How to decorate a Provence style living room interior? - detailed style guide

Features of Provence

The owners of apartments and country houses, tired of the strict luxury of classicism, choose Provence for its warmth and simplicity, not devoid of elegance. This effect is achieved through several distinctive features:

• Interior decoration in muted colors, which is especially important for small living rooms.
• An abundance of floral ornaments, floral prints.
• The presence of antiques with history.
• Proximity to southern nature, which is reflected in the use of natural materials and flowering house plants.

Living room color

The Provence-style hall is a cozy, light room that gives peace and warmth. Pastel shades are soft: furnishings in beige shades perfectly support natural motives thanks to inserts of light green, pistachio and blue. The design of the living room uses muted colors: Provence in catchy colors deprives the style of its charm.

The basis of the color palette is often white, which goes well with a muted range. White unloads well the abundance of patterns and decor, serving as an ideal backdrop for them. When recreating Provence in a small living room, white is the most appropriate color: the style welcomes an abundance of light and air, and shades of ivory help to achieve this.

The photo shows a cozy Provence style living room interior in pink tones with splashes of olive and mint.

In houses in the south, where the sun is constantly visiting, the lavender shade is also popular: its use is one of the ways to make a Provence-style living room a little cooler. In modern interiors, it is the sprigs of lavender that are the main symbol of the French style: they are depicted on pillows and paintings.

Bright saturated colors borrowed from nature (blue, turquoise, yellow) are added with small strokes and do not violate the overall picture of serenity.

Textile

Fabrics play a special role in the Provence style living room. It is impossible to imagine a single interior with a provincial French bias without curtains and pillows: they are the ones that add coziness to the atmosphere. Textiles on windows in Provence style are curtains with lambrequins, curtains with hooks and just Roman blinds.

If the hall is combined with the kitchen or plays the role of a dining room, then tablecloths decorated with embroidery, napkins and chair seats will give a feeling of home warmth.

In the photo there are graceful curtains with ruffles and upholstered furniture with floral ornaments.

In the Provence-style room, natural fabrics are widely used - chintz, linen and cotton. Soft blankets of delicate colors, pillows and bedspreads with natural motives are popular. But when decorating the interior, it is necessary to maintain a balance and not overload the situation: if the upholstery of the sofa has an active ornament, the pillows should be monochromatic, and vice versa.

Finishes and materials

To decorate a Provence style living room, it is worth using natural materials and analogs close to them.

Floor. A plank floor is a good way to convey the warmth and atmosphere of a rural lifestyle. Modern manufacturers have quite convincingly learned to imitate aged wood: this texture gives the interior character.

Engineering board, parquet, as well as its imitation in the form of high-quality laminate look great. If the living room is combined with the kitchen, terracotta tiles will be a practical option for finishing the floor in the cooking area.

Walls. The most suitable wall decoration in Provence is plaster. The more irregularities and dents, the more organic it looks in a French country setting, and the brickwork that appears through it adds even more of the Provencal style.

Another popular decoration method is wallpaper. In order not to overload the living room with floral patterns, one wall is decorated with wallpaper, creating a kind of accent. Also, rectangular wooden panels, decorative brick or stone are used for wall cladding: the rest of the surfaces can be simply painted.

Ceiling.As a rule, ceilings in the French style are covered with white paint. In country houses, beams are often left open to protect the tree with wood stain. In city apartments, decorative beams with light weight are mounted to imitate a country ceiling.

Doors. Usually, door leaves do not stand out from the overall light interior: to recreate the rustic style, they are painted white or cream, sometimes decorating with hand painting, decoupage or hand aging.

In the photo there is a living room with a fireplace in a country house. The walls are decorated with decorative stone and plaster, and the beamed ceiling adds texture to the Provence style interior.

In French country, grace and rustic elements are whimsically and harmoniously combined. Therefore, log and board walls are also appropriate in this style. The only condition is that the wood must be light or artificially bleached.

In the photo, a corner modular sofa of heavenly color against the background of log walls.

Living room furniture

The furniture in the living room in the Provence style is characterized by simplicity and elegance at the same time. It is free from unnecessary decorations and strictly fulfills its functions, but at the same time it can have curved shapes, carved elements, metal and golden inserts.

