Carithers- Southern Accents Magazine

Dan Carithers Traditional Home Magazine

Dan Carithers French Style Decorating – Carither’s Home Featured in Southern Accents

Southern Accents Oct 1997

Kitchens I Have Loved Blog scanned in some pictures of the Carithers Home which show a provence styled interior

Carithers Home –Kitchens I Have Loved Blog

Dan Carithers In Veranda Magazine

Traditional HomeDan Carithers- Featured On Developing Design Blog

Dan Carithers October 1999- Featured on Magpies and Magnolias Blog

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3 Easy Old World French Elements To Add To Your Home Part 1

Posted on May 15, 2012October 25, 2021
by Meranda

This beautiful farmhouse was newly constructed and sits between the sea and mountains of the south of Catalonia, Spain. The house is decorated in the French country style. Borrow the best looks from this house for your own home. Below we offer three suggestions that will give you the biggest impact for gaining the French country look in your home.

1. Old Plastered Walls

Old Plastered walls will give you an old world look automatically. Nothing will change the appearance of your home MORE than a faux wall finish. While there are so many finishes to choose from, it doesn’t have to be complicated. Today there are a large range of concrete/ plaster molds that are available to FAKE a stone wall in your home. ALSO, applying plaster that is mixed with paint can be an easy faux finish that any person can make. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Consider adding texture to your smooth walls to give a inexpensive–comparable look to stone walls.

Consider adding texture to the walls using joint compound. (It is important that you test this look on a sheet of wood before applying it to your walls to see of you like the appearance before adding plaster. Practice makes perfect) Simply apply a thin coat (1/4″ thick) of compound to the wall, using the flat edge of the joint knife. A thicker coat of plaster might crack and fall off, so working with thinner coats is ideal. Experiment with creating various surface textures. Use a broom to create a striated, or a paint brush to create texture in the plaster. Experiment with textures that look genuine. When the textured surface is complete, let the wall compound dry for about 24 hours. With a paintbrush, apply pale-pink semigloss paint to the wall. Apply two coats of paint to seal the drywall compound. After your wall has dried, apply a glaze onto the wall with a wide paintbrush. Your glaze should be a slightly darker color of the paint color on wall. A very light muted yellow mixed with glaze would also make a terrific glaze. Simply paint the glaze on, and wipe off the excess glaze with a cotton cloth. The glaze will collect in the crevices giving the appearance of an aged look.

A large amount of faux plaster stone molds are available. Plaster is pretty inexpensive, making this project very affordable. The only down side to these molds, is it will take you a long time to make enough to cover a wall.

To read more details about this beautiful home, visit Campagne Decoration.

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French Provence Paint Colors In Yellow

Posted on March 14, 2012October 25, 2021
by Meranda

GAP interiors featured Anne Fowler’s stunning French styled home who, after five years living in Gers, which is located in the Midi Pyrenees region of France moved back home to Cotswolds UK. Her partner, Alan Lloyd and herself restored a three-storey Cotswold stone building into the home of their dreams. The home which had formerly been a stationery shop became their own oasis.

In one of the bedr00ms sits a painted antique french armoire in a brilliant yellow. Yellow is one of the most popular historical colors that are seen in classic French countryside decorating. All Provencal looks are inspired by the landscape of France, so when you think of decorating;…. think of the middle of summer, and you will always hit the mark.

The people at the time, and still today are captivated by the French countryside, and so much that they want to bring the outdoors inside. Saturated colors such as green, blue, purples and yellow and golds are of Provence taste. Yellow sunflowers, and massive fields of yellow colza flowers are seen in Toulouse, in the south of France must have been what sparked the taste in the yellow paint colors we see all over Provence.

Ochre was a popular coloring in France during the time of the French Empire, and many French citizens living in foreign colonies would import a great deal of ochre clay from France to make their new lands feel like home. Today the color of yellow is still one of the most popular colors to decorate with, along side blue, purple and green.

