Drawing of a wooden bookcase in Provence style. Aging furniture in Provence style - budget antiques

Even old “grandmother’s” or faceless factory furniture can become a unique highlight of the interior if you master decoupage of furniture in the Provence style. Why this type of decor? Firstly, such handmade items perfectly complement the rustic theme. Secondly, decoupage has been popular in sunny France since the Middle Ages, and even its name is tracing paper from the French word, which means “to cut out.” And thirdly, to master this technique you do not need any special artistic talents or expensive materials. Shall we try?

Decoupage is the decoration of furniture, clothing and various accessories using applications that are fixed to the surface with varnish. Using this technique, you can create exclusive items that look especially natural in interiors decorated in antique or rustic styles - country, Provence, shabby chic.

With the help of decoupage pictures you can reliably imitate an expensive painting

There are various decoupage techniques:

Classic - fragments cut from thin paper, napkins or wallpaper rolls are used, which can be glued to any wooden, plastic, mirror or metal surface.
Reverse – suitable for decorating transparent materials. In this case, the fragments are attached to inner side glass or plastic, which increases their service life and makes furniture easier to care for. Typically, this decor is used for decoration glass products or transparent inserts in kitchen cabinet doors.
Decopatch - decor is applied fragmentarily, but completely covers the front side or even the entire object. This technique will help give new life old facades, tabletops, chairs and stools, and is widely used to decorate kitchen accessories, such as cutting boards or grocery jars.
Artistic - unlike previous methods of decoration, this will require skills in the fine arts. The pasted drawings are painted by hand, the edges are shaded, and shadows are applied, creating the effect of completely merging with the surface.
Volumetric - images are decorated with beads, dried petals, textured leather, fabric cuts and other protruding fragments.

Decorative boards are an excellent accessory for decorating a Provençal kitchen.

Advice! If you want to master the decoupage technique, practice decorating accessories before moving on to kitchen furniture.

Characteristic motifs for the Provence style

To recreate the atmosphere of the southern French province, you need to choose the right subjects and backgrounds for your kitchen decoupage.

Let us remind you characteristics style:

The main color range is light, in milky, beige, powdery, yellow and pearl gray tones.
For finishing furniture and kitchen facades you can use any shade of blue or green, associated with expanses of water or endless meadows of the French south - mint, blue, lavender, lilac, color sea wave.
Background colors should be soft, pastel, as if they were faded by the scorching sun. To achieve this effect, you can dilute your favorite shade with white enamel.
The subjects of the pictures can be chosen on any floristic theme, but the most recognizable images in Provence are bouquets of lavender, lush roses, sunflowers, and grapevines.
Pastoral scenes with flowering fields, meadows, and various still lifes with southern fruits are also appropriate.
Images of domestic animals, birds, especially roosters, hens, chicks and other inhabitants of a village yard look good.

Lavender has long been business card provencal style

Interesting! Red roosters have long been considered a symbol of France (or rather, ancient Gaul). Their image was applied to coins, flags, and seals of government officials. And, of course, it was used to decorate the interior.

DIY decoupage of furniture in Provence style

To give your kitchen a makeover, you can decoupage any furniture, including the dining table, countertop, and various chairs/stools. But keep in mind that although the picture will be protected by a layer of varnish, mechanical damage and constant contact with water can quickly ruin the spectacular decor. Therefore, it is better to choose surfaces for decoration that are always visible, but at the same time less susceptible to various accidents. The fronts of the upper cabinets are ideal kitchen set, hanging racks, buffets and cupboards.

Decoupage decor will turn any item into an interior highlight

Preparatory work

To carefully decoupage furniture with your own hands, you need to well prepare the basis for future decor. It is easiest to work with unvarnished wooden surfaces (including chipboard and MDF). To do this, you need to degrease the area for future decor using dish soap, clean it with fine-grained sandpaper, and then remove the dust with a soft cloth.

Important! On glass or plastic, you should not use sandpaper; just wash it well with a degreasing solution. Old varnished items can be completely stripped of the old coating and repainted or re-varnished. Surfaces that do not need updating can simply be degreased.

If the furniture is already old, additional restoration may be required. Chips and cracks should be masked with wood putty and sanded with wax - this will protect the material from exposure to fungus and moisture. After this, all surfaces need to be primed and painted with acrylic paint in any color. light shade, characteristic of French style. After drying, you can start decorating.

Required tools and materials

To decoupage kitchen furniture in the Provence style, no special tools are required. All you need for the job is sharp thin scissors, a pair of brushes and tweezers.

