I Want That French Provencal Look!
Ladderback chairs, gentle curves and simple carvings make the Marsanne Dining Room Collection an ideal addition to your French Provencal home.
What you want: A style that's comfortable, inviting and casual, but far from boring. You enjoy exuberant splashes of color and antique charm and shun trends and formality with a passion. You want the country look, French style.
Colors: The French Provencal style is absolutely perfect for individuals that love to saturate their world in vibrant, beautiful color. Keep your main color neutral by using off-whites and light browns like taupe and stone—these colors mimic the use of clay and stone walls in French country homes. Now comes the fun part! Accent your color foundation with the French countryside as your muse. Golden yellows, rich and rusty reds, vermillion, cobalt blue, verdant greens and deep violets culled from Nature's flowers, sky, and earth envelope you in vivid tones.
Use a neutral as a base and paint a vivid world reminiscent of a gorgeous French countryside.
Floor: To really achieve the full French country look, floors should be rustic and composed of brick, flagstone, ceramic tile or clay. Wooden floors are another acceptable variation of the 'natural' theme, and you can use parquetry (patterned wood flooring) over existing floors for extra appeal. When it comes to rugs, the French Country look goes well with braided, hooked, Oriental or Indian rugs, affording you the luxury of plentiful options. Make sure colors match, with geometric and floral patterns blending best into this style room. Find all these styles and more here.
Lighting: When selecting your lighting fixtures, think 'natural.' Brass and iron fixtures look best on walls and ceilings. A delicate and simple candelabra-style fixture will do much to recall an enchanting countryside cottage. Spruce up your dining room by picking a chandelier with a bit of glass adornment, but remember to focus on traditional pieces that lack stiff formality. For table lamps, keep the metal motif or switch to wooden and glass bases.
Furniture: Rusticity is the main element in French Provencal furniture. If you can't obtain handcrafted furniture, make sure it looks handcrafted for an authentic feel. Simply carved decorations and curved paneling keep the furniture from looking stale or rough. That's enough for generalities; now let's talk specific pieces and rooms.
No room in the French Provencal style should be without an armoire, which can hold your decorative pots, pans, dining sets and linens, depending on what room it's in. When decking out the dining room, keep the high luster polishes to a minimum to avoid that squeaky new look on your dining table. It can shatter the quaint illusion you've worked hard to create. Ladderback or slatted back chairs with rush seating are a good match with your dining table, emphasizing homey charm with elegant ease. For living rooms, consider a deep armchair in the Louis XV style with a cane or upholstered back.
Accents: The accessories that highlight the French Provencal style are fun, cheerful and impossible to take in without a smile. A proud symbol of country living, the rooster, is a predominant design seen throughout the French Country room. Additionally, other safe choices include flowers, olives, fleur-de-lis and grapes. Use these in fabrics like tablecloths, stenciled on walls, or as objects scattered throughout the room. For instance, place bright, fresh flowers or beautiful dried arrangements into old pitchers, baskets, pots, and window boxes or hang upside from the ceiling as though you're in the process of drying them out.
Use traditional symbols of French culture to add character to your living space.
For walls and ceilings, aim for a farm-inspired structural look. Plastered walls will make the rich brown of wooden beams pop out and accentuate architectural lines. Windows look best in with shutters and embraced by thriving vines. The same basic, earthy look should encompass the fireplace, with stone or ceramic tiles and a clay or brick hearth.