Alan Lloyd & Anne Fowler's Stunning French Decorated Home — Alan Lloyd & Anne Fowler’s Stunning French Decorated Home

Lighter Muted Yellows With Pastel Blue Shutters and Brighter Deep Blue Colors Found in the Awning- Corey Amaro's Blog — Lighter Muted Yellows With Pastel Blue Shutters and Brighter Deep Blue Colors Found in the Awning- Corey Amaro’s Blog

How To Decorate With Yellow:

1. Use Muted Yellows with A Combination of Blues.

Corey Amaro took pictures around Provence, (which she lives) and found many shades of blue and yellow. In this photograph above we find a muted yellow as the base color, with light colored pastel blue shutters and brighter deeper saturated blue found in the awning.

Use a lighter muted yellow on your walls. Choose a dulled down yellow and accent it with mustard yellow. Rusty brown can be used in your hardware, potting containers, and old world rusted out lamps. Use a rusty old urn and feature moss green toned plants for a very old world appearance.

Textured walls with textured plaster often found at your local hardware store will give you the presence of a stone and plaster appearance often seen in France.

Add in the light blue color with your painted furniture, or upholstery. Using the color scheme of the the muted yellow as your base, you can then focus on bringing the the array of muted blues into your home. Base your entire living room set around the lighter shades of blue and perhaps add in a few throw pillows in the brighter saturated ocean blues will give a nice balance to your home. Following the scheme of these three color tones will give a beautiful French Provence look to your home.

The Parma Chest features a signature acorn with fleur de Lis motif. The overall design features a ochre yellow with woodlands red fleur de Lis motif finished on a four drawer parma chest. The chest also features pendant hardware and measures 33″H x 18″D x 36″W. This chest gives all the looks of classic Provence painted furniture. Guild Master sells it for $1,167

Provence Colors — How To Decorate With Yellow For A French Provence Look

18th century, Yellow Provencal Picture Corey Amaro's Blog — 18th century, Yellow Provencal Picture Corey Amaro’s Blog

1. Use Brighter Toned Yellows with Muted Blue Accent Colors.

Again in this photograph we see the same color scheme but reversed. Brighter tones of saturated yellows are paired with muted blues. Paint the walls a bright yellow, and add in lighter blue painted french furniture. In this scheme paint colors include light and bright blues, muted greens, true reds and yellows and soft shades of these colors.

-Consider growing bright red poppies in your garden. The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany, France, in the 1750s. Consider displaying faux strawberries , crab apples or green Grannie apples in apothecary jars.

1 Emily Console Table $199– Add French-inspired flair to your home decor with the Emily Console Table. Expertly crafted from wood in an antiqued finish, this no-fuss table features storage and is the perfect way to display your home accents. Crafted of wood for years of lasting beauty.

2 Ashley Painted Console Table $103 Unquestionably stylish, the Ashley Painted Console Table goes hand-in-hand with most all types of furniture. Place the console table behind your sofa with lamps or use it in an entryway to colorfully welcome guests to your home. Available in two colors. Quality construction for long-lasting use and beauty. 32.5″Hx33.5″W

3 .Louisa Accent Table -Take your decor in a fun new direction with the unique styling of the Louisa Complements the French Provence home decor styles. Actual size is 30.25″Hx21.5″W

Provence Furniture is often left in its natural state, or painted for a country feel. Provence styled upholstered chairs featured linens and natural comfortable fabrics that you could put your feet up in. Farmhouse tables were functional for preparing dinners and had smooth tops from the years of use. Dining chairs were designed to be beautiful yet functional. Homes had a distressed appearance showing good times over the years.

Provence style is an upscale romantic version of relaxed country living. Furniture is comfortable, and interiors are not stuffy and formal, but relaxed and casual. Furniture that was seen in Versailles was duplicated for the country but in relaxed fabrics.

Collecting Louis XV styled furniture will go a long way to create this look for your home. Seating should be soft and comfortable. While many people opt for plain linen fabrics others invest in the classic floral patterns found in traditional France.

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