Provence cabinet, style features and facade decoration methods

The interior of any room necessarily includes elements of storage systems, they must be not only functional, but also aesthetic. The Provence cabinet decorated with pastel colors using aging technologies looks noble, thoroughly, reliably, it can become the main accent of the room. For the manufacture of such products, natural materials are used. Decorate them with hand-painted, decoupage, decorative carvings.

Style features

This design direction dates back to the eighteenth century. The unique landscapes of the French province inspired the craftsmen to create unusually light, noble furniture. Refined lines, light tones, elegant accessories are inherent in it.

Provence furnishings are often used to furnish country houses; they blend beautifully with wood-beamed ceilings, a fireplace and plastered walls. At the same time, furniture is also popular in the design of urban apartments. It allows you to create a harmonious and cozy atmosphere, where it is so nice to relax from everyday life.

Most products are decorated and painted by hand, which ensures exclusivity to every piece of furniture.

The main features of Provence furniture include:

products have strict shapes, but the corners are smoothed out;
in the production of cabinets used beech, oak, pine, walnut;
the color scheme is different, but all shades are muted or pastel;
for decoration, patting, decoupage, artificial aging, carving, forging are used;
In order not to hide the beautiful texture of wood, the products are coated with colorless or translucent varnish. Such models look elegant, noble;
Provence cabinet doors can be manually decorated with images of vegetables, flowers, fruits, fish;
if the decor of the model provides for textile inserts or curtains, it is recommended to choose a fabric with a small floral print, a cage, a strip.

The demand for furnishings in the Provence style is growing steadily. Despite the high price, the products have high environmental characteristics and beautiful design. More often than others, a room in the Provence style is decorated by people of the older generation who value measured, comfortable and unhurried.

Varieties

In the collections of Provence furniture manufacturers you can find products designed for the interior of different rooms. Each model has the most reliable, stable design.

Clothes

Such cabinets are characterized by the presence of high legs, which facilitate cleaning and make lightness even for large models. Fittings with smooth closers are installed on the doors, drawers, it will be convenient to open and close them. Some products are decorated with light handmade carvings or have a decorative element in the form of a smooth wave.

The most exclusive series use a three-layer manual rubbing technique. It allows you to create a unique color for everyone. Accessories used made of bronze or copper. For the decor of the bedroom, the most sophisticated models are created with screen painting applied to the craquelure surface of the leaves. Such a bedroom with a painted wardrobe in white will look especially romantic.

A variety of wardrobes are models with sliding doors called wardrobes. On the facade place one or two large mirrors. Decorate such products in bright colors that harmoniously fit into the interior of the bedroom. If you install a compartment in the hallway, then it can be used to store outerwear and shoes.

Kitchen & Dining

Kitchen cabinets have many convenient departments: niches for placing plates, drawers on durable guides, storage systems for spices, bulk products. Products are characterized by maximum capacity. The use of natural wood and water-based paints and lacquers allows the use of Provence-style kitchen cabinets for storing food without concern for their health.

Cabinets for storing dishes and glasses harmoniously fit into the interior of the dining room. The models have partial glazing, which allows you to demonstrate a family service. Shelves, rear and side walls are made of wood, so the products are stable, they can withstand significant weight. Exterior design provides for a carved or painted cornice, decorative swing doors with forging elements, floral patterns.

Storage for books and documents

Products of this orientation, as a rule, are presented in shades of natural wood. Cabinets look thorough, expensive, have several open, closed shelves. Many combined models with partial glazing, which makes it easy to find the right book, protect documents from dust.

Expensive series of bookcases for classrooms and libraries have built-in locking mechanisms. They allow doors to close as tightly as possible, which protects documents, books from humid or too dry air. In addition, you don’t have to worry about partners or family members finding out unnecessary information.

Children's models

Unlike all other products, children's furniture is decorated as much as possible, created with fancy carvings, paintings. According to individual projects, models with themed design for a dollhouse, a carriage, a pirate ship are made.

The most decorative Provence lockers are for girls. They are decorated with monograms on doors, cornices. Handle hardware elements are replaced by curly slots in the form of a heart, a window.

In the girl’s room, pink, lavender, beige, cream colors are appropriate. To decorate the boy’s room, they choose blue, olive, brown, lime. With high external attractiveness, the products are very spacious and functional, they have:

several shelves for clothes and shoes;
bar with hangers;
bottom drawers for storing bedding, linen, toys.

For bathroom

For the decor of spacious bathrooms, where there is a lot of free space after installing plumbing, special furniture is used. A true decoration will be a corner or wall closet in the Provence style. White color is most preferable, it is associated with cleanliness and freshness, corresponds to the color of plumbing.

Products must be treated with moisture resistant compounds so that the frame and sashes do not suffer from high humidity. If you select a model with legs, it’s good if they harmonize with the legs of the bathroom.

To decorate the cabinets use light carved cornices, perform partial glazing and use twisted wrought iron fittings. In the lower part there are drawers where it is convenient to store towels. Examples of installing cabinets in the bathroom can be seen in the photo.

