Countryside life in the country is created for a leisurely flow of time, breakfasts and dinners on an open terrace, dreaming with an open book in hand in a wicker chair or hammock, walking along country roads. The Provence style is the best suited for interior and exterior decoration of a country house.
Rural romanticism
Fed up with modern technological artificial plastics, acrylics and laminates of the modern contemporary style, the cold shine of high-tech glass and chrome and the sterile lack of decor in minimalism, people are increasingly turning to a cozy country style. Provence is one of the most popular rustic styles, especially for decorating a country house. Many people in suburban life want something other than the usual interior of a city apartment. Sweet home comfort, pastoralism - all these qualities are inherent in the Provencal style in interior design. Let's take a closer look at the ideas for decorating a country house in the style of rural life in the southern provinces of France.
The Provence style got its name from the historical Latin name for the south-east of France. In those days, when the Roman Empire stretched to the entire Mediterranean coast and occupied half of the European continent, the lands on the northern coast of the Mediterranean, which today are part of France, were called Provincia Nostra - “our province” in ancient Roman literature.
The wonderful climate of the Cote d'Azur, sea, sun, magnificent landscapes - all this makes up the charm of Provence. The splendor of the colors and the peculiar air of the southeastern regions of France, piercingly trembling from the hot sun, was admired by the impressionist painters. Generous colors of Provencal nature - lilac lavender fields to the horizon, azure sea, bright yellow sunflowers, green groves on the hillsides were forever captured in Van Gogh's Starry Night, Paul Cézanne's Houses in Provence, in the works of Renoir, Picasso, Matisse, Sulfur.
The measured life of the Provencal peasants is reflected in their everyday life. Small houses on narrow cobbled streets, in which more than one generation lived, tiled roofs, whitewashed walls and bright wooden shutters - these features of village life became popular in the 18th century, when not only representatives of the aristocracy, but also the French bourgeois got the opportunity to have country houses. and the emerging capitalists. In the design of the interiors of their villas, they used rustic simplicity, complementing it with Parisian grace.
Provence style features for embodiment in a modern country house interior
To feel the spirit of Provence, you should go there to see with your own eyes what the paintings of artists or the lines of famous writers and poets convey, to breathe in the hot air filled with the aroma of Provencal herbs. Of course, not everyone has the opportunity to experience the serenity of a holiday in Cannes or Nice. But thanks to the Internet, you can admire the colors of Provence to your heart's content. With paints, we will begin to consider the features inherent in the Provence style.
Color range
Natural colors are characteristic of the Provence style: the color of unbleached flax, milky white, ecru, shades of beige. Bright colors are also used: lilac, turquoise, yellow, blue, ocher, green. But all of them are not saturated colors, as if burnt out in the hot Provencal sun.
Advice. If you like bright colors, do not deny yourself: any colors are suitable for decorating the Provencal interior, except for frankly synthetic, acidic shades. Choose pastel shades in bold colors.
Materials (edit)
If you are planning to decorate your country house in the style of Provence, then you should abandon artificial materials - plastics, laminated coatings. It is best to use natural wood for flooring, natural stone, terracotta tiles.
Plaster and painting are used in the decoration of the walls. Wallpaper will also work, but choose paper-based materials rather than vinyl or non-woven materials. Wallpaper pattern, preferable for the Provence style - light shades in a small "chintz" flower or a thin strip.
Often the walls in Provence-style interiors are painted just white. The wooden floor boards are also whitewashed, as well as the ceiling beams and the wood paneling of the ceilings.
In the interior of any room in the Provence style, there are many textiles: curtains, tablecloths, napkins, bedspreads, chair covers. It is better if these things are handmade, decorated with embroidery or lace.
Advice. When choosing fabrics for interiors, choose linen and cotton materials. Linen, chintz, calico, muslin will be ideal in the interior of a Provence-style country house.
Furniture
Although Provence is a rustic style, sophistication in furniture distinguishes it from other varieties of country. Most often, wooden furniture is painted in light colors. Cabinets and cupboards are decorated with carvings or paintings.
For a Provence style interior, wicker furniture, or metal, forged, also painted in light colors, is suitable.
But, perhaps, the main distinguishing feature of Provence is its comfort and fullness of home warmth. When choosing materials for decoration, furniture or decor items in the Provence style for a country house, be guided by this: create a house where it is pleasant to be with the whole family, indulge in bliss and relaxation.