The floral-print sofa has become the most recognizable detail of Provence. No other style can boast such an abundance of floral patterns. Upholstery of soft armchairs in traditional stripes and cages is also popular.

The wooden wall in the living room in light colors, despite its massiveness, is distinguished by elegant fittings, carvings and can be lightened by glass doors. But more often than not, antique cupboards or antique open cabinets are used to store things and utensils.

When creating a living room in a true Provencal style, it is very important to reflect the spirit of the times: the life of several generations should be traced in furniture and decor.

When choosing tables, armchairs and a chest of drawers, preference is given to natural materials: wood, weaving, as well as forged details, ideally with patina and a touch of antiquity. In modern living rooms, furniture is aged on purpose, leaving chips and abrasions - items with a rich history are welcome in Provence.

It is difficult to imagine a living room in a country house without a fireplace. It not only gives warmth, but also is the central element of the room, personifying the family hearth.

In the photo there is a country house with a fireplace built into the wall with open shelves and drawers.

Photo of a living room with a fireplace

A fireplace is a real decoration of a Provence-style hall, but if there is no summer cottage, a decorative portal or an electric fireplace can be installed in the room. There is a place for it even in a small living room: models imitating a rustic style will perfectly support Provence. For greater persuasiveness, the floor next to the fireplace is laid with ceramic tiles.

Lighting

Light in the Provencal interior is an important component, since the living room in this style is filled with air during the day and plunges into a cozy twilight in the evening. To create multi-level lighting, old curved chandeliers, floor lamps on legs, and wall sconces with elements of artistic forging are suitable.

Lamps with lampshades and fringes, creating a subdued light, as well as candlesticks are also appropriate. It's not worth using built-in lighting - such a modern approach can destroy the charm of French country.

The photo shows an original lamp with a round wicker lampshade on a curly leg.

Provence style decor

Decor is something without which it is impossible to imagine a real French country, since it is he who gives the feeling of an inhabited space. Paintings play a special role in the Provencal living room, in particular, landscapes in oil or watercolors - they help to blur the boundaries between home and nature. Flowers perform the same function - roses in elegant vases, herbs in bouquets or clay pots, and of course lavender.

Connoisseurs of Provence choose graceful birdcages for living room decor, which can serve as flower pots. Porcelain figurines, caskets, colored glass decanters, antique watches and vintage photographs create a special gentle mood. The mirrors are decorated with picturesque carved frames.

Photo in the interior of the apartment

It may seem that Provence is difficult to recreate in a city apartment, for example, a Khrushchev, but this is not so. Even a small room can be filled with the spirit of serenity, comfort and tranquility by using antique furniture, floral prints and natural textures in a bright living room.

The photo shows a modern room with a touch of Provence, which manifests itself in a characteristic palette and elegant furniture. Bay window decorated floral curtainsin harmony with the accent wall.

Panoramic windows will not only flood the room with light, but also give a feeling of lightness and spaciousness, which is important in the Provencal style. To expand the space visually, you need to use light shades for the background. A restrained color scheme will help create the impression of an enveloping atmosphere of the French countryside.

The photo shows a spacious living room, decorated with accessories "with history": a variety of furniture, as well as cute knick-knacks on open shelves.

Ideas in a country house

It is much easier to support a rural theme by decorating a living room in a country house. A wooden floor, an abundance of light, beams and a fireplace will help to recreate the Provencal style: all that remains is to add elegant furniture and decorate the room with textiles with an unobtrusive pattern. In addition, it is much easier to find flowers outside the city for making compositions with which you can revive the interior. The staircase in the house is usually wooden: with balusters or wrought iron railings.

In the photo there is an exquisite living room with a fireplace and a TV.

Sometimes the owners of the living room are faced with the question of how to arrange electrical appliances that are difficult to fit into the atmosphere of the provincial style. Designers suggest using built-in appliances and hanging the TV on the wall by inserting it into a carved frame.

Photo gallery

Provence is a style where, when decorating a living room, it is important to maintain a fine line between French grace and rustic coziness. This is a quiet haven for those who are tired of the roughness of the loft and the laconicism of minimalism, but are not ready to live in strict classics. Thanks to the comfort and special atmosphere created by Provence, the living room in this style disposes to a quiet rest from the everyday hustle and bustle.