Materials you need to stock up on:

Decoupage glue (you can buy it at a handmade store or dilute regular PVA).
Acrylic clear varnish.
Blanks for pictures.

Drawings can be cut out from magazines or old books, or pick up beautiful pieces of fabric, leather or lace. The main thing is that the fragments are thin, then you won’t have to level the surface with a thick layer of varnish. Decoupage furniture with napkins is very popular among home craftswomen - to make such a blank, just separate upper layer paper and carefully cut out the design.

It’s easy to work with napkins - if a thin picture breaks during the process, you can always make another blank of exactly the same size, and the choice of subjects is quite wide

Another popular material for decoupage is beautiful cards with flowers, still lifes or reproductions of famous paintings (for example, Van Gogh, who painted a whole series Provençal subjects). But they must first be soaked in warm water, and then carefully remove the patterned layer with tweezers, otherwise the applique will look rough and sloppy.

In stores selling handmade goods, you can find special cut-out templates for furniture with scenes on any topic. The pictures can be colored or black and white for coloring yourself, and are printed on thin parchment, with which it is easy to decoupage furniture in the Provence style with your own hands.

Table-ladder with a reproduction of Van Gogh’s painting “Irises”

Advice! Lay out the cut out fragments on the surface and evaluate the resulting result: does the coloring of the picture harmonize well with the main background, is there enough space for all the applications, and do parts of the picture protrude beyond the edge. Like? Then you can start decorating.

Step-by-step instruction

When the surface of the furniture and all the tools/materials are prepared, the best part remains - creative work.

Decoupage of furniture in Provence style - detailed master class:

Apply to the surface with a brush thin layer glue.
Use tweezers to pry up the cut out picture and place it in the chosen location.
Gently smooth the fragment with a dry brush or soft rag to remove wrinkles, excess glue and air bubbles.
We wait until the glue is completely dry.
We fix the composition with transparent acrylic varnish in several layers, each time waiting for the previous one to harden.

You can attach a decoupage picture to any surface.

You can complement the decor with splashes of paint applied with a toothbrush or brush.

On a note! Quantity varnish coatings depends on the thickness of the application. If you used parchment templates or napkins for decoupage in the Provence style, 2 layers are enough, for magazine paper or thin fabric - at least 4.

There is another way to glue a picture: the fragments are laid out on the surface and soaked on the front side with liquid glue (you can use the same PVA diluted in half with water). But with this kind of work, the likelihood of damaging thin paper increases significantly, and the drawing also fades a little.

It is more convenient to apply glue directly to the picture not with a brush, but with a narrow foam sponge

Although there is nothing fundamentally difficult in decorating furniture, study the recommendations experienced craftsmen. They will help beginners who are just learning the basics of handmade to avoid mistakes.

Try to use simple designs on a light background and without thin protruding parts that are difficult to cut and glue.
Before attaching the picture to the surface, you can place it in cold water for a couple of seconds to reduce the formation of bubbles and make the material more pliable.
If this is your first time decoupaging furniture with napkins with your own hands, do not use special glue, but a regular “pencil” for paper. If the fixation fails, you can remove the paper with a damp cloth and try again.
Monitor the pattern throughout the glue drying time (about an hour) in order to smooth out possible cracks and air bubbles in time.
If the basic tone of the napkin differs from the color of the furniture, you can paint the paper in desired color before applying varnish.
It is more convenient to fix the picture with a varnish spray from a can - this way there will be fewer streaks than when working with a brush.

You can smooth out transitions and correct the background color manually, after gluing the fragment

On a note! Using decoupage, you can visually combine disparate pieces of furniture into one set if you use identical fragments to decorate them.

Ideas for decorating old furniture

To completely transform a kitchen set or its individual items, you can complement the decoupage technique on furniture with other types of decor that will give the surfaces the “spirit” of antique antiquity. The easiest way is to simply rub a few areas with fine-grain sandpaper. But there is more spectacular options decoration.

Craquelure cracks

A fairly common and easy-to-use option is to use craquelure varnish. It is great for both restoring old furniture and creating exclusive designs on completely new interior items.

Crackle cracks will turn even a standard kitchen set into an exclusive one

On a note! Craquelure varnish is a product for water based, which when applied to paint creates the cracking effect inherent in antique products.

In order for cracks to appear on the surface, you need to choose for painting furniture acrylic paints two different colors. For the bottom layer, they usually take a dark shade, or the color of silver, gold, bronze. For the top one - white or any light tone.