Do not forget about the registration of the site
When choosing a Provence style for a country house, do not forget to follow the chosen style not only in the interior of the house, but also outside. It's good if your country house from the outside will also resemble the houses of Provence. Create a rustic landscape design using characteristic small architectural forms - gazebos, terraces, fences and gates, garden furniture and street lights.
The plot will be decorated with flower beds made up of discreet, simple flowers, walls and gazebos twined with grapes or climbing roses, flowering bushes of lilac or wisteria.
Anyone can create a cozy corner of Provence in their country house, you just need to follow your understanding of beauty and comfort, carefully select the details.
Country house in Provence style: video
Country house in Provence style: photo
Finishing the facade and interior of a country house in the Provence style gives its residents a special unity with nature, transfers them from the Russian hinterland to a French village on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. The Provence style has been one of the most frequently chosen interiors for country and country houses for decades thanks to its pastel color palette, floral motives and versatility.
Style features
Initially, Provence-style design projects were used for country houses and summer cottages. Today, this direction is no less relevant for the decoration of suburban housing, although it is increasingly used for city apartments and houses. The design features in the Provence style are coziness, comfort, it fills the space with light. The Provence style originated in the French provinces. The style reflects the natural diversity of the south of France. The nature of the province of Provence is characterized by extensive flower meadows, huge lavender fields, Mediterranean hot sun and calm natural colors.
The color palette of nature, the way of life in a fishing village by the sea are reflected in the main colors and finishing materials.
Color spectrum
The interior design in the Provencal style is carried out using a specific color scheme:
- Pastel colors. There are no flashy, bright colors in the design of the premises. The preference is given to white, blue, blue, beige tones. For decor and accents, delicate shades of pink, green, light brown are used.
- Lavender color. All shades of lavender are the basis for the Provence style. Lavender, despite its richness, gives the room depth and volume, as if conveying the scent of lavender.
- Floristic motives of individual elements. Bright accents in the interior are achieved through the use of decor with a floral pattern. For decoration, images of small wildflowers of red, blue, orange, purple shades with a lot of greenery or large flowers of saturated bright colors are chosen.
Floral decor is used in textiles and small accessories, as well as lampshades for lighting fixtures.
The color scheme of calm shades is the hallmark of the Provence style. The color scheme of the design of the premises in this style gives the rooms romance and lightness, filling the space with light and air.
Materials (edit)
The design of the country house is based on eco-design in order to preserve the unity of the home with the environment. The Provence style meets all the requirements of ecological design. Provence is characterized by the use of natural materials in the interior and exterior decoration of the house:
- Natural wood. Wooden beams under the ceiling, painted or brushed, beams of various types of wood to create wall portals and zoning of the room, log walls preserving the texture of solid wood, parquet boards for flooring - all this is characteristic of the style of French wood.
- Brick. For the decoration of premises of this style, it is typical to use individual wall elements with rough brickwork, painted in pastel colors, while maintaining the texture.
- Ceramic tile. Matte tiles with geometric patterns or floral patterns are used for decorative wall panels and as flooring.
- Dye. For interior and exterior work, paint is used, which allows the surface to breathe. It does not fade in the sun.
- Wallpaper. For wall decor, dense wallpapers of various types are used: non-woven, paper, textile.
Finishing
When choosing a French style for finishing a country house, special attention should be paid to the exterior of the building. The façade of a country house made of a log house with a terrace or veranda decorated with flower pots and light curtains will take its residents to a Mediterranean village. Wall logs can be covered with a protective transparent coating or painted with paint.
Contrasting elements of frames, railings, doors are required.
The facade of a brick or stone house in the Provence style is faced with natural stone or tiles resembling a savage, quarrystone, river pebbles. A certain part of the facade can be plastered and painted in pastel colors.
A two-story Provence-style country house is best done with a small balcony, which you should definitely decorate with pots of ampel flowers.
The alley to the house and the entrance are equipped with lamps and lanterns with forging elements or carved wooden elements. In the design of an old house, it is better to preserve the aged elements of the facade. For example, window frames should not be restored, but forged elements, columns and balusters should be cleaned and left in place.
These vintage elements are indispensable elements of a French-style house facade.
Provence-style interior decoration of a country house is carried out using natural materials. The French style in interior decoration requires a variety of approaches. In one room, you can combine a rough brick wall with light, light wallpaper on the rest of the surfaces. For wall decoration, an interesting solution is portals and wall panels, which are separated by cornices, framed by boards and log cabins. The background of the portal is selected several tones darker than the main color of the walls.
