French Provincial Dining Room 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.
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Walnut, Paint
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Wrought Iron
1880s French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Walnut
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Iron
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Cane, Wood
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Oak, Seagrass
20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Walnut
Late 20th Century French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Wood, Paint
1890s French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Oak
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Oak, Lambskin
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Lambskin, Oak
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 20th Century French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Cane, Walnut
1920s American Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Burl, Upholstery
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Linen, Oak, Lacquer
20th Century French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Wood, Rush
Early 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Hardwood, Giltwood, Paint
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Walnut
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Oak
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Wood
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Mahogany
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Nutwood
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Cherry
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Cherry
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Wood
1970s American Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Nutwood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Cotton, Oak
19th Century German Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Oak
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Oak
1920s American Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century German Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Softwood
1940s Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood
20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Iron
1940s American Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Wood
20th Century French French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Wood
1980s Unknown Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Plastic
1960s American Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Leather, Walnut
Early 1900s Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Hardwood
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Lacquer, Wood, Foam, Upholstery, Mohair, Fabric
1980s American Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fabric, Cane, Wood
1960s Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Rush, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Wood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Fruitwood, Leather
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Dining Room Chairs
Walnut