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.
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Ceramic
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Brass
20th Century American French Provincial Furniture
Hardwood
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Earthenware
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Enamel
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century American French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century French Provincial Furniture
Leather
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Oak
17th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wool, Silk
19th Century Antique French Provincial Furniture
Bentwood
Late 20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese French Provincial Furniture
Gold Leaf
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Furniture
Pine, Paint
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese French Provincial Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century French Provincial Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Early 2000s French French Provincial Furniture
Brass, Steel
Early 20th Century American French Provincial Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Metal
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Giltwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Chestnut, Glass
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wood
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Enamel
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Furniture
Bamboo, Wicker, Rattan
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Concrete
21st Century and Contemporary French French Provincial Furniture
Zinc
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Wood
1920s French Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Iron
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Ceramic
1910s Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary Asian French Provincial Furniture
Glass, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Concrete
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Furniture
Wood
1920s Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Walnut, Glass
20th Century American French Provincial Furniture
Cherry
20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Birch
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1890s French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Oak
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Iron
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Pewter
20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Brass
1970s Unknown Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Giltwood
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Fabric, Oak
1920s Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Pine
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Iron
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Terracotta
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Furniture
Terracotta
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Furniture
Cork
Late 20th Century French Provincial Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Furniture
Maple
20th Century American French Provincial Furniture
Marble
1980s Vintage French Provincial Furniture
Wood, Cotton





