French style "Provence" in the interior of a country house

Finishing the facade and interior of a country house in the Provence style gives its residents a special unity with nature, transfers it 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.

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.

Interior design in the Provencal style is performed 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, adds depth and volume to the room, 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.

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.

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 for creating wall portals and zoning the room, log walls with 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.

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.

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.

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.

The interior decoration of a Provence-style 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.

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.

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.

The floor of the 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.

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.

Forged elements in furniture are another invariable attribute of the Provence style. Especially 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.

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, jewelry boxes, ceramic or crystal vases. Bouquets in vases or flowers in pots add rustic motifs. Dried bouquets hung from the ceiling or standing in vases will become a universal floral decoration.

The walls of a country house in the living room or kitchen-dining room will organically decorate 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 of chandeliers, glazing of cabinets are often made using the mosaic or stained glass technique.

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. Rooms with windows facing the shady side and for illumination at night use a variety of light sources that perform several functions. Provence style lighting fixtures are not only lamps, but also an element of decor.

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 of 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.

Provence-style lighting is at the forefront of interior design. In the calm color scheme of the room, lighting fixtures can become the accent of the entire interior, or they can be a continuation of the color scheme of the room, differing by several tones. Here, the lighting should not get out of the general concept of the interior.

The classic combination of white and green colors and textures of natural wood and stone in a small but cozy house with a beautiful panoramic view is the best basis for the Provence style.

The living room-studio of a country house in a rustic style disposes to rest from the bustle of the city and to have a pleasant pastime next to nature. The textiles of the room with floral motives are carefully selected in one palette, and are a bright accent of the entire interior against the background of light walls and furniture.

A tiny room of a private house is filled with light and looks airy thanks to the combination of a rough stone wall with interior items of pale blue shades. Home comfort and at the same time unity with nature are added by natural herbs hanging from the ceiling and wide glazed doors that open onto the courtyard.

Shades of light blue and deep blue on the walls and floors, combined with white furniture, transport the residents of the house to the Mediterranean province. A floral ornament on the wall, a blue traced path on the stairs, fresh flowers in a vase, white furniture against the background of blue walls and a blue floor add lightness and light to a small room.

Vintage elements, decor items with a history - invariable companions of the Provence style. Antique clock with the imprint of time, fresh flowers in an enamel bucket of Soviet times, a vintage lampshade of a classic shape on a wooden base create a unique atmosphere in a country house, attract with its simplicity.

In country houses, the kitchen is often combined with the dining area. Combinations of colors and textures characteristic of the Provence style allow you to zone the room without additional partitions. Wooden logs without additional paint and varnish coating are the ideal basis for a light green kitchen group and a dining table.

A bedroom in a quiet and cozy place outside the city, made in the Provence style, has a good and sound sleep. Under a roof or in an attic room, the room will be light and airy, with large windows. Bedroom textiles with bright red colors will dilute the pastel colors of walls and furniture, add dynamics.

Lavender color in the bedroom interior creates coziness and comfort for relaxation. Wooden beams on the ceiling visually make the room lower, adding warmth to the room. All bedroom furniture is functional and comfortable.

The interior design of the rooms in the Provence style is also supported by the facade of the house with elements characteristic of this style.

For a detailed overview of a Provence-style country house, see the following video.