French Provincial Chairs
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.
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Wood
20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Iron
1990s American French Provincial Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
20th Century Belgian French Provincial Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Beech
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Olive
1920s Dutch Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Oak
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Wrought Iron
1920s Dutch Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Oak
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Chairs
Cane, Pine
Late 20th Century Mexican French Provincial Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Faux Bamboo, Cane, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Rattan
1950s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Wood, Cane
1890s French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Iron
Early 1900s Belgian Antique French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Hardwood
Early 1900s Belgian Antique French Provincial Chairs
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Wood
19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Chairs
Wood
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Chairs
Cotton, Walnut
2010s Spanish French Provincial Chairs
Iron
20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Wood, Burlap
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Chestnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Chairs
Wrought Iron
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian French Provincial Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Seagrass, Oak, Rush
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Upholstery, Oak
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Rattan, Rush, Wood, Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Cane, Oak
Early 1800s Spanish Antique French Provincial Chairs
Poplar
Mid-20th Century British French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Wood
1950s European Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Beech
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Oak
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Oak, Seagrass
20th Century British French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Oak
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Wood, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Chairs
Fabric, Maple
Early 20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Cane, Walnut
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
18th Century Antique French Provincial Chairs
Cotton, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Wood
Early 19th Century British Antique French Provincial Chairs
Linen, Wood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Fabric, Fruitwood
1960s Spanish Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Seagrass, Wood
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Cane, Fruitwood
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Elm
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Elm
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Elm
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Iron
1970s American Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Wood, Cotton
21st Century and Contemporary American French Provincial Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan