Living room in Provence style (22 photos): beautiful furniture and decoration

A modern man, tired of everyday hustle and bustle of the city, is increasingly turning his attention to the sources - nature. There is a need to plunge into the world of the simplicity of village life. And the desire to create at least the illusion of this life in his apartment or in the country wakes up. Today's popular rustic interior design styles help create this illusion. A variation of this style is the French Provence style. The Provencal-style decor will turn your summer house or city apartment into a miniature village house (even if your apartment is an ordinary Khrushchev).

What is Provence?

Provence is an area in the southeast of France. Provence is the Alps, the Mediterranean Sea, the Cote d'Azur. Provence is a lavender valley, olive groves, golden vineyards, slightly faded green meadows. Provence is a red sun, a blue sky, azure waves, the blue expanse of the sea, yellow coastal dunes. And this is a real paradise!

Provence is a “province” translated from French. The purpose of interior decoration in Provence style is the desire to recreate the atmosphere of peace and quiet of provincial life. Reflect in it all the French folk flavor, at the same time, diluting it with modern notes. A cozy living room in the Provence style, even if it is in the old Khrushchev or in the country, will help you travel to a quiet cozy corner of France.

Style features

The main distinguishing features of the Provencal style:

• Provence style is universal. It is appropriate in the living room of any size and any shape. And at the same time, when using this style, there will be no need for any special alterations (height differences, bay windows, protruding parts of the walls). The simpler the room, the better. Everything will be decided by interior decoration, decor and furniture.
• The Provence-style living room interior is designed primarily in light pastel colors. All interior decoration - natural muted colors. The interior is revived by metered “blotches” in the decor of orange, yellow, lavender, azure and aqua. Such a bright color accent can be, for example, a sofa, curtains or accessories.
• Wooden tinted or patina-covered furniture giving a touch of antiquity. Wrought iron chandeliers. French Provence also provides for painted iron furniture. The "calling card" of the style is a small 2-seater or 3-seater sofa in the living room with a wicker seat. It looks like three chairs joined together with armrests.
• Provencal style wallpapers are not used. For wall decor, whitewash is used. Moreover, it may not necessarily be white or pastel shades.
• Wooden beamed ceilings. These beams are usually in natural color. But they can also be painted or whitened.
• The floor in a Provence style apartment is made of wooden plates, or of baked red clay tiles of rectangular, square, or hexagonal shape.
• The sofa and tables are covered with white bedspreads or fabric with an unobtrusive pattern.
• The design of the living room in the Provence style involves the use of fabrics with a printed stylistic pattern in the form of poppy and lavender bouquets, olive tree branches, baskets with lavender.
• When decorating the living room in the Provencal style, they use different cute little things from clay, vines and other natural materials, often made with their own hands.
• French Provence prefers exclusively natural materials. When making the dining room, it is customary to use wood and ceramics, vines and faience, forged products, stone, brick, natural fabrics.
• Symbols of the Provencal style are olive tree, lavender and sunflower.

Provencal style paints and flowers

French Provence prefers soft, as if "faded" in the sun, natural colors. In his palette - all shades of white, saffron, pale indigo, lavender, olive, pistachio colors. As well as shades of red and ocher.

Most often, Provence decor consists of the main white color (or its shades) with the addition of small brighter inclusions - interior details, curtains, accessories. Light strokes of black color are possible - wrought iron chandeliers, furniture trim, various decorative elements.

Bright accents of the Provence style living room are flowers that can fill the interior of the room in a large enough quantity. These are bouquets of fresh flowers, and small bunches of dead wood, and topiary. It can be curtains or a sofa with a floral print. It can even be a wallpaper with a discreet floral ornament. Although classic Provence does not allow the use of wallpaper in wall decor, but in rare cases, you can afford this as an exception.

Provencal-style living room interior

All building materials used for interior decoration of the living room must be exclusively natural.

Walls in the Provencal style do not carry a certain load in the general style and are used, most often, as a background for decor and furniture. Use wallpaper is not accepted. The only exceptions are wallpaper for painting or their "liquid" version. The walls are finished with textured or plain plaster, and deliberate negligence is only appreciated when performing this procedure. For wall decoration, it is also permissible to use wood paneling, or masonry. Further, the walls are covered with paint suitable for a particular interior, or they retain the natural color of the materials.

Ceilings and ceiling beams must be wooden. Paint them best with white paint. Or leave the whole or partially natural look, covered only with acrylic varnish. You can also play in contrasts and cover the ceilings with white paint, and make the beams dark.

To finish the floor using natural wooden boards, terracotta tiles, or floor tiles made of wood, made "antique". The floor should be painted in bright colors. And in some cases it will be enough to just coat it with varnish. It is not acceptable to use carpet, plastic laminate, glossy parquet and linoleum. As an exception, you can use a laminate with imitation of natural wood.

Windows and doors should also correspond to the general style and they need to be painted white. Or use shades of white to paint them. If desired, they can be decorated using decoupage technique with floral patterns or artificially aged.

Furniture

Furniture in the interior of Provence, in addition to functional, also plays a decorative role. All items must be made of natural materials. It should be antique, or purposely aged furniture. It should look a little rough - a matte surface painted in light shades that does not have gloss.

An old chest of drawers with peeling trimmings, chairs with carved legs, a round old table, cupboards without doors, a massive sideboard with traces of scuffing and a touch of antiquity, wicker sofas and armchairs - all this furniture corresponds to the Provencal style. And the simpler the shape of the furniture, the better.An alternative to furniture from the attic and artificially aged furniture is a modern modular wall made in the old style with carvings, patina and light gilding.

Upholstered furniture in Provencal style - a combination of wooden elements with elegant wrought iron details, upholstery in natural light colors, in a cage or in a flower. The sofa can be flat and wide with wooden armrests. And it can have elegant forged legs and wicker seats. Traditionally, it is customary to wear plain-colored covers or floral ornaments on upholstered furniture in Provencal style.

Furniture in a Provencal style room should not be placed strictly along the walls. This French style prefers space and freedom. And therefore, furniture should be placed, grouping in a free order.

What to do if the living room in the Provence style does not have enough space, as, for example, in the small-sized Khrushchev? And there is no way to place bulky objects in the interior? In this case, modular furniture will be a good alternative.

Provencal style fireplace in the living room

If you wish, you can equip the living room with a fireplace. The designers, however, did not come to a consensus - should he be present in the Provencal interior or not. But it is better to build on this issue from individual preferences and desires.

If preference is given in favor of the living room with a fireplace, then it should be remembered - the fireplace should also harmoniously fit into the general Provence style. Since a real fireplace is very problematic to build in a city apartment, it will most likely be electric. And it must be properly camouflaged with your own hands using brick and stone. For greater persuasiveness, part of the floor in front of the “fireplace” can be laid out with ceramic tiles.

Provence style living room decor

Decorating a living room in the Provence style, you can use a variety of cute trinkets and handmade items. These are porcelain figurines, home-made dolls, wicker baskets, frames with family photographs, caskets and boxes.

One of the recognizable elements of the style is the “bird cage”. Design work, an elegant little thing, can be used as a chandelier.

Many flower pots will add to the interior of folk color. Moreover, instead of the pot, you can use the most unusual things - a kettle, a bucket, a jug, even an old shoe.

Remarkably fit into the interior and things made by yourself using decoupage technique. It can be various plates, pots, wall clocks.