Room in Provence Style

However, this is not true. The use of countryside style is widely practiced by modern designers, as this direction allows to fill the living space with atmosphere of comfort and peace. Provence is a popular branch of countryside style originating from France.

Features of the Style

Characteristic features of the Provence style are dictated by its historical origins. In the 17th century, French bourgeoisie sought to build their houses beyond city limits to escape from the bustle and strict classical interiors. Inspired by rural life, picturesque nature and natural charm of the old world, they ordered their craftsmen to recreate similar moods in the decoration of houses. The combination of light tones, natural materials and modest ornaments quickly became beloved by high society, so already in the 18th century followers of this style included everyone, including bohemians — writers and artists. In the 19th century, people throughout Europe learned about the Provence style.

Although Provence is a branch of countryside style, it has its own specific features that allow identifying this direction among others.

• Provence avoids bright colors, mainly pastel tones are used.

• Walls in Provence houses, as a rule, are white — they are plastered, whitewashed or painted.

• Textile with floral patterns is used as decorative elements, it can be bright and saturated to accentuate attention on specific areas of the room.

• Thin cast iron elements can also be used for decoration — candlesticks, grates to imitate a fireplace, tall planters near the bed.

• Provence is close to some minimalism and 'coolness', as in the hottest regions of France, they tried to artificially cool down rooms by decoration: only white color was used for renovation, natural breathable textiles were used, and the rooms were not filled with furniture.

Not all of the above can currently be used in modern apartments, so designers in renovation can use only the main motifs of the style — color, lighting, and laconic decorations.

Project: CO:interior

Room finishing

The most common wall finishing in Provence is plaster, coarsely applied with irregularities and showing brick masonry in some places, although the last point is not mandatory. For these purposes, you can use plaster — beetle — coating that imitates damaged wood by beetles. As an alternative, you can use board cladding, also painted or whitewashed. For kitchens or living rooms-kitchens, glazed brick, snow-white tiles and stone can be used.

Ceiling finishing is similar to wall finishing — they are painted with light shades of paint. For authenticity, you can decorate the ceiling with wooden beams in contrasting colors. Suspended or drop ceilings are not recommended.

For floors, it is better to use laminate, parquet or natural wood. For practicality, you can choose dark but natural colored coverings.

Design: Ludmila Krystal

Interior decoration in Provence style

Provence provides for the presence of characteristic decorative elements that recreate the atmosphere of southern France. First of all, this is an abundance of flowers and floral decoration. The more live and bright flowers there are in the room, the more authentic the finished interior looks. They can be placed in porcelain vases or woven baskets, stands. It is better to dilute live decorations with small pots or figures.

Laconically, cast iron lamps or cast iron legs on furniture will fit into the interior. Walls are better decorated with paintings or hand-painted ceramic plates.

Textile is the best friend of Provence style. Curtains, bedspreads, upholstery on armchairs and chairs should preferably be made of linen and cotton with simple patterns — flowers, stripes or checks.

Design: Ludmila Krystal

Color palette

French Provence requires increased attention to color palette — only light, calm tones without bright colors. This characteristic distinguishes it from countryside style, where main colors can be red, black or green.

The key is to create an impression of sun-warmed natural surfaces, so it is not only white color but also brown, blue, pink, salad, beige and other shades.

Design: Lilit Simonian and Arama Gevorgyan

Furniture in interior

The ideal option is solid wooden furniture with rough processing. It should look as if it has served generations of people faithfully. The aging effect can be created by making cracks, chips and worn zones.

Cabinets, armchairs and chests of drawers should have rounded wooden (chestnut, cherry, oak) legs in the color of the main furniture or table in the center of the room.

Cabinet for dishes without doors is an indispensable element of kitchens and living rooms in French Provence, to keep dishes not too dusty, you can equip cabinets with glass panoramic walls.

As already mentioned, textile is the only bright element in interior. The key is to choose one pattern motif — stripes, checks or flowers, and use it on all textile elements. Combining patterns is not allowed.

Room in Provence Style

We have already considered the main nuances that make up Provence. Now attention should be paid to creating this style in individual rooms.

For the living room, the main element of the room will be a spacious and comfortable sofa made of soft textile, placed opposite the television. Since Provence does not provide for the presence of furniture wall for equipment, it is better to mount the television on the wall and place a small wooden table under it. The final touch to the interior will be a small wool carpet under the coffee table near the sofa.

The bedroom should not be overloaded with unnecessary furniture or decoration, it is better to pay attention to choosing a spacious bed. To fully fit into the interior, choose bedding in the color of other elements of the room: armchairs, curtains, etc.

Designer: Evgenia Matveenko, architectural bureau FlatsDesign

In the children's room you can experiment with color and make it more vivid and individual. Do not forget that a child's room should fully correspond to the child's interests and wishes, so the main nuances of Provence can be sacrificed — for example, you can put a sports wall, add elements made from artificial materials.

The bathroom should primarily be functional, so Provence finds its reflection here only in the pattern on the surfaces — glazed tiles and ceramic tiles. This also applies to the kitchen. The kitchen furniture set should be made of rubbed wood in pastel shades. It is preferable that household appliances are from vintage series with less chrome and glass elements.

Decorating a Girl's Room in Provence Style

Provence is an excellent solution for decorating a girl's room. For the basis of such a room, it is better to take soft pink or soft violet colors that will stand out favorably against furniture sets with similar shades.

The aging effect is better replaced with neat finishing to make the room look well-maintained and more cozy. It is very important to add more light to the room. For this, it is enough to increase the window opening or not to close it with dense curtains.

Pay attention to furniture selection. It should meet all the needs of a young girl living in the room. Do not forget to put a wardrobe — this is not only an eye-catching addition to the interior but also a very convenient storage for important small items.

Designing a Small-Sized Room

If you are faced with the task of finishing only one small room in Provence style, then you should follow these guidelines:

• For the main color, take white, which visually enlarges the space. Later on, you can add volume to it by using sheer curtains on the window.

• Do not use wooden wall finishing — it reduces the space volume. It is better to pay attention to plaster or whitewashing.

• Do not install a large chandelier with low shades;

• Do not overload the room with decoration, it is better to decorate the room with beautifully selected textiles.

Window and Door Decoration

The main rule is that windows and doors should not attract too much attention. For this reason, many designers simply choose wooden doors and paint them in the tone of walls or keep their natural color.

Windows in Provence style must necessarily be white, for which ordinary PVC frames are suitable. For authenticity, you can decorate them with shutters — inserts inside the glass unit that imitate the division of the window opening into several small frames.

Lighting in Provence Style

Lighting in Provence style is chandeliers, floor lamps with floral-plant relief. They should not have shiny, glass and plastic elements. The best option is a cast iron chandelier with lantern shades painted in wall tone. It will not concentrate attention on itself, but at the same time complement the interior. The shades on lighting fixtures can be made of fabric, porcelain or wood.

For Provence in a more 'rough' style, where more brown and other warm tones are used, more pompous chandeliers — multi-level ones with imitation candlelight — will suit. But they are relevant for rooms with high ceilings.

Design: Ludmila Krystal

Design: Ludmila Krystal

Design: Ludmila Krystal

French Provence is the best choice for those who are tired of urban hustle and want to immerse themselves in a calm and soothing atmosphere of southern France. The combination of natural materials and pastel tones suits any living space, the key is to take into account the main nuances on which the interior in Provence style is based.

On the cover, design project: Evgenia Matveenko, architectural bureau FlatsDesign.