French Provincial Seating
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-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Straw, Oak
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Seating
Tapestry, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Seating
Linen, Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Seating
Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century American French Provincial Seating
Hardwood, Giltwood, Paint
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Seating
Cane, Pine
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Seating
Elm
20th Century French Provincial Seating
Wood
Early 1900s European Antique French Provincial Seating
Iron
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Seating
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Seating
Iron
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Wood
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Straw, Rush, Oak
Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Seating
Wood
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Seating
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Seating
Wood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Seating
Cotton, Wood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Seating
Cotton
1960s American Vintage French Provincial Seating
Leather, Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Seating
Wood
20th Century American French Provincial Seating
Walnut
1970s American Vintage French Provincial Seating
Upholstery, Cane, Walnut
2010s American French Provincial Seating
Metal
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Oak, Rush
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Seating
Straw, Oak
Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Seating
Linen, Wood
19th Century European Antique French Provincial Seating
Cane, Hardwood
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Seating
Silk, Walnut
Late 20th Century French Provincial Seating
Fabric, Walnut
20th Century French Provincial Seating
Fabric, Cane, Wood
1960s North American Vintage French Provincial Seating
Linen, Oak
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Iron
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Seating
Cotton, Mahogany
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Seating
Upholstery, Oak
1970s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Pine
Late 20th Century French Provincial Seating
Wood, Paint
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Seating
Metal
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian French Provincial Seating
Fabric, Wood
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Straw, Oak
Late 20th Century French Provincial Seating
Wrought Iron
20th Century French Provincial Seating
Cane, Wood
1950s American Vintage French Provincial Seating
Fabric, Cane, Wood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Seating
Cotton, Wood
20th Century Austrian French Provincial Seating
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian French Provincial Seating
Wood
19th Century Antique French Provincial Seating
Wood
1990s American French Provincial Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1970s Vintage French Provincial Seating
Cotton, Damask
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian French Provincial Seating
Fabric, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Seating
Beech
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Seating
Silk, Upholstery, Wood
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Metal
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Seating
Velvet, Wood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Seating
Cotton, Wood