There are thousands of different home decor styles, including French provincial. However, many people are left wondering exactly what this style is and what home accessories and decor best suit it. This guide will give you the low down on French provincial and help you find the right home accessories to match.

French Provincial Home Decor

To start, French provincial is a style that reflects how people’s homes were in the 1600s and 1700s in the provinces of France. Typically these people were not as well off as those who were living in cities and this style reflects that. With French provincial home decor, you see less ornate detailing and more focus gets put onto function and flow.

French Provincial Furnitures

To start, when choosing furnitures for this style, you’ll need to remember function over detailing. Since people in the French provinces had little money, they didn’t spend it on ornate or grand furniture. Instead, they focused what little money they had on pieces that served a purpose and wouldn’t cost them a small fortune.

Since they had less money, they found ways to reduce taxes. In France, many homes were taxed based on the number of rooms and the closet counted as a room. So, instead of having closets, people in the French provinces chose to build armoires and other large scale furnitures to hold their items. In modern home decor, you may not have a real use for an armoire but there are ways to incorporate one into your space. Consider using one for your television in the living room or for game storage in a family room or den.

Home Accessories for French Provincial Homes

Wall art is not something that you would have found in homes of that era. Wall decor meant spending money on unnecessary items. However, the people of this time did believe in purchasing wall mirrors for their space. Mirrors reflect light, making a space feel more open and airy and most importantly, could bring outdoor views indoors.

You can use mirrors of any size or shape: square mirrors, oval mirrors, gold framed mirrors or plain framed mirrors. This is one of the more flexible parts of French provincial home decor.

Another popular accent in French provincial home decor is items that are embroidered. In the 17th and 18th centuries, people didn’t have televisions or smartphones and found other ways to occupy any little free time they had. For women, this often meant working on embroidering. You can incorporate embroidered pillows, curtains, blankets, towels and other items into the various rooms of your home if you choose this particular style.

Of course, keep in mind that you are incorporating an “old” style of decor into a modern home; so don’t be afraid to put your own modern twist on things. Monogramming over floral embroidering, hand carved furnitures with not-as-ornate details painted a bold hue such as pink or reupholstered in a vibrant, funky pattern and so forth. Interior design and home decor is about interpretation, and like any art form, it is not set in stone!

We hope you enjoyed this beautiful post! If you’re interested in decorating in French provincial style, why not start off with adding some oval mirrors and more to your home!

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