Provence-style kitchen-living room: do-it-yourself dining area design

Provence style in the kitchen: design and color of the walls, do-it-yourself kitchen-living room, Provence apron in the interior, green and bright dining area

Provence is a locality on the south coast of France, which gave its name not only to Provence sauce but also to a special style in the interior. Provence translated into Russian as “province”, in principle, is the rustic style of the south of France, and like any rustic style, it is distinguished primarily by comfort, simplicity, and many hand-made details.

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Even the furniture here should look homemade, not to mention the curtains and tablecloths. But the key here is the word “south of France”. That is why in the interiors of this style light, sun, and air are abundant.

Provence

This is Provence. Sun, mountains, endless fields, lavender blossoms, the scent of which travels for miles.

Style Features

There are many nuances of interior design in this design style, but the main ones can be identified:

soft pastel colors;
an abundance of floral patterns wherever possible;
light, not bulky furniture;
furniture cannot be made in a factory, it must be ordered specially;
most of the shelves in the suites are either open or glazed;
furniture can be decorated with hand-painted;

Flowers, light furniture, a little rustic style – this is Provence style.

very light floors;
an abundance of indoor plants and bouquets of fresh and dried flowers;
light curtains: either pastel plain, or with a floral print;
ruffles, sewing, seams, cutwork on all textiles;
a lot of all kinds of decor items: vases, small porcelain and ceramic figurines, textile dolls;

a little rustic decor, but how lacking such simplicity in our world full of technology and robots.

light wooden ceiling with dark beams;
the use of only natural materials (however, now it is allowed to use synthetic materials made to look like natural ones, but then this is no longer a style, but only a stylization);
doors should be white, it is possible with painting elements (flowers and leaves). The color combination in the interior is designed in pastel colors;
window frames must be wooden;
the windows are better large, and the curtains on them are small;
a kitchen apron can be tiled, better painted with flowers or very light plain;
lamps are massive, hanging on chains if possible.

Natural materials and especially wood are often used in Provence.

Advantages and disadvantages

The undeniable advantage of such interiors will be:

abundance of light, pure home comfort;
the opportunity to reveal their talents in creating and placing decor details;
you can constantly add new details, replace old ones (bouquets, plant compositions, change textiles, and so on).

But there are also disadvantages:

a full-fledged interior of this style cannot be created in a small space;
furniture can only be made to order, you can not buy in the store.

Combined with living room

In kitchens combined with living rooms, Provence style is very often combined with classics.

Since it is difficult to create a full-fledged Provence-style interior in small spaces, combining two rooms into one is a good way out.

And since the living room and kitchen are the main rooms in the apartment, in this case, it turns out that almost all living space is made in the same style.

Techniques for combining kitchen and living room:

the use of textiles with a repeating pattern in both rooms;
the texture of the floor is the same, but the coating has different shades of the same color;
kitchen and living room furniture in the same style;
the walls in the kitchen are painted in pastel colors, in the living room there are wallpapers in the same shades with a floral print;
one shape flower pots,
two or three identical vases in the kitchen and living room;
lampshades of the same shape, texture and color, but different in size;
ceilings painted in different shades of the same color.

Ways of visual separation into the kitchen area and the living area:

ceiling beam, the same color as the furniture;
instead of a beam, you can use a lambrequin made of fabric, the same as window curtains and other textiles, mounted on the ceiling on the line separating the kitchen and living room;
curtains along the line separating the two rooms. It is possible, having collected, to fix them on a special hook in the wall with a bow or embroidered braid;
an interesting trick: mark the separation line by placing two or three armchairs or a sofa with their backs to the kitchen.

Small kitchen

Provence will look charming in a small kitchen, and light walls will even visually expand the room.

It is almost impossible to create a full-fledged interior of a small Provence-style kitchen, because furniture and decorative details take up a lot of space. But you can create an interior with elements of style.

In this case, the following must be taken into account:

the ceiling must be white. You can use suspended plasterboard ceilings;
all furniture must be placed around the perimeter, in this case it is better to place the sink under the window, the furniture should be angular, with a large number of open shelves;
the whole kitchen is necessarily designed in one pastel tone;
there should be a lot of light, and for this there are a lot of small lamps;
the window sill can be used as an additional work surface.

Now small kitchens with Provence-style elements have become very popular.

How to make repairs

If you are planning a Provence style renovation, you should take into account some of the details that are the features of the style.

Wallpaper

For walls, wooden coatings painted in light colors, plastered light walls are best suited, it is very good if bricks shine through the plaster. The walls simply painted in pastel colors also look good, the main color of which is:

White;
pale turquoise;
light salad;
pale lilac.

But all this can be achieved by gluing the appropriate Provence style kitchen wallpaper with a pattern.

under a light tree;
under plaster;
embossed wallpaper for painting;
solid matching colors.

But you can also use light wallpaper with a soft pattern:

light with a small flower pattern like a lawn;
light with stripes, inside of which there is a small floral pattern;
with medium-sized flower baskets;
with small bouquets.

A successful combination of wood panels in very light colors and wallpaper with a floral pattern. Or they glue the bottom with striped wallpaper with small flowers inside the stripes and the top with plain wallpaper, the same tone as the bottom ones. It is better when the bottom strip of wallpaper is twice as narrow as the top one.

When choosing a wall decor option, it is necessary to take into account the arrangement of furniture. If there is no wall free from furniture, then there is no point in gluing in two levels.

In the version of the dining room kitchen, you can completely glue the walls of the kitchen with striped wallpaper, and the walls of the living room using the same wallpaper, but only for the lower tier, and make the top plain. This will emphasize the unity of the premises, and define their boundaries.

