A Guide to French Provincial Home Design
From Sydney to San Francisco, the world is in the midst of an endless love affair with French style. Whether it is the effortless elegance of a Parisian flat or a chic rustic country house, that je ne sais quoi captivates us. Just the sight of a French Provincial interior will transport you to the picture-perfect countryside of France.
Inherently timeless, the French-inspired Provincial style is refined yet lived-in. Mixing a blend of high-end elements with casual basics, it’s easy to create to curate a style that is all your own with French Provincial decor.
Feeling the call of the French Riviera? Dreaming of the lush lavender fields of Provence? Here’s how to get that iconic French provincial down under.
What Is French Provincial Style?
While King Louis XIV retreated to the gilded paradise of Versailles, Parisian elites followed the exodus out of the city. Anyone who was anyone in the 17th and 18th centuries retreated to the south of France. Not unlike today, the region of Provence in southeastern France was the place to be.
The manors that dotted the countryside embraced the natural beauty of their surroundings while admiring the principles of Versailles. As the vieux riche (old money) shunned the crowded flats of Paris, they also left the urban aesthetic behind.
In Paris, fashion houses and family homes alike have long embraced a more trend-focused market where devotees forever search for the latest and greatest. Meanwhile, in the countryside, French Provincial homes are characterised by their classic style and timeless furnishings. Though Parisian style must bow to the restrictions of cramped city living, provincial life is a breath of fresh air.
Where Does French Provincial Style Come From?
While French Provincial has been making its way around the world for centuries, the core elements of this decor style have remained rooted in its place and time of origin. From the local French lavender to eighteenth-century gilded antiques, French Provincial style brings you to a magical place and time.
As exotic as it is approachable, this rural French style embraces an easy mix-and-match style that blends splurges with second-hand treasures. The practicality of the less-the-perfect shabby chic styles along with the comfortable timeless styles is a home stylist’s dream. This blend of rustic elegance creates a lived-in style that you can actually live in.
What Defines French Provincial Decor?
Warm, natural, and timeless are essential to the French Provincial style. Elegant but not pristine or showy, French Provincial decor looks like a mix of family heirlooms, cosy family favourites, and elements straight from the garden.
The foundational pieces reflect their surroundings. Premium dark wood, stone, and tile are featured throughout as investment pieces. A French Provincial home isn’t remodelled every few years. Instead, a French home is expected to age like a fine wine. Textured plaster shows its age alongside exposed wooden wall and ceiling beams. Wood and stone change with time to take on a new character, and this is a very good thing.
Old Meets New
While French homes in the countryside are rarely flawlessly manicured, they are anything but rundown. The epitomise shabby chic and that “we inherited the manor from my uncle, the viscount” style. That’s why one simply must adorn the worn plaster walls with priceless antiques.
Contrast is one key component of style. Blending old and new is what creates such an effortlessly cultivated style. Ornate carvings and elaborate wrought-iron pieces beside simple natural textiles is a fundamental feature.
Creating a French Provincial Colour Palette
To create a French Provincial style, get home decor inspiration directly from the dramatic natural beauty of the region. Warning: While these photos are perfect decor inspiration, they will inspire an insatiable wanderlust.
Lookout at the sweeping French lavender fields beside the glowing yellow gardens of sunflowers. Wander through the quaint countryside town and imagine sampling the local sweet honey and perfectly ripe olives. Watch the turquoise waves roll into French Riviera. The heady experience of exploring Provence is a journey for the senses.
Let the natural landscapes guide you through the perfect Provincial palette for your home. Look to warm shades that reflect the lavender fields, the butter sunflower yellow shades, the dramatic cobalt and teal of the sea, along with lush grassy green shades. Use the sand and stones as inspiration for your base paint shades and foundational tones. It will keep the colour palette neutral but never cold.
Types of Rustic French Country Decor
If there is a single quintessential French dream, it is to create an air of effortlessness. How do Parisians stay fit on a diet of red wine, pastries, and cheese? How do French women give jeans and a t-shirt a runway-ready style? Well, there are a few things that go on behind the scenes. In fact, there are closely-held French lifestyle rules and fashion rules that everyone from rebellious students to traditional grand-mères follow. They are a cultural guide to making chic style feel accidental.
When it comes to stealing French decor style, it’s crucial to understand the fundamentals rules of each unique type of decor. Wrapping your head around those unique formulas for style creates that perfectly imperfect style we all crave.
What Is the Difference Between French Country and French Provincial?
You will often hear French Country style used interchangeably with French Provincial style. Technically, however, they are not exactly the same thing and understanding the differences will help you establish your own aesthetic.