The surface of the furniture is cleaned sandpaper from old layers of paint or varnish, then primed
Painted in the main tone (this will be the color of the cracks). Drying.
Apply a one-component craquelure varnish to areas where a network of cracks should appear, and after 30-40 minutes, without waiting for complete drying, apply a top coat of paint.
When the surface is completely dry, you can stick on the decoupage picture and secure the decor with varnish.

Important! The finishing coat must be applied evenly and in only one layer, so it is better to dilute thick paint with a special thinner for acrylic. If you make several brush strokes in one place, the varnish can “roll off” and ruin the whole job.

Multi-layer “pie” to create a crackle effect

In order for “cracks” to form not only in the background, but also in the picture itself, you need to use two-component craquelure. It is not applied between layers, but after painting and attaching the pattern. But this method is more often used to decorate accessories, on large areas it doesn't always look nice.

Decoupage of old furniture with one-component craquelure

Pictures with cracks look good on small objects

Patination

Furniture treated with patina, a coloring compound that gives surfaces a special matte “antique” look, looks no less impressive. This decor can be used to treat fittings, table and chair legs, or applied to any painted surfaces.

Work algorithm:

Prime and paint the product in any color you like, wait until dry.
Using a foam sponge or soft cloth, apply the patina to several areas and blend the strokes.
Rub the dried surface with coarse and fine sandpaper so that the color of the main background begins to show through.
Glue decoupage pictures and coat the product with varnish.

Patination technique

The patination technique perfectly complements decoupage

On a note! The patina looks most impressive on the relief elements of furniture, as well as corners, side joints, and the area around the handles.

Photo gallery of furniture with decoupage decor

As you can see, using various techniques you can update kitchen cabinets, cabinets, shelves, tables or stools on a budget, turning old items into elegant furniture, decorated in Provence style. But if you don’t know where to start, we suggest studying the photo for inspiration. finished works, from which you can get creative ideas for using the decoupage technique to decorate your home with your own hands.

Updating kitchen cabinets using decoupage and craquelure varnish

Decorating wooden furniture

Restoration of an old sideboard in Provence style

Delicate roses on a white background will perfectly complement the Provencal theme of the kitchen

You can also decorate the inside surfaces of the drawers.

DIY decoupage of a dining table in Provence style

You can decorate not only furniture, but also kitchen appliances

Decoupage set

Complex decoupage of a kitchen set

Video master class: decoupage chairs in Provence style

And finally, let us remind you that the decor will look impressive only if it is correctly matched to the interior style and carefully executed. Therefore, if you want to try to decoupage furniture in the Provence style, but you do not have confidence in your own talents, consult a professional designer or sign up for a handmade master class.

Modern furniture stores offer a huge selection of furniture in a modern style. But everyone prefers to make Provence furniture with their own hands. larger number buyers. The reason is simple: modern style, especially its most fashionable trends like hi-tech and minimalism, are not to everyone’s liking.

The interiors seem faceless and uncomfortable, but if you want to relax your soul at home, then you have to choose another option. This is when less functional and modern, but so cozy, Provence-style solutions come to the rescue.

Cozy interior houses in Provence style

The Provence style direction was formed in one of the provinces of France, from which it got its name. It is believed that Provence as a style was formed in the 19th century, although the first prerequisites for its emergence began to appear 200 years earlier - at a time when cities were actively developing in France.

Despite the simplicity of the solutions and “rustic” origin, Provence was considered an elite style

Even then, some people were tired of the endless bustle of cities, and they sought, if not to change their place of residence, moving closer to nature, then at least to give their apartments and estates a rural charm. Despite the simplicity of the solutions and “rustic” origin, Provence was considered an elite style. This is the solution that families of lawyers and large industrialists preferred to decorate the rooms of.

The main elements of Provence were:

openness;
application only natural materials;
light, “sunny” colors;
ease.

Provence is characterized by certain details that allow you to create the right mood in the room. First of all, a massive floor, which will only emphasize the lightness of decorative elements and furniture. To create a similar effect as flooring Traditionally, wood or stone is used, but it is acceptable to use tiles that imitate natural materials.

Furniture should look like antique

The walls in the premises are not covered with wallpaper. Instead, ordinary brick or masonry, carelessly painted or plastered.

The main focus in Provence is on furniture. First of all, it must be old. However, a new one will do, if you first aging the furniture in the Provence style with your own hands. In any case, the furniture should look like antique.

