French Provincial Side 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.
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Early 1900s Belgian Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Oak
19th Century European Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Walnut
20th Century French French Provincial Side Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Side Chairs
Walnut
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Elm
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Elm
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Elm
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Wrought Iron
1960s Spanish Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Seagrass, Wood
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Elm
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Straw, Oak
1970s American Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Wood
1940s Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric
1780s French Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Oak
1980s American Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Wood
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Oak
1960s Spanish Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Seagrass, Wood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Cotton, Cherry
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Elm
1950s American Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric
Early 1800s Spanish Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Poplar
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Side Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Straw, Oak
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Side Chairs
Silk, Walnut
1940s European Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Straw, Oak
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Hardwood, Birch, Rush
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Side Chairs
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Side Chairs
Beech
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Wood
1950s Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Rush, Oak
Mid-19th Century Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Giltwood
Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric, Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Raffia, Wood
19th Century European Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Cane, Hardwood
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Wicker, Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric, Faux Bamboo
1870s French Antique French Provincial Side Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Early 20th Century European French Provincial Side Chairs
Horn, Hide, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Side Chairs
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Side Chairs
Linen, Wood
20th Century French Provincial Side Chairs
Velvet, Wood, Upholstery
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Side Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Early 2000s American French Provincial Side Chairs
Walnut