French Provincial Tables
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 American Vintage French Provincial Tables
Brass
1950s Vintage French Provincial Tables
Siena Marble, Bronze
1960s American Vintage French Provincial Tables
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Walnut
20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Leather, Wood
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century European French Provincial Tables
Leather, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian French Provincial Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Iron
20th Century European French Provincial Tables
Hardwood, Glass
1850s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Oak
Late 20th Century Unknown French Provincial Tables
Wood, Cherry, Burl
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Tables
Leather, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Metal, Iron, Zinc
Late 19th Century British Antique French Provincial Tables
Wood
20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Wood
1890s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Wood
Late 20th Century French Provincial Tables
Marble, Metal, Iron
Mid-20th Century British French Provincial Tables
Glass, Oak
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Oak
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Walnut
1970s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Rattan, Glass
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Pine
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Beech
2010s Unknown French Provincial Tables
Hardwood
20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Marble
20th Century French Provincial Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century French Provincial Tables
Pine
20th Century French Provincial Tables
Hardwood
1890s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Brass
1870s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Oak
Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Tables
Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Metal
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Wood
19th Century Italian Antique French Provincial Tables
Oak
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Oak
Late 20th Century Italian French Provincial Tables
Maple
Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Tables
Ormolu
2010s French French Provincial Tables
Wood, Cherry
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Brass
Early 1900s Antique French Provincial Tables
Walnut
20th Century French Provincial Tables
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian French Provincial Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Rattan, Wood
Late 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Mahogany
2010s American French Provincial Tables
Wood
20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Leather, Walnut
19th Century Vietnamese Antique French Provincial Tables
Rosewood
Early 19th Century Antique French Provincial Tables
Fruitwood
21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Tables
Marble
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Brass
1890s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Wood
1890s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Marble