Provence style is named after one of the French provinces, located on the Mediterranean coast. The color and other solutions of this direction are dictated by nature itself – the hot, sunny climate of Provence, filled with the scent of blooming meadow flowers and herbs, and the salty breeze of the sea. Old country houses in this area of France glisten in the sun with tiled roofs, sparkling with whitewashed walls and painted in bright colors with elegant wooden shutters. The internal appearance is distinguished by simplicity and comfort, and it is not difficult to translate it into the interior of a private house or even a city apartment.
How to make Provence style in the interior?
Making your own home interior design should be started with a small historical excursion to the homeland of style. The task is made easier by the fact that it is not customary to use expensive and luxurious furniture, decoration and decor in the design of provincial houses and even villas. Preference is given to natural shades, vintage or artificially aged furnishings and design elements, practical textiles, and natural materials.
Basic materials and colors
The design of the house in Provence style presupposes the predominance of light tones as if bleached by the hot sun, dictated by nature itself: blue sky, lavender fields, green and mint herbs, olives, sea turquoise. Also often used are earthy and woody tones: terracotta, and shades. As a background, the dominant is dominated by all varieties of white: milk, boiled white, ecru, light beige.
In interior design, exterior, furniture, and textiles, the palm are held by natural materials: wood, stone, metal, glass, ceramics, cotton, linen fabrics.
DIY interior design with your own hands
Starting to design a modern house in the style of Provence, start with the decoration. The next stage is the choice of furniture (or giving the available furniture the desired shade and look). The easiest way is to choose the decor for the Provence style, because, in this direction, handmade parts are welcome, including a variety of napkins, woven blankets, lace curtains. To save the situation with a lack of funds for a cardinal renovation of the interior, bouquets of living and dried flowers and flowering indoor plants in ceramic white and light vases, jugs, pots, and aged pots will help.
Provence Wall, Floor, and Ceiling Decoration
The simplicity of Provence is expressed, among other things, in the deliberately careless decoration of walls and ceilings. The main decoration of a wooden whitewashed ceiling is a chandelier. There is not and should not be any stucco, cornices. If you make repairs in a country house, leave the ceiling beams intact, and even better emphasize their authenticity by painting in a darker wood shade or covering it with a special varnish.
The walls of the house in the style of Provence can be covered with light plaster with deliberate irregularities, the wooden walls of panels or clapboard just painted in light colors: milky, colors of cream or baked milk. You can also use paper wallpapers of delicate shades, monophonic, in small flowers or stripes, but at the same time, the drawing should be dim, giving the impression of sun-bleached walls.
On the floor, you can put parquet, floorboard or other material that imitates natural wood. Ceramic tile of natural shades of earth and wood is suitable for the kitchen and hallway. In the “wet” areas and as an apron used tile and mosaic pastel colors. Examples of wall decoration, floor, and ceiling in the Provencal interior in the photo below.
Furniture in Provence style
The furnishing of the house, decorated in the spirit of French Provence, is cozy and unpretentious. Wooden furniture in the kitchen and in the dining room is solid and solid, painted in white or delicate shades of bright colors and artificially aged. Chairs, tables, dressers are characterized by rounded features, slightly curved legs, in the dining room and living room are dominated by dressers, small lockers, and sideboards with glass doors. In the decoration of wardrobes, dressers, banquettes used the hand-painted flower.
Relevant wicker and wrought chairs, chairs, individual parts of the subject and furniture. The bedroom is decorated with a vintage metal bed with knobs in the headboard, painted white. Forged white elements give the interior lightness and airiness and do not look bulky. If you do not have suitable upholstered furniture and chairs, paint the existing furniture in light colors, walk with sandpaper or sew covers. The latter can be plain linen or cotton, with lace inserts or with a floral print on a white, gently blue, mint background. More ruches, frills, laces and pillows, and your furniture will fit perfectly into the interior of the house in the style of Provence, no worse than the picture below.
Lighting, textiles, and decor
The lighting in the original Provencal interior is natural, complemented by main lights (ceiling chandeliers, floor lamps, wall lamps). This style is characterized by large “French” windows on the floor with frequent bindings, as well as classic large windows. Even interior doors have glass binders, which ensures a constant stream of sunlight. In our northern climate, the lack of natural light and the sun will have to be filled with electric light. Ceiling chandeliers in Provence style are forged elegant lamps with numerous lamps, covered with lampshades made of fabric or glass. Metal parts are often painted in light shades, which gives them airiness and weightlessness. For floor lamps and other lamps, cozy lampshades made of light monochromatic fabric or textiles with a small floral print are used.
Textiles – one of the main elements of the Mediterranean Provence. And here the hostess-needlewoman is where to turn. White lace napkins, tablecloths, covers for upholstered furniture and dining groups, white linen or cotton curtains on the windows with lace hooks sewed and tied together fill the house with grace and coziness, tender female care.
In the kitchen and in other rooms, ceramic and artificially aged dishes, flowers in pots on wrought iron stands, and bouquets in pots and vases will be the best decoration. Also relevant are various vintage frames, landscapes, still lifes, mirrors in antique wrought or wooden frames, worn brass knobs on furniture or knobs with enamel inserts and floral decorations. One of the main symbols of Provence is the rooster, so do not forget to place it in a prominent place in the form of a ceramic figurine, wall panel or embroidered pillow.
The exterior of the house and garden
If you are a happy mistress of a house in the country, staining the facade in light colors, climbing plants on the walls, the environment of flower beds with roses, wooden arbors and paved paths will help to give it the spirit of Provence. I wish you success in creating a cozy and beautiful Provence style house!