As for decorative items, they need to be selected very carefully and their placement carefully thought through so as not to “overdo it.” Sometimes one simple napkin is enough to give a certain mood.

What should Provence style furniture be like?

As already mentioned, the Provence style dictates two basic rules regarding the furniture used: it should be made of natural materials and with forged metal decorations. Chrome fittings, glass parts, modern wardrobes- all this is absolutely not suitable for such an interior. Therefore, it is better to purchase ready-made furniture or make furniture in the Provence style with your own hands.

All components of the interior are traditionally kept in light colors, less often bright colors are used

All components of the interior are traditionally kept in light colors; bright colors are rarely used. The facades are decorated with bright drawings depicting landscapes, plants, animals or still lifes. Wicker chairs, intricate carvings, antique cabinets and chests, tables and chairs with carved legs, forged cornices - all this will convey the unique atmosphere of the French province. Beds for a Provence style bedroom require the simplest design, but with unusual carved or forged motifs.

As for upholstered furniture, the same rules apply here as for other interior elements. The frames of armchairs and sofas are usually kept in light colors - cream or beige. And you can transform it very simply - with the help of fabric. It must be pleasant to the touch, soft, and in calm colors. Drawings with plant motifs or geometric shapes welcome.

Bed for a bedroom in Provence style

Furniture aging techniques

There are a huge number of ways to age new furniture, so you can choose the most convenient one. Aging furniture in the Provence style with your own hands allows you to end up with interior elements that will look exactly the same as genuine antique items, but will cost much less.

Ammonia for aging furniture

All methods are divided into 3 groups:

mechanical aging involves artificially causing scratches, chips, cracks and abrasions on the surface of furniture;
with thermal, an antiquity effect is created due to the effect of open fire on the surface of the furniture;
chemical involves treating the surface with stain, craquelure varnish, and ammonia.

If desired, any of these methods allows you to quickly get Provence furniture with your own hands without spending too much effort. But with any processing method, you must first prepare the furniture. This process is also not complicated - just clean the surface and remove all fittings, removable shelves and drawers to facilitate access to the furniture.

Bedside table using decoupage technique

All old varnish or paint must be removed from the surface using fine-grit sandpaper. Then the furniture must be thoroughly rubbed with paraffin, without missing a single area. You need to rub, moving along the line of the wood grain.

Then the entire surface must be covered with one or more layers of paint. Aerosol paints are well suited for this, as they allow you to evenly paint the surface, treating all the cracks and hard-to-reach places. Only after this can you begin to age the surface.

Methods for aging furniture

To choose how to age the surface, you can take a look at the master class on making Provence furniture with your own hands.

Paraffin for aging furniture

In order to visually age the furniture, after treatment with paraffin and staining, it will be enough to wipe the surface with a sponge.

Important! It is important not to overdo it here, since if there are too many “bare” areas, the effect will not be achieved.
After such processing, it is necessary to consolidate the result. To do this, you need to treat the furniture with one or two layers of varnish.
Another way to make Provence furniture with your own hands is to use “steel wool”, which is sold in the hardware department. This material is also called steel wool and is intended specifically for polishing furniture.
Black steel wool for furniture processing
For processing you will need black steel wool. The surface needs to be prepared - remove the old coating and re-paint (as in the first case). Then use metal wool to “walk” over the surface with confident movements. The result will be a layer of “soot.” After this, wipe with a damp cloth so that some of the “soot” is partially erased, then wipe with a dry cloth. You will get beautiful “scuffs”. The fittings need to be treated in exactly the same way.
An original way to get furniture in the Provence style is to age it using crackle varnish. Two-component varnish must be applied in at least 2 layers using a brush with natural bristles. The more layers there are, the more cracks will result. The varnish should be left to dry for 40 minutes. You can speed up drying by using a hair dryer. Cracks need to be treated with dark paint oil based or bitumen, then apply another layer of varnish, but this time regular.
Before decorating, sometimes you need to update appearance old furniture. Painting is quite suitable for this. Using the same method, you can hide the material from which the furniture façade is made that is “inappropriate” for the Provence style.

