French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
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.
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Chestnut
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
Late 19th Century Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Oak, Paint
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Pine
Late 18th Century Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wire
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Steel
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Cherry
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
20th Century American French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
Early 1800s French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Chestnut
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Steel
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
1880s French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal
1780s French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass, Steel
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Cherry, Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Oak
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1790s French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
19th Century Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Paint
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Cherry
1850s French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
20th Century French French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Glass, Cherry, Pine
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Iron
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
19th Century Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wire
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
1840s French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Elm, Burl, Wood
1790s French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Mirror, Oak
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Metal
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Pine
19th Century Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Chestnut, Glass
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Iron
1970s American Vintage French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Brass
1880s Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Wardrobes and Armoires
Wood, Walnut