For the living room and hallway of a country house, designers recommend placing white panels of lining or plastic on the walls that imitate the texture of natural wood.
Doors and window frames should be of wood painted in white or pastel colors. In a Provence style interior, a door can become a bright accent if painted in deep shades of brown, green or lavender.
Modern production technologies allow the use of artificial materials (for example, plastic) with imitation of a wooden texture.
The ceiling in interior design is painted white, but the best option would be to keep the floor beams in sight. If it is difficult to leave the floor beams in sight, you can fix an imitation of beams made of wood or polyurethane foam.
Stretch ceilings are not typical for the Provence style.
The floor of a country house is also finished with natural materials: board, laminate, parquet. For the new flooring, the technology of artificial aging of the parquet board is used. For a warm floor, matte tiles with a small floral or geometric pattern are well suited.
Situation
After the exterior finishing of the facade of the house and repairs inside the rooms, the interior in the French style is complemented with furniture and decor items. Furniture in the Provence style for a country house is not only beautiful, lightweight, but also multifunctional. These can be open shelves for decorative ornaments, wardrobes, boxes for storing linen and blankets, mounted in a bed, glazed sideboards and cupboards for storing dishes. The color scheme of the furniture is chosen in the basic colors typical of the Provence style. Furniture is preferable from natural materials.
The wooden frame of the furniture is decorated with carved elements, the legs are curved, which gives the effect of lightness even to a massive bed or sofa.
Forged elements in furniture are another invariable attribute of the Provence style. Particularly advantageous in a country house looks like metal bronze, metal components with a copper coating. To decorate a room, you can choose both fully metal forged furniture and combined frame materials (for example, a combination of wood with metal).
Upholstery of Provence style upholstered furniture is made in light, pastel colors. Typical for the French interior is the use of textiles with bright floral patterns; embossing in the form of flowers on the upholstery fabric to match the main textiles is also permissible.
Decor
The selection of accessories is the final stage in creating a Provence style room interior. In general, the romantic French style is complemented by decorative ceramic figurines, caskets, ceramic or crystal vases. Bouquets in vases or flowers in pots add rustic motifs. Dried bouquets hanging from the ceiling or standing in vases will become a universal floral decoration.
Textiles are especially important for the Provence style: bedspreads, tablecloths, curtains and tulle with lambrequins, soft decorative pillows, tapestry panels or paintings.
The walls of a country house in the living room or kitchen-dining room will organically decorate with vintage frames with photographs, paintings depicting flower meadows or lavender fields. Frescoes and wall panels framed with plaster or wooden cornices will create additional volume and make the space of the room embossed. Glass lampshades for chandeliers and glazing of cabinets are often made using the mosaic or stained glass technique.
Such decorative elements fill the room with a play of light, refracting the sun's rays.
Lighting
The French-style interior is filled with light and bright reflections. Floor-to-ceiling French windows and glazed doors should not only offer a panoramic view of the beautiful nature surrounding the country house, but also let in as much sunlight as possible. In rooms with windows facing the shady side, and for illumination at night, a variety of light sources are used that perform several functions. Provence style lighting fixtures are not only lamps, but also an element of decor.
For this style, designers suggest using several light sources that will help illuminate the room, zone the room, and also add light accents to certain decor elements.
The lighting elements in the Provence style interior are as follows:
- Chandeliers. The Provence style is characterized by the use of chandeliers with lampshades made of fabric, glass, ceramics with floral painting. The classic shape of the dome of the lampshade (round, oval, multifaceted) is better suited here. The base of the chandeliers is a separate work of art that can be made of carved wood, metal using the technique of hand-made or stamped industrial forging. Vintage crystal chandeliers beautifully refract light and complement the room with colorful highlights. These models use open candle-shaped lamps.
- Wall sconces and lamps. Smaller sources create a directional beam of light, highlighting the finer details of the interior. Sconces and lamps create an atmosphere of coziness and home warmth on winter evenings, giving the interior an intimate and romantic mood. The color palette and materials for additional lighting should overlap with the main light source - a chandelier, be made in a single solution.
- Spotlights. The mounted spot lighting does not have a decorative function, but it allows you to illuminate dark rooms with small windows of complex geometric shapes or with low ceilings, in which the use of a lampshade chandelier is not possible. The body of the spotlights is chosen in a neutral color or painted in the colors of the walls or ceiling.