The Provence style is characterized by light, muted tones.
If the furniture is old, then first you need to eliminate all surface imperfections. If there is already an old layer of paint, it must be removed, otherwise the surface will be uneven. In addition, the old paint will begin to crumble over time, so the table (or other piece of furniture) will not be pleasing with its attractive appearance for a long time. Delete old paint you need to use sandpaper. You can use coarser grains first, and then finer ones. It is better to unscrew the handles and all fittings so that you can treat the area underneath them.
Typically, the Provence style is characterized by light, muted tones - beige, cream, light gray. Facades, surfaces, corners and internal shelves must be painted very carefully, without leaving untreated areas. After the paint has dried, the surface can be coated with a layer of varnish. Let the varnish dry and then wipe the surface with a dry cloth.

Sandpaper for removing old paint from furniture
Clean furniture handles with a steel brush, wipe well and return to their place.
If the design includes internal drawers, then you need to put a piece of matching fabric on the bottom and secure it well with glue.
Technique for decoupage furniture in Provence style
After aging, you can additionally decorate the furniture in the Provence style with your own hands. Decoupage will look good on new furniture and will add charm to familiar old furniture. You don't need artistic ability to complete all the steps.

Plant motifs, pictures with pets, flower bouquets, still lifes and rural landscapes are best suited for the Provence style.
You don’t need to draw the images yourself; you can pick them up on the Internet, for example in handicraft groups, or purchase special napkins with a pattern. If the drawing is to be printed, it is better to do it on a laser printer, otherwise the colors will wash out.
Important! Plant motifs, pictures with pets, flower bouquets, still lifes and rural landscapes are best suited for the Provence style.

If the surface has already been artificially aged, then you can immediately proceed to applying the image. If not, prepare the surface first in the usual way: Remove old paint with sandpaper, apply light paint and wait until it dries.

Decoupage will look good on new furniture and will add charm to familiar old furniture.
Let the glue dry. In the first hour after gluing, air bubbles sometimes appear. To make them smaller, before applying the glue, the pattern can be placed in water for a few seconds. Your hands should also be slightly damp while gluing. It is important to notice and eliminate bubbles in time so that the drawing does not deteriorate. After this, rub gently with sandpaper next to the drawing to make abrasions. Apply a layer of varnish to the surface, and after drying, apply patina powder in several places. Apply 2 more layers of varnish to consolidate the result.
The desired decoupage effect can be achieved in another way. To do this, you will need fabric with a bright floral pattern to upholster the furniture with. Add forged elements and stylish fittings.
Before you get to work, you need to select a sample pattern and select paints. Acrylic paints of white and one color close to white, but several tones darker, are suitable for painting.
First you need to paint the surface in two layers. It is necessary to paint it white, and a darker second layer.
After painting furniture in the Provence style with your own hands, you need to wait until the paint has dried completely, and you can apply drawings to the facades and sides. You need to draw a sketch with a pencil, but before painting, be sure to rub the contours a little, since after painting the pencil is sometimes noticeable. Apply a layer on top oil varnish and wait 3.5 hours. After this, apply water-soluble varnish. If you then blow a little hairdryer over the surface of the drawing, it will turn out slightly blurred.

If you are a romantic person and you like the Mediterranean flavor, then with the recreation DIY Provence style you will definitely get the ideal interior for your apartment or country house.

The signs of this design direction are so characteristic that you can unmistakably identify Provence among others, which means that it will not be difficult for you to choose furniture and textiles. And since historically it is rather rustic and quite simple, you can master many decorative items, decorating old furniture, and sewing curtains with your own hands and for little money.

Provence style in the interior with your own hands

If you think big and try to initially design something similar to Provence style in the interior with your own hands, then you need to start with the layout of the premises, with window openings, with wall decoration. Yes, of course, decorative items with designs using the decoupage technique, lace, linen, pottery - all this helps us when we are in an existing interior.

And yet, if you have such an opportunity, make sure that the windows are light, have a classic shape, look like wooden frames with stone slopes, equip them with transparent Roman blinds and wooden blinds.

Try to ensure that the surface of the walls is characteristic, smooth and monochromatic, plastered, albeit not very perfectly, with natural materials.

Decorative beams will also be good in a city apartment, you just need to properly design and securely attach this architectural element.

Wood floors should look like natural parquet, even if you use modern laminate or high-quality textured linoleum.

With such a ready-made base, any further filling necessary for DIY Provence style (photo you can see examples of its implementation in the illustrations to the article) will be much easier and simpler. After all, it will be immediately clear which things and furniture “do not go” with the resulting background, and which ones fit perfectly.

Parsing into Withtile Provence interior photo, do it yourself You can actually do quite a lot with it. Eat character traits, which can be repeated in every room and in every room they will be appropriate, for example, flowerpots with flowers, small shelving, open shelves, and there are those that will be appropriate exclusively in one area.