French Country style is a catch-all term to describe anywhere outside of Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, and Nice. Generally speaking, however, when interior designers are talking about French home decor, they use the broad categories of Parisian Chic vs French Country style.
Interior Design Masterclass Insight: French Provincial is indeed a type of French Country style but it’s not the only type. There are 18 regions in France and Provence – Cote d’Azur (Provence – French Riviera) is just one of them. While each region has its charms, interior design experts classify French country style as northern or southern. The French Provincial style encompasses the bold beauty of the southern coast. Meanwhile, in the north, the weather is cooler and the colours of nature are more muted. Reflecting this, northern French design favours pastels over the more vibrant look of the south.
What Is French Cottage Style?
You’ll also hear about French Cottage style, which is another catch-all design term. When you are looking at how to create a French Cottage style home, you can lean northern or southern, depending on your own style.
The southern French Riviera style reflects the Mediterranean home decor styles with those rich blues and greens alongside the buttery yellows and violets of the flower fields. Meanwhile, Northern French Cottage style is all about those pastel pinks, dusty blues, soft greys, and milky creams.
What is the Difference Between Farmhouse and French Country Styles
More French styles!? When you are looking at a country that has been the world’s style icon for centuries, there are more than a few trends we all admire. Beyond the cottages, you’ll also hear about French Farmhouse style.
As you might expect a farmhouse is more casual. Imagine cleaner, less fussy details and plenty of air and light. While a French Country House style has a more feminine and elegant style, a French Farmhouse is more focused on natural and simplistic beauty.
Designer Tip: Let style types inspire you, not restrict you. Our style goal is never to create a copy-and-paste look. Your perfect home is one that incorporates different elements of your favourite styles. Remember to curate, not copy.
How to Create French Provincial Style
Take a look through photos of Scandinavian Modern design. Keep their features in mind because this is precisely what you want to avoid to design a French Provincial home. Ditch the stark lines of Nordic chairs in favour of plush Louis XVI chairs and gilded opera chairs. Remember to look toward Versaille but pull yourself back just before it feels ostentatious.
As Coco Chanel said, “Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off.”
At home, Chanel’s motto means to hold back just a bit. Look to regal French style but don’t create staging for a period piece.
Keep livability at the centre of everything. A French Provincial home interior may have elaborate pieces and old antiques, but it should never feel like a museum. Focus on cost upholstered seating and a space that will look better for its wear.
French Provincial Decorating on a Budget
One of the best things about expensive-looking French styles like this is that they are timeless (read: available at a bargain). New trendy like Scandi style and other minimalist and modern styles typically have to be purchased new. Not only are newly manufactured pieces less durable by their nature, but they are harder to find second hand. Meanwhile, it’s easy to find French Provincial at any budget point from any time period. This gives you a prime opportunity to curate a proper art collection and incorporate a more eclectic style without the usual price tag.
Easy Rustic Elements
Shabby chic wood furniture has been a major design trend for years now because it’s functional and highly customisable. You can take pieces you already have, paint them, and add new hardware to breathe a new life into them.
Designer Tip: To capture French Provincial style, look to shabby chic style but don’t take it too far. You want pieces that look lived in but not worn out. Chalk paint is a dream for this style and allows you to create an antique finish with the perfect amount of ageing.
You’ll find countless options at antique shops and other second-hand spots. Look for old silver pieces and sturdy wooden elements. Simple enamel jugs for dried lavender and other basics will go a long way.
DIY Tip: Pinterest is your best friend when it comes to antique hunting. Painting outdated furniture and adding crown moulding to shelves will completely transform any piece. Get to know both the “before” and “after” to see the full potential as you shop. Keep in mind that French-inspired decors aren’t the kind of thing you just buy all in one day at one shop. Grow and cultivate your style like a garden.
Add Patterned Prints
Timeless patterns and prints are a must. I’m talking plaids, stripes, gingham, or whatever catches your eye. Of course, Provence inspired lavender, sunflowers, and olive prints are always a good place to start. Swapping out your curtains or tablecloth is a fast and easy way to hit refresh.
Parlez-vous Français?
We Aussies might not speak the best French, but we love looking at it! French language signs and labels have been a minor design trend for centuries and it’s easy to find little bits and pieces in the English-speaking world. Whether it’s a kitchen canister with a French label or antique laundry room signs, these are a great touch if you keep them subtle.