Photo review of a wooden house made of laminated veneer lumber, decorated in Provence style for a family of four.
Provence style in the interior
Tired of the bustle of the city, eternal traffic jams, gray walls of high buildings, a metropolitan resident is increasingly drawn out of the city.
Do you want to buy a house outside the hateful city and settle in it?
Your dream has come true - here you are on the doorstep of a new home, but you do not know where to start, how to equip the house, where to buy furniture and how to plan the space?
To create an interior in the most “natural” and rustic, but at the same time, creating an atmosphere of relaxation and comfort, filling the house with the sunny warmth of the Cote d'Azur, Provence style is not an easy task, but at the same time, if you understand the details, it is quite doable.
The main signs of the Provence style in the interior:
- The interior in the Provence style is characterized by gentle light shades, pastel colors.
- Also, the style is very characteristic of an abundance of accessories placed on shelves and tables - vases, clocks, mannequins for jewelry or openwork caskets.
- Decorations in the form of dried bouquets of flowers, wicker baskets, figurines, and also pots with fresh flowers are inherent in Provence.
- Particular attention is paid to the textiles used. For example, curtains are made of natural materials - linen, chintz, cotton. The fabric is decorated with a cage, stripe or floral ornament.
Despite the fact that at first glance Provence is a romantic, feminine style and devoid of any masculinity, this is far from the case.
Design in the Provence style will bring bright features to the design of a man's house, as well as emphasize the high status of the head of the family and provide all the inhabitants of the house with the proper level of comfort.
Sometimes for the sake of style, people have to sacrifice functionality, as many manufacturers of Provence style furniture deliberately make it stylized in every detail.
Provence in the interior of a wooden house
Using one of the wooden houses as an example, we will tell you how to give your home the spirit of tranquility of the French hinterland.
The house that we present to your attention is located in the village of Laryushino, Odintsovo District, Moscow Region. This is a two-storey house made of laminated veneer lumber for a family of four.
The advantage of the furniture chosen for this house (TM WELLIGE) is the high level of functionality of all furniture products: behind beautiful carvings, openwork "skirts", pleasant pastel shades, there is a comfort of operation, brought almost to perfection. All furniture is equipped with modern mechanisms - drawers with runners with closers.
The bright turquoise sofa in the living room creates a special feeling of comfort.
The screen separating the seating areas and the hallway, decorated with vibrant gilding and vintage patterns, adds an extra sense of luxury.
The room itself, thanks to the large number of windows, looks lighter, more airy and free. It also emphasizes the unity of the interior with nature.
A fold-out table located in the living room can accommodate up to eight people.
The kitchen table is a great piece of furniture where the hosts can greet the new day with breakfast or dine in a quiet and cozy environment.
On the second floor there is a sleeping area. The functionality and elegance of the guest bedroom furnishings emphasize the hospitality and great taste of the hosts.
The interior of the master bedroom complements the romance of the home design.
In comfortable armchairs, the hosts can spend the evening chatting or reading books.
In the dressing area there is a wardrobe in a slightly different shade than the rest of the furniture - this allows you to separate the recreation area from it.
There are two nurseries in our house - for two daughters of different ages.
We painted the room of the youngest daughter in delicate colors, perfect for the little princess. The painting on the furniture is made by hand.
In addition to standard furniture solutions for a children's bed, a wardrobe and a table, we supplied several original pieces of furniture - a chest. It is perfect for storing children's toys or bedding.
The furniture in the eldest daughter's room is more feminine, elegant, decorated with decorative carvings.
In addition to the bed, we put a chic armchair with a dressing table in the room.
Also in the room there is a chest of drawers and another sofa that can be expanded, thanks to which an extra bed will appear, which means that the girl can invite her friends to stay overnight.
If you want your home to always be filled with freshness, lightness and charge you with a warm mood, the Provence style suits you.
It will recreate the atmosphere of family comfort, well-being and tranquility in the house, here you can always relax, spend time with your family and friends, and also enjoy the aesthetics of the French hinterland.
Visual examples of Provence-style bedrooms can be additionally viewed.
Video review: Country house in Provence style (Wellige)
Country style is incredibly diverse, because each country has its own national peculiarities of rural style. Country-style reflects the nuances of culture, lifestyle, climatic and natural features. The color palette of the country style is different in each country, it bears the shades of the surrounding nature in its most diverse manifestations. Currently, the French country style Provence is especially popular.
If we talk about the historical background of the origin of French country, then Provence is a place in the south of France, at the mention of which many immediately imagine the bright southern sun, beautiful nature, the aromas of flowers and herbs, the sound of waves and the smell of the sea. We can say that the Provence style in the interior is a way of decorating provincial rural houses in the south of France.
Provence in the interior - the charm of rural romance
The aesthetics of the Provence style has a direct connection not only with the peculiarities of rural life in the southern provinces, it is associated with outdoor recreation, with the bright sun and azure sea, with hot and bright days filled with romanticism and the charm of country life. In the interiors of this kind of country-style, you will not see plastic furniture or ultra-modern devices, the shine of stainless steel, so familiar to modern interiors will be hidden behind specially aged cabinet facades. But you can see a light finish, so characteristic of country style, natural materials, many living and dried plants, textiles in a rustic manner, and only comfortable, but elegant decor.
Village life is unhurried, measured, all innovations are difficult to integrate, which is why the Provence style is so fond of the manifestation of antiquity - shabby furniture, specially aged surfaces of materials, antique decor items. But at the same time, the interiors are fresh and light, filled with the purity and simplicity of rural life.
Provence style in interior design is, first of all, color. It is the palette of shades and halftones that is given the dominant place here. For the decoration of the premises, mainly pastel colors are chosen in order to achieve the effect of surfaces burnt out in the bright southern sun.
Bright accent spots can be used for décor, furnishings, or textiles. Natural colors in Provence style are of decisive importance, among them are:
- all shades of white;
- beige;
- light mint;
- pale yellow;
- blue;
- azure;
- sun-burnt orange;
- citric;
- terracotta;
- pale green.
Variations of these colors can be used both for decoration and for furnishings, textiles and decor items.
Decorating rooms in French country style
Walls
One of the most common options for wall decoration in Provence style rooms is plaster, which is often applied on purpose with irregularities and roughness. In modern design projects, as a rule, colored decorative plaster is used for finishing vertical surfaces. A light tone not only visually expands the space, refreshes the atmosphere, fills the room with a sense of purity and freedom, but also serves as an excellent background for various decor.
Another interesting way of wall decoration is wood paneling. In this case, cardinal options for the use of natural materials as finishing materials in Russian country and French are visible. In the Provence style, it is customary to paint wood white, sometimes in any pastel shade with scuffs applied. In Russian country, the finishing board appears before us in its natural color.
If we talk about the walls, for example, of kitchens, then they can be fully or partially tiled with ceramic tiles or mosaics. Most often, tiled finishes are used to decorate a kitchen backsplash.
Often, in the design of the walls of country-style rooms, elements of the structure and architecture of the room are used, for example, logs. Most often they are not stained, but only treated with special varnishes and sprays to protect against moisture and insect pests. Such structural elements not only look original and attractive, but also make the interior unique, saturated with a rural temperament, the measuredness of rural life.
Ceilings
Typically, the ceiling in a country-style room is light colored or whitewashed in combination with wooden beams. Sometimes dark wood beams act as a contrast to light-colored ceiling finishes. But there are also options with whitewashed ceiling beams, purposely aged.
Ceiling beams in the interior of the French country style are not so much a constructive element as a decorative one. Roughness and wormholes of wood, which practically did not undergo processing (namely, this impression is formed) act as the focus of attention.
Living or dining room ceilings may contain ceiling moldings and ceiling cornices. But even this room decor will look aged, archaic. Such decoration of the ceiling can change even the simplest rural interior and raise its status, respectability and aesthetics of visual appeal.
Floors
Wooden floors look most logical in Provence-style rooms. In provincial country houses, one could find both painted floorboards and an untreated version of flooring made of natural material. Both options are still applicable today.
In kitchens and other utilitarian areas, you can see tiles on the floor, usually terracotta or a shade from the brown group of tones. This is not only a practical option for flooring in terms of maintenance, but also an opportunity to feel the coolness of stone or ceramic tiles underfoot on a hot day.
Provence style doors are usually wooden, painted white and aged. Often interior and even entrance doors have glass inserts to provide the required amount of sunlight in the premises.
To contrast with light walls, doors and doorways made of dark unpainted wood decorated with it can be used.