For example, vintage furniture, poufs, chaise longues and the like will fit perfectly in the living room, and elegant ones with floral prints and framed paintings will also be appropriate. In the bedroom, the furniture and curtains may be simpler, but a dressing table, small bedside tables with floral appliqués, and beautifully designed sconces placed for comfortable reading can play a decisive role here.

Decorators are always of particular interest DIY Provence style kitchen. Here creativity can flourish not only in furniture and textiles, but also in dishes that are selected to match the chosen style and are not hidden in cabinets, but are displayed in open cabinets, shelves, and hung on the wall.

Plus, you can decorate all the furniture, take even old items and return them to youth. The inconvenience that you will probably encounter in this case is choosing the right kitchen appliances, which you externally fit into the whole concept.

Ideally, built-in models of stoves, ovens, and refrigerators are used, which are placed inside boxes and drawers, but if you have a sufficient budget, then you can buy appliances from vintage collections.

Decor for DIY Provence style kitchens, photo which you, among other things, can find in today’s article, can be wicker baskets. These items fit perfectly into the concept on their own, and you can put a lot of things inside, for example, fruits, a composition of dried or fresh flowers, kitchen towels and napkins rolled into neat rolls and so on.

Unusual mirrors are used to recreate it. By the way, they can also be hung in bathrooms for a unique ambiance.

There must be a mirror small size, the shape of its frame is not rectangular, but figured or oval. The quality of the mirror plays a decisive role in this case; it should not be dull, have defects, etc.

A small shelf is made under the mirror, on which it would be appropriate to place a bouquet of fresh flowers.

DIY furniture in Provence style

This direction is attractive because many elements can be made independently, from paintings to DIY Provence style furniture. It has already been said that as a basis for work, they take old objects, for example, chairs, whatnots, cabinets, and then decorate them, changing them beyond recognition. You can go the other way, making the base to order or doing the same yourself, using drawings of antique furniture.

In the illustrations you probably noticed the content DIY Provence style bedrooms various furniture. First of all, the bed attracts attention, because metal frames becoming popular again.

By placing a modern orthopedic mattress on such a bed, you will not lose anything in comfort, and it will look great under the given conditions.

What should you look for first? Provence style master class. DIY furniture, which will work perfectly in this case are chairs with a soft back, reupholstered with colorful fabric, cabinets decorated with decoupage-style appliqués, as well as wardrobes transformed with wooden moldings glued to their surface.

This design direction received its name in honor of the region of France of the same name, located in the south of the country, near the Cote d'Azur. Representatives of the wealthy classes began to develop their estates and settle in this area from the 17th century. He attracted them with his nature, harmony and solitude, something that was sorely lacking in major cities. Over time, a special style of interior design emerged.

This style of decoration became extremely popular in Europe in the 19th century. It gives a feeling of simplicity and naturalness of country life, the absence of fuss. It is no less popular now among those who want to fill their home with harmony and comfort.

Distinctive features

First of all, it combines provincial comfort with a modern level of comfort and luxury. High-quality, new interior items are made in an antique style. It evokes rustic country style with a touch of French sophistication.

There are several fundamental features of decorating premises in this style:

The interior decoration of the premises has a warm pastel color.
The walls are under no circumstances covered with wallpaper, but covered with light plaster. Of course, this rule is often deviated from in apartments, but at the same time they use wallpaper of the appropriate color scheme and stylization.
Furniture and interior decoration items are, whenever possible, made from natural materials. Wood and stone are primarily used. Furniture from natural wood It is painted in such a way that the structure of the natural material is preserved. Made from metal using forging various decorations premises.
The paintwork of the furniture is subjected to artificial aging, adding various abrasions. Copper fittings are covered with an artificial patina, the appearance of which natural conditions at least one century is required.
The decoration of the premises includes natural or dried flowers and figurines made of porcelain or ceramics. Flowers can be either living or in the form of herbariums.
The ceilings in the rooms are decorated wooden beams natural, dark color. Now they only perform decorative role. Previously, in old buildings they served a constructive function.
The curtains in the rooms are made of plain light fabrics with floral patterns.

Applying a style

Having studied various photos Provence style, it becomes clear that you can decorate most interior elements in this style with your own hands. It is no more complicated than other areas of design; there is always room for creativity in it. Let's take a closer look at how to design the room in it: what the walls, ceiling, furniture and other items should be like.

