PROVENCAL STYLE: INTRODUCTION
What is the Provencal style? To define the Provencal style we must think of the region located in the south of France, Provence. In this area of the country there is a particular decorative style that has more and more people who appreciate and love it.
The Provencal style is made of wrought iron, soft colors and straw. The culture of this place is reflected in its patinated or painted furniture, in the natural and slightly hinted colors of furniture and fabrics used to furnish.
Often the furniture also has decorations made with colors of a darker tone. In this case, white, lavender, powder blue and all natural shades and ocher predominate especially for the walls of the house.
In addition, this style is inspired by the country style in which the essentiality and elegance of the past is enhanced, far from the excesses of modern style.
Provencal furnishings are distinguished by the use of spring colors, particular materials and by the creation of suggestive, romantic, elegant and genuine settings.
CHARACTERISTICS
Provencal style is a style of furniture that derives from the characterizations of the French region of Provence. The elements are romantic, elegant with a nod to vintage charm. A house in this style wisely mixes shabby and country furniture, made of great classics such as pickled furniture, wooden consoles and tables, antiqued furnishing accessories and many fabrics. Unmissable are:
- The dining table, the true protagonist of the living area
- Furniture with a romantic vintage patina and imperfections: yes to a bit of disorder, no to minimalism
- Wood, ecru, wrought iron, stone and cast iron as main materials
- Lavender and other flowers and colours tending to lilac
- Particular attention to detail
Those who opt for this style of furniture are looking for tranquility, romance, the atmosphere of old farmhouses.
KITCHEN
The kitchen in perfect Provencal style is large, romantic, harmonious, welcoming. Spices, fruit and herbs are in plain view on the peninsula or on the shelf. The rustic curtains on the windows, the tablecloth on the table, the natural materials are all elements that make this environment welcoming and reassuring.
Table, chairs, worktops or island entirely made of wood are the most important elements to which you must give priority in kitchen furnishings. Wood is certainly the natural element to be preferred, especially if the kitchen cabinets and furnishing accessories are worked in poor art or vintage.
LIVING ROOM
Even in the living room, the Provencal style aims to give the environment a romantic and relaxing air. The upholstered armchairs blend with the natural materials present: the wooden table, the coffee table in wrought iron.
Aperitif or post-dinner tables, antique and refined bookcases will also tend to define the spaces and give the living room an elegant touch. Even deckchairs or furnishing accessories made of bamboo can certainly be present in a Provencal-style living room.
Furthermore, curtains in linen, cotton or jute will characterize the environment, especially if in soft and relaxing colors such as aqua green, sugar paper or turtledove.
BATHROOM
To transform the bathroom into a Provencal style, a lavender or sugar paper cabinet and some wrought iron details are sufficient. As furnishing accessories in the bathroom we find: jars with bath salts, candle holders, flowers, cotton, soap holders.
Items such as the bamboo or wicker laundry basket are also particularly popular. Furthermore, the choice of covering the walls or floors with colored tiles or, in the case of the floor, in terracotta, is much appreciated.
In addition, it is possible to furnish it in a Provencal style with characteristic furnishing accessories such as wooden benches, tubs, galvanized iron basins or wrought iron toilets.
SLEEPING AREA
A Provencal-style bedroom evokes pleasant, intimate sensations, it is characterized by soft, relaxing, calming colors. Ocher, gray, blue, sugar paper and blue can be your allies for a Provencal-style bedroom.
Plants, old and large mirrors, trunks or rocking chairs in bamboo or wood with references to the colors of the Provencal style cannot be missing.
WHERE TO BUY PROVENCAL STYLE FURNITURE?
What characterizes the Provencal style is the lived-in air of the furniture and furnishings. Often they are brand new furniture treated and made vintage, but this style is even more fascinating if the furniture is really lived.
So what better than visiting an antiques market to recover the grandparents’ old furniture by repainting them and giving them new life?
It is, in fact, a style that has a story behind it, has its cracks but they are cracks that tell stories of life. This alone is enough to furnish and personalize a house, making it unique.
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Finally, if you need personalized advice to furnish your home in a Provencal style, send an email to valeriadesign@casaomnia.it!