Auction Finds
Auctions are a great place to find antiques. Keep your eyes out baroque-style pieces. Look at those ornate wood furnishings and don’t shy away from anything shabby chic. Keep your eyes peeled for wrought-iron elements and anything else that would be out of place in a royal summer home.
Designer Tip: Focus on curved pieces. While Nordic style is all about stark lines, French Provincial is curved and ornate. Think back to those Louis XVI chairs and pay close attention to the curved woods and delicate carvings.
How to Style a French Provincial Bedroom
There’s something about this decor style that is just so easy on the eyes. It’s a peaceful style that instantly makes you feel relaxed and at home, which is precisely why it’s a dream for the bedroom.
Classic French Furniture
The crowning glory of any French Provincial bedroom is a bed crown. These half-canopies make a room feel stately. They create the illusion of higher ceilings and a lush look. You can find bed crowns online or go the DIY route. Simply adding a wall Teester with textiles behind is quick and easy.
If you feel like a bed crown is not quite the fit for your style, consider a chandelier. A French-inspired light fixture will instantly elevate the style of any room. Just be careful not to go too big. Go for graceful, thin arms in a white or transparent colour for timeliness and tasteful style.
Simple French Touches
For a quick French bedroom upgrade, change your bedding to muted shades. Play with textures while incorporating classic eyelets and ruffles. Experiment with buttery yellows, sky blue, and blush pink.
To offset your live-in bedding style, add wood elements and pops of colour with accents. Simple preserved flowers (which are a great long-lasting alternative to dried or artificial flowers) or lavender in cobalt jugs can make all of the difference.
Creating a French Provincial Kitchen at Any Budget
French Provincial kitchens are the warm heart of the home. Cooking is the core of life in the countryside, where everything is farm-to-table. Express these rustic elements while nodding to the chic life of the French Riviera.
Quick Kitchen Upgrades
Simple elements like baskets and jars will quickly bring in the feeling of a provincial kitchen. Those French language signs, a chalkboard, or other timeless elements are perfect in the kitchen. Imagine a kitchen where food is grown right outside the door and everything is made from scratch. That’s how your kitchen should feel (even if that’s far from the truth!).
You can further upgrade your kitchen in an afternoon with a traditional tiled splashback with stone or ceramic tiles. Definitely consider upgrading to elegant tapware as well. Timeless taps with ceramic levers are a must!
Full Kitchen Makeover
If you are ready for a full makeover, look to hearty timber flooring or stone floors. It’s a perfect contrast to white, armoire-inspired cabinets with crown moulding.
Follow the natural and timeless look throughout the kitchen by installing substantial stone benchtops and include a large range hood that calls back to the days of cooking over a stove.
The Essentials of a French Provincial Living Room
In the living room, focus on creating a bright and airy feeling. Replace any heavy drapes with a light panel or even a lace curtain. If you have space in front of the window, consider a wrought iron bistro set or a single chair and table for a reading nook.
Designer Tip: One of the biggest amateur design mistakes is to focus all of the living room furniture around the television. Create spaces for conversation. Carve out areas for screen-free relaxation. This is doubly true if you want a timeless style like French Provincial. While you don’t have to toss the tv to create a vintage-inspired style, you do want to avoid making it the centrepiece of the room.
The living room is where you spend a lot of your time so make the effort to curate the perfect space. Look for ornate frames and mirrors. Find the perfect artwork. Again, a bit of DIY can go a long way here. The perfect ornate frames can end of being in a hodgepodge of colours that may or may not work. Be prepared to do a bit of painting to create your perfect colour palette.
DIY TIP: Foxed finish is a major element of any antique style. Those age spots that show up on silver pieces and mirrors create a dream effect for French country houses. Unique traits like the French verre églomisé (gold or silver leafing under glass), bevelled mirrors, flat tinted glass, and flat glass mirror plates are much-coveted in a French style. Keep your eyes out for these, or go the DIY route. Here’s how.
French Provincial Style Bathroom Inspiration
The bathroom is the primate location to show off your collection of French-inspired mirrors. Whether it’s a vintage mirror with a foxed finish or a classic mirror with a beautifully ornate frame, it should be the focal point of the room.
Incorporate your wrought iron pieces around the bathroom, with things like a metal towel rack or a metal basket for storage. To take your French provincial bathroom to the next level, consider embroidered elements. Customised towels and embroidered throw rugs are essential in the French countryside.
For a bigger bathroom removal, remove your vanity and add an armoire-style sink base. Use timeless hardware and fixtures, ideally with a cream ceramic handle.
Feeling inspired to bring a bit of Provence to your home? Share these tips and get feedback from the design gurus in your life to make it work for your space!