Floor

The floor should be wooden, with wide floorboards, painted in light colors, preferably without the use of varnishes and other additional coatings.

Maybe stone, well cleaned.

The flooring can be porcelain stoneware tiles, matte light terracotta, sand, or light brown tiles.

The use of laminate, linoleum, parquet is not allowed.

Lighting

Ambient lighting is a hallmark of a Provence-style kitchen.

Ideally, windows should be almost the entire wall. Alternatively, doors and windows. Curtains in an open form should not cover even a small part of the window.

Artificial lighting should be:

maximally functional and at the same time soft diffused;
there should be several lamps;
it is impossible to use lamps of the latest technologies (LED, spotlights);
often one of the lamps is with a textile shade over the dining table;
forged lamps on the walls;
lamps on all kinds of small shelves for the kitchen;
lamps with faience and porcelain shades and lampshades also look good;
if this is a living room kitchen, then in the living room area you can place forged floor lamps and floor lamps with a wooden base and a textile lampshade.

Furniture

Furniture in the Provence kitchen is light and slightly rustic furniture that reminds me of summer.

We must not forget that this style was formed on peasant farms in the last and the century before last. Then they were in use:

buffets,
dressers,
shelves,
chests,
showcases.

When choosing furniture for kitchens of this style, we must remember that

such furniture was made by rural craftsmen, and for the most part it had fairly simple forms;
the furniture was made of natural wood,
furniture facades were painted in light colors;
almost all the shelves were open;
glass doors were placed in display cabinets;
wicker furniture was in great use, especially chairs and armchairs;
often open shelves were located around the entire perimeter of the kitchen under the ceiling;
massive tables, placed, as a rule, in the middle of the kitchen;
homemade wicker or wooden chairs with elaborately carved legs.

Creating a modern Provence style kitchen, you need to:

remove all household appliances in cabinets, also decorate the refrigerator under the cabinet;
stylize antique cabinets by applying scuffs and scratches on the surface;
do not use mirror and metal surfaces on furniture and kitchen apron;
stylize a cooker hood for a stove.

All sorts of niches with open shelves look interesting.

Like industrial style? Consider designing for a loft-style kitchen.
The tile countertop will be the highlight of the kitchen interior, read here how to make it.
Kitchen sinks made of stone, all the pros and cons.

Provence decor

Flowers, small cute fakes, fruit baskets, napkins – all these are elements of Provence.

Here are just some design ideas for Provence-style kitchen decor.

Mandatory window accessories:

tulle without pattern;
curtains with stylization of flowers, stripes, polka dots, checkered.

Sew only from natural fabrics (chintz, cotton, linen).

On the windowsill (in no case can it be empty) it is good to put:

various indoor plants in a flower pot;
dry bouquets in vases and decorative baskets;
it is good to plant spicy herbs in old pots: marjoram, basil, parsley;
small wicker baskets and vases with fruit.

The window sill can be covered with a napkin, the same as curtains or other textiles that are used to decorate the kitchen (art deco).

Tableware:

faience, clay, less often porcelain;
white, pale blue, light green, sand, in a small flower;
enamelled, white, various shapes or polished metal pans,
it is good to have different cast-iron pans and pots;
many different jars with lids for seasonings, herbs, bulk products.

If there are sofas and armchairs, then on them

Sitlno Provence in the interior of the kitchen

many embroidered pillows;
defiantly “forgotten” checkered woolen blankets;
upholstery, covers, capes should be made of natural fabrics, plain or with a floral print.

Plenty of potted plants, vases of dried flowers, and ornamental plants on shelves, tables, and floor vases.

Pots for houseplants, clay, or faience, as an option, decorated with textiles.

On the walls:

paintings with still lifes and bouquets of flowers;
frames are simple, wooden;
black-and-white family photographs also in wooden thin frames;
decorative plates;
hanging pots woven from natural threads.

Small porcelain and ceramic figurines can be placed on the shelves.

Shelves can be covered with curtains made of natural fabric.

Provence style kitchens

Provence style: light, bright, so kind and homely

On the front wall there is a stove with a low white hood, a sink under faience, the bottom is decorated with fabric. To the right is a display cabinet with shelves lined with crockery.
To the left ─ hanging cabinets with open shelves; a work surface with a pot of herbs on it, boards hanging on the wall, small pots with handles.
There is a window on the right adjoining wall. Light green curtains in a bright green check.

On the windowsill there is a pot with a houseplant, to the right of it is a decorative bag, to the left is an enameled white bowl with basil planted there, cut into a ball.
Under the window is a chest covered with a blanket, with two embroidered pillows.
On the left wall are cabinets with open shelves and a refrigerator disguised as a cabinet with doors.
The door is white.
A still life hangs on the wall to the right of the door, and black and white photographs hang on the wall to the left.
Below them is a small bookcase with a bouquet of dry plants in a white vase on the top shelf. Next to the vase is a textile doll. On the lower shelves of the bookcase there are many clay figurines, a decorative white jug.
In the middle of the kitchen is a long wooden table and chairs with textile covers on the backs.

This kitchen is ideal for a country house.

The light smell of spices and herbs, soft light, comfortable furniture, the warmth of handmade things, a feeling of peace and comfort – a real family atmosphere, a home where you want to return at the end of the day, tired after work. And here you can feel the soul and individuality of the hostess. And all this is Provence style. We also recommend that you read our article, which will tell you how to decorate the wall in the kitchen.