The name of the Provence style is due to the southern French province. It is not surprising that it evokes associations with its picturesque landscapes, the hot sun and the endless sea. This interior trend came into fashion back in the 19th century, but remains relevant today. Dresser in Provence style is a detail without which it is difficult to imagine a truly French interior. This piece of furniture is of interest to anyone who wants to turn their home into an island of warmth and comfort.
A few words about the style
How to choose a chest of drawers in the style of provence? To do this, you need at least a little understanding of the features of this interior design. Provence is called the style of lightness, warmth and romance. It causes persistent associations not only with the village, but also with nature, its beauties and aromas. Of course, this cannot but affect the aesthetics of the design.
Conciseness, straightforwardness, naturalness - the main features of the style, which are characteristic not only for decoration, but also for furniture. Fruit and floral patterns, muted colors, smooth and simple lines, conciseness are welcome. The decoupage technique is actively used. Of course, furniture should be created from natural materials, so wooden products come to the fore. Also, in its manufacture, technology is actively used that provides the effect of scuffing, thanks to which objects seem old, inherited from past generations.
Dresser in Provence style: place
This element of furniture is famous for its versatility. It is easy to find a place for him in almost any room. For example, a provence chest of drawers will look spectacular in the living room, which serves as a gathering place for family members. Its countertop can serve as a surface for placing family portraits and photos, vases with fresh and artificial flowers and a variety of accessories that are relevant for this interior design. Boxes of the product can be reserved for books, silverware. Brown, gray - the most preferred colors for the living room, but other options are appropriate.
The "French" chest of drawers fits organically into the interior of the bedroom. In this case, it is convenient to use it not only as a wardrobe for clothes and linen, but also as a cosmetic table with a mirror. At the moment, white and beige dressers are considered fashionable, but you can give preference to other color schemes. For example, if furniture is selected for a child’s room, colors may be more vibrant.
Dresser in Provence style will be the highlight of the kitchen, creating an atmosphere of comfort and warmth in this room. An interesting solution for this room is black furniture. A wooden product can be supplemented with modern fittings. This element of furniture will fit perfectly into the hallway - will serve as a stand for the mirror.
About Materials
Regardless of whether a person plans to make a chest of drawers in the Provence style with his own hands or to buy it, the furniture should be made of natural materials. Of course, most preferably wood is a material with numerous advantages, such as durability, practicality, environmental friendliness and beauty. The tree species, fortunately, plays a secondary role. You can give preference to expensive options (walnut, maple, cherry, oak) or stop on budget decisions (birch, pine).
Creating a chest of drawers in the style of Provence with your own hands, you still give up the temptation to use particleboard and MDF. Of course, these materials are visually similar to wood, more affordable in terms of cost, and practical. However, products created from them will not be able to give the room an atmosphere of comfort. Categorically does not fit into the style of plastic, however, forging elements can be used.
The rattan chest of drawers will look exotic and bright in the interior of Provence. This kind of wood has many obvious advantages: reliability, lightness, charming appearance.
About colors
Even simple and inexpensive dressers in the Provence style will become an elegant decoration of the house, if you choose the right color of products. This direction is characterized by the absence of bright colors. Basically, when creating furniture, a pastel palette is used, it is advisable not to forget about this requirement.
What colors are most popular when it comes to Provence style? Beige and cream colors are welcome. A fashionable interior will help to create shades of burnt orange, terracotta, pale lemon. The colors of lavender and sea wave will remind of nature. You can also use pale green and blue tones, the color of sunflower petals. The main criterion for choosing - shades should be muffled.
A white chest of drawers in the Provence style is a universal solution that is suitable for absolutely any room in the house. The main thing is that the shade of white does not turn out to be excessively bright, this can ruin the impression.
Lines and patterns
The lack of bright colors is far from the only requirement that the French style traditionally makes. In addition, the painting of furniture facades plays a role. The best decoration for the chest of drawers will be fruit and flower images, which can be primitive or naturalistic. It is advisable to achieve the effect of an old drawing that has faded under the influence of scorching sunlight.
Simplicity and fluidity are also important. The chest of drawers may have elegant curved legs. Deliberately roughly cut sides are welcomed, as well as rounded corners of the lid. Thanks to these characteristics, the furniture is as close as possible to the setting typical of a French village.
