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.
1880s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Oak
Late 20th Century Italian French Provincial Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Wood, Paint
19th Century English Antique French Provincial Tables
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
19th Century American Antique French Provincial Tables
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Elm
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Marble
1820s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Walnut
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Wrought Iron
1960s American Vintage French Provincial Tables
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Pine
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Walnut
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Bronze
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Mahogany, Burl
19th Century English Antique French Provincial Tables
Brass
1960s American Vintage French Provincial Tables
Cherry
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Stone
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Pine
21st Century and Contemporary English French Provincial Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Fruitwood
1960s American Vintage French Provincial Tables
Hardwood
1760s French Antique French Provincial Tables
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Tables
Wood, Paint
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Marble, Iron
Mid-20th Century Unknown French Provincial Tables
Oak, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Walnut
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Iron
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Brass, Ormolu
21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Tables
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Tables
Wood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Walnut
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Pine
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Tables
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1920s American Vintage French Provincial Tables
Burl
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Walnut
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Cherry, Burl
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Oak
Early 20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Wrought Iron
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Cherry
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Brass
Late 20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Pine
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Tables
Oak, Lacquer
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Fruitwood, Pine
2010s American French Provincial Tables
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Cherry
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Tables
Pine
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Tables
Wood
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Pine
1910s French Vintage French Provincial Tables
Metal
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Birch
20th Century American French Provincial Tables
Leather, Chestnut