French Provincial Home Accents
Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.
Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.
Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.
The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.
Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
19th Century Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Brass
Early 20th Century Italian French Provincial Home Accents
Wire
Early 20th Century French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Metal
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Leather
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Textile, Wood
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Home Accents
Faience
19th Century Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Wood, Oak
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Home Accents
Fabric
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Home Accents
Fiberglass, Oak
Early 20th Century Unknown French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Oak
20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Paper
1960s Vintage French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Iron
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Leather
20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Metal
20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Fabric, Burlap, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Metal
20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Metal
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Home Accents
Concrete
Late 19th Century English Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Canvas, Glass, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century Italian French Provincial Home Accents
Terracotta
20th Century Italian French Provincial Home Accents
Wood, Paint
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Metal
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Paper
2010s English French Provincial Home Accents
Ash
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Brass
Mid-20th Century Japanese French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Iron
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Home Accents
Brass
20th Century French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
2010s American French Provincial Home Accents
Paint, Paper
20th Century Italian French Provincial Home Accents
Leather, Walnut
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Home Accents
Brass
19th Century English Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Copper, Iron, Bronze
1960s British Vintage French Provincial Home Accents
Mahogany
20th Century European French Provincial Home Accents
Iron
20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Wicker
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Metal
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Oak
20th Century French French Provincial Home Accents
Metal
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Iron
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Home Accents
Canvas
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Oak
19th Century Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Home Accents
Wrought Iron