Of course, futuristic forms should be left for more modern styles. The Provence direction gravitates to the classics.
Hardware
There is an opinion that a chest of drawers in the Provence style, the photo of which can be seen in the article, should not have modern fittings. It is believed that such elements can deprive the furniture of the charm of antiquity. In fact, fittings can be used, but it should remain invisible to the eye. For example, the use of telescopic rails is not forbidden , which guarantee the smooth movement of the product boxes.
What accessories can be seen? A wonderful solution is elegant forged handles that emphasize the elegance of furniture. Also, elements stylized as aged bronze or brass are welcome.
Artificial Aging
Clear signs of aging - a characteristic feature that makes it easy to identify dressers in the style of Provence, country. Small scuffs, chips are created in a special way, this can also be done with your own hands. In some cases, small areas of products are treated with varnish with a craquelure effect. Thanks to its use, the surface “acquires” a fine mesh of cracks.
How do you endow a wooden surface with traces of aging that make furniture look antique? To achieve this goal, the dresser is neatly covered with thin layers of multi-colored paint (in several layers). Then an emery cloth is applied, with the help of which the effect of scuffs is provided. Further, the product is treated with a protective varnish, devoid of bright shine. This task is beyond the power of even a person who does not have experience with furniture.
Decoupage
Decoupage chest of drawers in the style of Provence is a job that everyone can also handle, as the technique is simple. The main thing is not to achieve perfect symmetry, as slight negligence is welcome. How to do it:
- Furniture is painted in a light tone, which is chosen at the request of the owners. For example, the paint may be blue, light green, pale pink.
- The protruding parts of the product are endowed with the effect of light scuffing, which will help with sandpaper.
- A small amount of PVA glue is carefully diluted in water, this picture is wetted with a picture for decoupage. Then the picture is applied to the surface of the dresser. In this case, folds should not form that spoil the appearance of the picture.
- After drying the picture with the pattern, the surface is carefully treated with transparent varnish.
Painting
A dresser in the Provence style can be decorated with a painting with your own hands, although this task is somewhat more complicated. The drawings will give the furniture a unique provincial charm. How to handle this:
- Acrylic paint is used to paint wooden surfaces, the composition is applied in two layers. At the same time, one should not forget that the lower layer should be darker. The difference is a few tones.
- To apply the patterns, you will need special stencils that you can buy in a furniture store or make them yourself. After drawing, the surface is carefully treated with oil varnish.
- After about three hours, a water-soluble varnish is applied. The picture should be a little blurry, as the effect of slight negligence is welcome. To achieve this, an ordinary hair dryer is used, with which a wooden surface is gently blown.
- Finishing stage - coating the picture with sparks of golden paint, for applying which it is convenient to use a fabric swab. You can also use a thin brush. The main thing is that there is not too much paint, otherwise the drawing will look unattractive. After this, it remains only to wait for the surface to dry.
Choose a chest of drawers
Of course, a lot depends on the type of furniture, which will take on the role of a highlight of the interior. A dresser with a mirror in Provence style will be an ideal choice for a bedroom, you can use it in the hallway, living room. The elegant product visually resembles a dressing table. Its advantage is the ability to visually increase room space.
The Provence style belongs to the rural category, so a dresser with an ironing board will perfectly fit into the interior. The furniture has a folding board, making it easy to iron things. This product will save room space. You can also use a chest of drawers - a choice ideal for the kitchen or living room. Outwardly, such furniture looks like an elegant sideboard, can be used to store dining sets, silver, serve as a bar.
A few words about the size
There is an opinion that a chest of drawers in the style of Provence should have a compact size. In fact, this largely depends on the room for which it is intended. If the room is small, a large-sized chest of drawers “eating” most of the space will hardly fit into its interior. Whereas in spacious rooms you can use furniture of any size.
The purpose of the product also plays a role. Obviously, the sizes possessed by a chest of drawers for clothes in the Provence style and furniture that performs the function of decor should be different. The first will be much larger. Compact dimensions are traditionally possessed by the product, which is allocated a place in the corner of the room.
The number of drawers is determined taking into account the purpose that the chest of drawers has. However, from the point of view of style requirements, it is advisable to dwell on a model that has longitudinal drawers. Their number can be from one to five - depending on the needs of the owners.
This is how dressers made in this cozy direction look - the Provence style. Country is another area in which similar furniture fits.