Facade decoration methods

The simple shapes and outlines of Provence furniture are fully compensated for by the varied decor, which gives them uniqueness. Facades of cabinets can be decorated in different ways:

The main distinguishing feature of Provence furnishings is the presence of murals. Floral motifs with floral elements are popular: flowers and leaves of roses, wisteria, lavender. Not only the leaflets of products are painted, but also the side parts, cornices;
in wardrobes, models for the corridor and dressing room, inserts from the mirror are performed for the entire size of the sash or part of it. The inserts allow you to see yourself in full growth or to the waist. An additional floor mirror is not required. Crosses made of wooden sticks add attractiveness, serve as additional protection against damage to a decorative element;
the use of carved decor made of wood or stucco. Curved elements of bizarre shapes are painted with the colors of the cabinet facade;
Decoupage allows you to create a unique decor. It is done manually using paper pictures on any subject. They can cover the entire surface of the facade or only part. Created decoupage must be painted with acrylic varnish, which is resistant to moisture and ultraviolet radiation. Such a pattern will not be erased and will not fade;
the use of wallpaper for the decoration of sashes. In the Provence style, canvases with a small floral pattern and stripes will be appropriate. The facades are not glued over entirely, only the central part is decorated;
artificial aging creates the illusion of antiquity. The new cabinet looks assembled many years ago. A patina, imitating abrasions, is applied to a painted plain wooden surface;
Some glass cabinets have French-style textile curtains. Made from cotton fabrics with fine prints, they adorn the facade and add an individual touch.

Whatever technique is used to decorate the facades of Provence cabinets, they never look elaborate, catchy or screaming.

Used colors

The rich natural color of the French province is reflected in the colors that are used for furniture in the style of Provence. All of them are associated with nature, have calm, sustained tones.

The most popular are:

milk and cream;
white in cold and warm tones;
Gray;
lime and mint;
shades of blue: from light sky to deep calm blue;
Gray;
beige and numerous shades of brown;
lavender and pink.

There are also products decorated in bright colors: yellow, terracotta, navy blue. They are used as color accents in the interior. If you choose a bright corner or wall cabinet, then the rest of the decor should be in a calm light range.

How to combine with the interior

In order for the room’s atmosphere to be harmonious, it is necessary to correctly enter the selected cabinet into the overall interior. To do this, it is recommended that the walls and tiles be painted in light colors. The floor decor is made in shades of natural wood.

It is allowed to use wallpaper with a small floral or graphic pattern, especially if there is a painting or decoupage with floral elements on the cabinet doors. When the sashes have curtains, it is better to combine them with curtains on the windows, bedspreads, rugs.

When using monophonic products in blue and blue, you can create an interior with a nautical theme. To do this, shells in vases are laid out, striped linen curtains are hung on windows, walls are decorated with thematic pictures.

It is possible to emphasize the beauty of wrought iron fittings, legs or decorative elements of the cabinet with wrought metal lamps. Such a cabinet will harmoniously look in the bedroom, where the bed frame is metal with a curly headboard.

Numerous fresh flowers in pots and vases, decorative pillows on sofas and beds, linen curtains with ruffles, cute trinkets on open shelves serve as a perfect complement to any Provencal-style furniture. When decorating a kitchen, clay dishes will add color, which can be placed on the shelves of a cupboard.

If you like to change the situation often, then choose plain cabinets made of wood, varnished or painted white. Such products can easily fit into any adjacent interior style.

How to choose the right

Before buying, you need to determine how much space a cabinet can take. You need to evaluate not only its width, depth and height, but also the ability to freely use all drawers and shelves, open the doors.

If the whole room is designed in Provence style, then you can choose a cabinet of any color in harmony with the interior decoration. For installation in the kitchen, corridor, cabinet, it is worth giving preference to products in gray-white tones or simply varnished.

It is better to buy furniture in specialized salons. When choosing, it is worth considering the recommendations:

the product must be stable, not swaying or tipping over. This is especially important for children's models;
it is better to choose cabinets with a minimum amount of hardware, check its quality. Cabinet doors and drawers should easily and quietly open, close;
if the cabinet is made of natural wood, then carefully examine all surfaces. There should be no cracks, crevices, splinter. Such disadvantages occur when using raw wood or violation of storage conditions;
when choosing a painted product, study the certificates, which indicate the safety of paints and varnishes;
all decorative glass, mirror, textile inserts should be well fixed;
choose the most functional cabinet space, then it will contain a lot of things;
you need to make sure that decorative painting, decoupage, aging are made with high quality. The drawing should be applied evenly, the paint - do not exfoliate, do not peel off. This sometimes happens if we paint without knowing the technique.

Such an important element of the atmosphere as a wardrobe should be carefully selected. Provence products differ in functionality, sophisticated appearance and accessibility of various designs. You can choose the best cabinet model for any room, but it is important to correctly enter it into the interior.