First of all, you should pay attention to the color scheme. It should remind you of the warm nature of the south of France, its provincial comfort. Only soft and bright hues. The main range of colors is white, cream, yellow, lavender, light green. The colors of walls and furniture and other interior items should be the same color scheme

Surface decoration

Decorating walls, ceilings and floors in Provence style has its own rules. The walls are covered with plaster. To be fully consistent, it should be uneven, with bulges. In exceptional cases, you can use wallpaper that imitates such a surface.

The walls in the rooms can be finished wooden planks, painted in light colors. The kitchen is decorated using stone, brick and mosaic. In accordance with the canons of style, windows should be installed with wooden frames white.

Interior doors should also be light color. The floor in the premises is covered with wooden boards or tiles. The wood is artificially aged, and the tiles are used in brown shades.

Do not use laminate, linoleum and carpets. Ceilings are painted in White color. If they are of sufficient height, they are decorated with dark-colored wooden beams.

Curtains are made in the same style. Preference is given to simple natural fabrics with small embroidered patterns and flowers.

Provence style furniture

The choice of furniture in this style requires special attention. It is made from natural wood. Modern materials best avoided. It should be elegant and functional, its color should be combined with the overall color of the room.

Classic furniture elements are all kinds of chests of drawers and sideboards, cabinets with many drawers and carved chairs. The color should be either white or gray. Cushioned furniture should also be of muted colors.

Welcome artificial aging furniture. This design direction gives a lot of scope for home creativity Furnished. You can paint furniture in the Provence style yourself, additionally performing decoupage. To do this, use safe acrylic paints and ready-to-stick drawings. You can change the color of both modern and old furniture.

Quite interesting solutions can be obtained by decoupaging old Soviet furniture into new interesting colors with the addition of colored ornaments.

Decor in style

Style is created not only through the decoration of the room itself and large pieces of furniture, but also through small, cute interior items. To decorate it in Provence style, you can make small crafts with your own hands. There is huge scope for creativity for home handicrafts.

You can make various small interior items that have functional purpose or serving simply as decoration. Many items are very easy to make using ordinary tools and without special skills. For compliance general style It is necessary to comply with the color scheme.

One of available ways is to decorate a room with a bouquet of dried flowers. Lavender and dried leaves are ideal for this. field herbs. They can be installed in a specially made vase made from a clay or glass bottle, decorated with plasticine, fabric and pieces of wood in a generally soft color scheme.

Among the functional items, a pleasant addition to the interior will be various hand-sewn oven mitts for the kitchen, chair covers, tablecloths for the dining table and soft toys. An original idea is DIY production Christmas decorations in Provence style. To do this, you can take modern inexpensive plastic Christmas tree balls and paint them oil paints in bed colors with patterns in the form of flowers.

To decorate a room with your own hands, you can use different ideas. Such items would be appropriate in any room. They are appropriate not only in a room completely decorated in Provence style, but will also look good in modern interiors, recalling the existence of this style.

DIY Provence style photo

Today, most people prefer the Provence style in the decor of their apartments and houses. After all, all that is needed for this is to slightly modify the furniture, age something, paint something. Textile decor will also be relevant. If you love romance and simplicity, you will probably be interested in how to paint furniture in the Provence style.

The Provence style originates from the French countryside. It received this name in honor of the southeastern region of France. At the beginning of the 18th century, many bohemians tried to escape from the bustle of the city and purchased country houses. The interior of the premises looked very simple, but at the same time romantic. This atmosphere made it possible to escape from the everyday bustle and dissolve in the picturesque nature of these places.

Old chest of drawers in Provence style

Let's consider all the subtleties of transforming ordinary interior items into exclusive designer items. For example, let's create a chest of drawers in Provence style. To do this you will need the following tools:

brushes;
rags;
sandpaper;
steel wool;
dye.

We paint the chest of drawers in several stages:

First you need to process wooden surface sandpaper. This must be done in order to remove old varnish or paint. To sand the surface, use coarse-grain paper first, then fine-grain paper.
Now you can start painting the chest of drawers. When choosing paint, remember that the Provence style is characterized by warm pastel colors. Therefore, choose a paint that is beige or light gray in color. Using a brush, carefully paint the entire surface, as well as the inner walls.
When the paint has dried, use charcoal-colored steel wool to cover the entire surface. After such manipulations, dark lines will appear on the chest of drawers. Wipe them with a wet cloth until the lines turn light gray. This technique will allow you to effectively age furniture in the Provence style with your own hands. Now you need to wipe the surface with a dry cloth.
Paint all handles with the same paint as all the furniture. When dry, scrub them thoroughly with a steel brush and dry with a rag. Now the fittings match the main style of the chest of drawers.
Bottom drawers can be decorated with fabric with a floral print. The main thing is that the textile color matches the main tone of the chest of drawers.