As for the windows, among the design options for window openings there is such a view as the "French window". Window opening from floor to ceiling, which can be executed as a window-door with bindings into several sections. At the inception of the style, such windows were certainly wooden, they were painted white. Modern technologies make it possible to manufacture an energy-saving analogue using double-glazed windows.
Furniture for the rural style of southern France
Furniture for the French country style, however, as well as for any other national manifestation of this stylistic trend, is wooden, wicker or wrought iron. No chrome or plastic furnishings, modern fittings and attributes. Furniture made of solid wood is a very expensive pleasure, so you can compromise and buy, for example, kitchen cabinets made of MDF or chipboard, but only with the appropriate design - worthy of imitation of wood or painting.
If you decide to decorate one or several rooms in your apartment or country house in the Provence style and want to save money, then reviving the old furniture would be an excellent option for you. In the interiors of the style of the French provinces, antique furniture is often found in the same room with new furniture, but specially painted and aged with the help of scuffs, chipping and even chips.
Despite its massiveness, Provence style furniture looks lighter and more sophisticated than the same pieces of furniture in other country styles. For furnishing a bedroom, wrought-iron beds are often used with abundant decor, usually painted white. Light and airy structures, despite their large size, look not only attractive, but also thoroughly.
But the main feature of the furnishings in the style of French rural life is the various dressers, wardrobes, sideboards and display cases. Mezzanines and drawers, swing doors with glass inserts - all furniture is solid, reliable, made of wood and painted in pastel colors (sometimes with aging elements). Sometimes on the facades of cabinets and cupboards you can find painting on floral or animalistic motives.
Furniture for the dining area is always solid and massive. The dining group, as a rule, is represented by a large wooden table, most often with carvings, on beautiful massive legs. Chairs can be classic, with upholstered seats and backs, sometimes with armrests. The set can be used for chairs of different shades, upholstery materials, but similar in terms of design.
As for the upholstery of upholstered furniture, in the "classic" Provence style, it is rarely plain and light, more often with a pattern (usually floral), striped, dull check. But modern options for interiors in provincial French style can also contain absolutely monochromatic upholstery textiles in pastel colors.
Upholstered furniture for the living room, as a rule, is quite simple, sometimes even wicker chairs are used, from the category of garden furniture, but always with an abundance of pillows. Sometimes for armchairs and sofas the style of covers "with a skirt" is used. Such cute details give the rustic style an even more homely and cozy look.
Textiles, lighting and decor for the French provincial style
Country style always tends to use natural fabrics and Provence is no exception. The most common fabrics are cotton, linen and plain chintz. The most popular print for rural style is floral, plant. Covers for sofa cushions, curtains, tablecloths for large dining tables are sewn from these fabrics. Window openings are sometimes draped with curtains with interceptions, less often brushes and ruffles are used. Quilts for beds are most often quilted, made from the same natural materials. It is in the country-style interiors that you can see handmade decor items and accessories, here they look very appropriate.
As for the Provence style lighting system, chandeliers and wall lamps are usually forged, painted either in white or in dark tones to give the interior a contrast. Floor lamps and table lamps are often made of fabric with a light floral print.
As a decor for premises in the Provence style, not only paintings with landscapes and still lifes are used, but also wicker baskets, graceful candlesticks, lace napkins (often made by hand). For the decoration of mirrors, forged or carved frames are used, most often painted. Kitchens are often decorated with beautiful ceramic dishes displayed on open shelves.
Very often, in the design of premises in the Provence style, you can find an image of a rooster - the symbol of France. It can be just a figurine or an image on the wall, even a drawing on the facade of a piece of furniture. The French are incredibly patriotic and try to show this even in the most everyday manifestations. Therefore, most often roosters can be found in kitchen and dining rooms.
In the interiors of the French province, there are a lot of fresh and dried flowers - in vases and pots, large floor tubs and wall pots, and simply as herbaria on the walls. Part of the charm of rural rooms comes from these natural decor elements.
As a result, I would like to recall the distinctive features of the Provence style that distinguish it among the variety of country styles in other countries:
- bright colors are not used in the decoration of the premises, all shades are pastel, muted. The walls and ceiling are white with timber beams, the floors are darker colored wood;
- furniture made of wood, as a rule, is whitewashed and artificially aged, with cracks and roughness;
- textiles made from natural fabrics with a floral print are actively used;
- bedrooms most often have a minimalist setting in white tones to create a free and cool atmosphere (it can be very hot in the south of France);
- forged products, pieces of furniture or their elements, most often painted in pastel colors, are actively used;
- large French windows with sashes in several sections, doors also often have glass inserts.
