French Provincial Chairs
Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.
Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.
Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.
The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.
Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Elm
2010s Spanish French Provincial Chairs
Iron
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Walnut
1990s American French Provincial Chairs
Leather, Mahogany
1890s French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Iron
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian French Provincial Chairs
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Wood
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Elm
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Cane, Wood
1970s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Wood, Cotton, Down
1940s European Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Oak
1970s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Pine
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Elm
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Ash
1980s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Wood, Cotton
Early 20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Cotton, Wood
1920s American Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Oak
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Olive
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Rattan, Wood
Early 1800s Spanish Antique French Provincial Chairs
Poplar
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Upholstery, Wood, Paint
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Oak
Early 20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Cane, Walnut
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Wood
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Chairs
Bamboo
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Cotton, Cane
1890s French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary American French Provincial Chairs
Bamboo, Rattan
Early 20th Century Italian French Provincial Chairs
Brass
Late 20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Silk, Hardwood
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Iron
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Beech
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Wood
1970s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Faux Bamboo, Linen, Wood
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Oak
1960s Spanish Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Seagrass, Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Chestnut
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Cherry
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Oak
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Oak
1980s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Cotton, Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1920s Dutch Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Rush, Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Leather, Cane, Wood
1920s Scandinavian Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Walnut
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Fruitwood
1970s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Cotton, Wood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Upholstery, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Chairs
Cane, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Chairs
Fruitwood
1980s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Cotton
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Leather, Oak
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Wicker, Wood
1990s French Provincial Chairs
Leather, Fabric, Wood
20th Century French French Provincial Chairs
Fabric, Cane
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Chairs
Cotton, Walnut
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Straw, Rush, Oak
1980s Vintage French Provincial Chairs
Wood, Cotton