Advice! Place a vase with wildflowers or a small bedside lamp with a textile lampshade on the chest of drawers. Such little things will become the final accent in the design of a room in Provence style.

Furniture painting using decoupage technique

If you want to fill your home with new colors, try painting furniture in the Provence style. For this you only need partial restoration grandma's old cabinet. This is a rather painstaking job, during which you will have to show patience and diligence.

Many craftsmen working in the Provence style prefer to paint furniture using stencils or the decoupage method. This painting technique allows you to speed up the work process, since only small details will need to be completed. Creating an exclusive Provence style wardrobe with your own hands is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. But you will be proud to show off your creation to your family and friends.

To paint furniture, you should use acrylic paints. They are more suitable for outdoor woodworking and have a water-resistant quality. In order for the design to be applied without streaks, brushes should be selected from synthetic fibers. Also, during operation they will not stick together.

By painting furniture with your own hands, you can decorate a table, chair, cabinet doors and cabinets. All work consists of several stages:

1. First treat the surface with a primer. Next, apply the base paint in two layers. This will avoid streaks on the wooden surface.

2. When applying a design to a surface, use stencils. With their help, the design can be repeated several times over the entire surface. To make the resulting image match the Provence style, blow the paint with a hairdryer. This will give it a slight blur.

3. To keep the picture as long as possible, open it with varnish. Once the first layer has dried, repeat the procedure.

4. If you apply a thin layer of gold paint to the drawing, you will get the impression that the room contains antique furniture.

Important! If you rub wooden furniture wax, it will look like it has been sunburned.

On video: remodeling a door in Provence style.

Restoration of old furniture

Often, after completing the renovation, we purchase new furniture. What if you “breathe” new life into old interior items? How to paint furniture in the Provence style so that it creates comfort and at the same time emphasizes the “refined taste” of the owners?

Restoring wooden products at home can be done using patination. To do this you will need:

sandpaper;
dye;
brush;
preparation for patination of wood;
steel wool.

Let's give step by step instructions for restoring an old chair:

Take an old wooden chair and use sandpaper (150-200 grit) to remove the paint. Thoroughly clean the product from dust.
Now you can paint the furniture with a light shade of paint.
When the chair is dry, coat the entire surface with varnish. After drying, sand the surface with sandpaper (240 grit).
Let's continue decorating the furniture, the final stage will be spraying the patina. When the product is completely dry, wipe it with steel wool. In this case, the patina will remain only in the recesses of the wood.
Secure the result with a layer of waterproof varnish.

Using this technology, you can restore a shelving unit in the Provence style, smooth out the broken corners of a cabinet or chest of drawers, and remove scratches on the cabinet. To acquire the necessary skills for painting furniture in the Provence style, first practice on old items that you don’t mind throwing away.

Today, handmade Provence furniture is very popular. After all, the manufacturing process will save family budget, will bring a lot of pleasure while working. And the end result will be an exclusive shelf or bookcase in Provence style.

If you are a novice designer, we suggest making a small bookcase with your own hands. It will be useful both in the apartment and in country house. Externally, the bookcase resembles a cabinet without walls and doors. The material for manufacturing can be metal, plastic, wood, MDF, chipboard.

The shape of the product will depend on your imagination and the main interior. It can be angular, rectangular, oval, square. Materials can be combined. For example, racks can be forged metal, and shelves can be wooden or plastic.

In order for the bookcase to match the style of the French province, it is necessary to age its surface. This effect can be achieved if the furniture is painted in the Provence style - patination

This design can be placed in the bedroom; it will replace a bedside table and will be an excellent solution for storing books and toys in a children’s room. If the bookcase is made for the kitchen, its shelves will compactly accommodate kitchenware and several pots of flowers. In the living room, such a piece of furniture will also find its application. Newspapers and magazines can be stored here, as well as colored boxes of craft materials.

Creating a Provence style means constant experimentation, flights of fancy, combining several materials, and using rare items. You can create Provence furniture with your own hands and change its appearance by adding small decorative elements. The main thing is that all interior items in the overall ensemble create comfort and coziness in any room.