The charm of rural comfort in Provence style interiors
Why do townspeople buy a country house? Someone in order to have their own personal plot and grow organic vegetables and fruits with their own hands. And someone wants to hide from the bustle of the city from time to time and have a good rest.
In the latter case, it is important that the atmosphere in the house sets you up for peace and tranquility. For this, it makes sense to create a design of a Provence-style country house.
Why Provence?
Time does not stand still. Construction technologies are also developing. New materials for interior decoration appear, which will be discordant with the good old classics. Therefore, for the use of these newest materials, they began to invent new ultra-modern styles: high-tech, minimalism, loft, contemporary.
But all this can be enjoyed in a modern apartment, and in the village you want to be closer to nature. That is why the Provence style is proposed for decorating the house. He is able to create home comfort, thanks to the use of natural materials: wood, stone, brick.
Provence owes its appearance to the province of France with the same name. That is why you can recognize in its features the fabulous climate of the Cote d'Azur, the sea of the sun, and the splendor of the hillsides overgrown with lavender. All this at one time inspired impressionist artists to create masterpieces.
The unhurried, measured life of the peasants of the province also contributed to the formation of the style. Rustic simplicity also became popular among the French bourgeois, who in the eighteenth century began to move from cities to villages.
Today Provence is one of the most popular styles among those who would like to stay at least a little away from the city noise.
Distinctive features of the Provence style
To feel the very spirit of Provence as a French province, you should first look at its real landscapes, fortunately, there is no shortage of them on the Internet. These photos will give a clear idea of how to decorate a private house in the Provence style, about its characteristic colors.
It must include natural shades: linen, white with a milky sheen, beige in various variations, pastel, purple, yellow, natural green and others.
It is important that all colors have a slight dullness, as if they have faded slightly under the bright Provencal sun.
Finishing
As for the materials, they must be 100% natural. No plastic or laminate. Parquet boards, terracotta tiles, stone, bleached wood boards are suitable as flooring.
Various types of plaster are widely used for wall decoration, which can then be painted or left in their original form. It is also permissible to use wallpaper, but not non-woven or vinyl, but paper in a small floral pattern or with thin stripes.
A distinctive feature of the style is a wooden volumetric ceiling beam or several narrow beams running parallel to each other at equal distances. In addition to decorative, it can also carry a practical function - it can serve as a box for placing electrical wiring and other communications.
The ceiling itself can be trimmed with wooden clapboard, whitewashed or used for finishing a satin stretch ceiling. Its natural texture is reminiscent of a whitewashed surface, which does not contradict the ideas of style.
Decor and textiles
Looking at the photos of houses in the Provence style, you can see how this style loves everything related to nature. If it is textiles, then in a small flower, if sofa cushions or a tablecloth, then with embroidery or lace in the form of flowers.
When choosing fabrics for the interior, you must also adhere to the principle of naturalness: linen, calico, chintz, etc.
Indoor plants, bouquets of wild flowers in small vases, and bunches of fragrant Provencal herbs suspended from the ceiling are always relevant.
Furniture
The furniture of this style is not at all rustic and rustic, but refined and sophisticated. It is usually painted white or pastel colors. Carving, painting, smooth curved forms are used as decoration. Wicker furniture is also suitable for Provence, but not in its natural colors, as well as painted in characteristic colors.
Furniture should look as if it was made more than a century ago, but its modern functionality is welcomed.
And what is outside?
And outside there is a plot that also needs to be taken care of. Landscaping should match the chosen style. Provence will be present here in an exquisite stone fence, decoration of terraces, gazebos, gates.
To decorate the territory, it is imperative to break flower beds with a stone frame or put several flowerpots. Plants, too, need to be chosen exquisite and simple at the same time, such as girlish grapes, climbing rose, lilac, wisteria, lavender.
To decorate the facade of the house, all the same natural materials are used: plaster, stone, preferably natural, wooden siding.
Cover the roof with tiles in one of the shades of brown. It will be a successful combination: a light facade and a chocolate light roof, window frames, corner bricks arranged vertically.
As you can see, creating a Provence style is not difficult, but quite costly. However, beauty and comfort more than compensate for this disadvantage.
Photo of Provence style houses
