Provence style kitchen interior: design rules, photo

Provence - a rude southern French country, saturated with aromas of lavender, mown grass of bright green meadows (read more in this article), fresh milk and fresh home-baked goods. A kitchen made in this style will become a heart like private homeand apartments, a place of sincere family gatherings at a large table and will turn the hours spent by the hostess at preparing a family dinner into a romantic flight of fantasy to the azure shores.

Interior Provence Feature

In order to let in an attractive rustic chic to your kitchen, when you design it, you should take into account the main characteristics of the designs of the French province. Distinctive features:

• Lack of vibrant colors and shades,
• Finish with a focus on rude appearance and antique, vintage,
• The predominance of natural materials in decoration and furniture,
• Maximum light
• A large number of diverse textiles,
• Many small decorative elements,
• Mandatory presence of flowers in any form.

Following the stylistic features will allow you to recreate a unique and original interior in the city kitchen.

Finding a color scheme 

Cold minimalist or flashy-aggressive - these are the majority of modern kitchens that are fully equipped with household appliances, metal and plastic. Amid this dominance of artificiality, the dining room, designed in the Provencal style, becomes an island of romance and a breath of clean air.

Provence traditionally uses soft pastel colors, akin to the natural colors of the south of France. Pure white and straw yellow (more details), muted olive, lavender, brown and terracotta, sky blue and deep blue, all creamy shades - milk, cream, ivory, champagne, beige (examined here). The variety of colors allows you to make the interior expressive without the use of bright saturated colors.

The most popular colors of this style are:

• White (more details). Pure color refreshes and expands the space, fills it with light and mood of the holiday.
• Blue. It occurs very often and manifests itself in everything - the decision of furniture facades, utensils and kitchen utensils, textiles. It cools the design, gives coolness and a sense of proximity to the sea.
• Olive. Noble and at the same time homely cozy color. It recalls rich olive groves and hot Provencal summers. In the interior, color is mainly concentrated on furniture facades.
• Sand. The hue, the color of wheat fields, friendly beaches and the hot sun, common as a coloristic solution. Universal, suitable for both modest and more spacious kitchens.

Finishing space: how to decorate the kitchen

Provence is the personification of simplicity, naturalness and natural beauty. Therefore, in the decoration of the room only natural materials are used.

Walls

Wallpaper in the kitchen interiors of Provence (read also here) are used extremely rarely. The traditional solution in the design of the walls is plain coloring (how to choose a color here) or plastering followed by whitewashing. The texture in this case can be both smooth, and quite rough and rough. The first option is more appropriate in a city apartment, the second - in a country house. Lining of part of the walls with aged wooden boards, stone, brick is allowed.

Floor

The ideal solution for flooring is a wooden board or ceramic, imitating stone, floor tiles with a matte rough surface.

Ceiling

A universal design option is simple whitewashing (see also this article). More complicated methods of decorating the ceiling zone are upholstery with painted wooden battens (“lining”), decorating deliberately with rough massive contrasting in color beams that create the illusion of being in country house.

The absence of any synthetic materials (linoleum, plastic panels, stretch ceilings): glossy surfaces and sparkles in the decoration of a real Provencal kitchenette should not be.

The choice of furniture for the Provencal style (photo)

The basic idea of ​​style is fully revealed in the main element - kitchen furniture. Large buffets with convenient drawers, cupboards, a large dining table, wooden chairs and benches - all this fits perfectly in the kitchen.

Provencal furniture is distinguished by:

1. Exceptionally natural material - wood (see also Wood kitchen decoration). Its maximum imitating, dyed MDF is allowed. An interesting option would be wicker furniture. Chairs and armchairs, baskets and small tables, woven by the hands of a village master, will give the interior a special charm and coziness.
2. Aged appearance. Chips and small cracks, scuffs, scratches, patina and forged or porcelain vintage furniture - if the furniture has these advantages, it will fit perfectly into the Provencal interior.
3. Decorative design of facades. Glass inserts, a panel, carved wooden elements add style to the provence of any furniture.
4. Open hinged shelves or racks. A characteristic feature of the provincial style. Everything in sight - plates and cups, a variety of kitchen utensils is visible to the hostess and is always at hand. Such innocent openness creates a welcoming and inviting atmosphere.

It is impossible to imagine a modern dining room without household appliances. Stoves and refrigerators, electric kettles, toasters and other kitchen helpers should not get out of the general style decision. They are either selected in accordance with the features of the style, or are hidden behind furniture facades (i.e. n built-in appliances). It is important to think over this moment even before acquisition of a kitchen set.

Creating textile accents

It is impossible to create an atmosphere of a rural house without the use of textile decor elements. Provence, as a subtype of country style, is replete with all kinds of tablecloths and pillows, towels and napkins, curtains.

Materials for Provencal textiles are natural cotton and linen fabrics, plain or with a cute floral and vegetable print, patterns in a cage and stripes. Decoration of textile elements with lace and ruffles, hand embroidery is welcome.

Curtains should not be dense, heavy, too lush and voluminous. A great option is light air curtains made of light translucent fabric, allowing maximum light and air to pass through.

Beauty, thought out to the smallest detail

Completing the design will help fill the space with accessories that distinguish Provence from others.

Lighting

Provencal cuisine should be well lit. Modest wrought iron chandeliers (see also tips for choosing them) in the center of the ceiling, lamps with porcelain ornaments and glass or textile lampshades, sconces and stylized candle holders will give the abundance of light that is typical of village houses.

Flowers

Provence is unthinkable without a large number of fresh flowers. Lavender and peonies, sunflowers and velvet roses, fragrant rosemary and basil are everywhere - in ceramic and porcelain pots, glass bottles, enameled jugs and even shoes.

Dishes

Utensils - plates, cups - are located mainly on open shelves. It is not necessary that all of it constitute one service. On the contrary, diverse, different in design and material, dishes create a feeling of long-lived living space, adding to it comfort and warmth. As if the hostess had been collecting things she liked for many years and now decided to show her vintage collection.

Kitchen utensils - pots, pans, stewpots that are in sight, should be copper, bronze, or at least have jewelry made of these metals.

The finishing touch will be the placement of a variety of accessories. Old cookbooks, ceramic jars with spices, elegant bottles in their simplicity will find their place on the shelves and cupboards vegetable oils, and the walls will be decorated with truly rustic bundles of onions, hot peppers and garlic with cereals woven into them and dried meadow grasses.

Transfer to the south of France every time during breakfast, or cook dinner in the middle of a lavender field, feeling the proximity of the sea and the cool of the mistral - all this will become possible in the kitchen. The main thing is to follow the main traditions of the style.