French Provincial Furniture
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 Furniture
Wrought Iron
Early 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Brass
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Fruitwood
16th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool, Silk
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Fruitwood
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Oak
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Mahogany
15th Century and Earlier Antique French Provincial Furniture
Fabric
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Brass
18th Century Belgian Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Brass, Enamel
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Metal
18th Century German Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wood
18th Century Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
18th Century Antique French Provincial Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
17th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool, Silk
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Limestone
17th Century American Antique French Provincial Furniture
Gesso
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Terracotta
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Pine
1770s French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Limestone
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Elm, Burl, Wood
18th Century Antique French Provincial Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Fruitwood
18th Century English Antique French Provincial Furniture
Oak, Hardwood, Wood, Mirror, Glass
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
18th Century Belgian Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool, Silk
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Cherry, Oak
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool, Silk
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Stone, Limestone
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Terracotta
17th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Sandstone
17th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Iron
1740s French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool, Silk
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Oak
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique French Provincial Furniture
Brass, Steel
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Iron
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Metal
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Metal
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Cherry, Oak
1780s French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
1790s French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Mirror, Oak
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Mid-18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wood, Paper
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Belgian Black Marble
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wood
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool, Cotton





