French Provincial Style

French Provincial Style is a furniture and interior design language drawn from the country houses of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century France, especially Provence, Normandy and the Loire. Articles cover painted and distressed wood finishes, cabriole legs, rush seats, toile de Jouy fabrics, stone fireplaces, large armoires used in place of built-in closets, and the colour palette of cream, soft yellow, lavender and faded blue. There are also notes on the difference between French Provincial and Country French in American showrooms, and on how to mix authentic antiques with reproduction pieces without losing the look.