The Provence style is loved in France and the Provence-style children's room is becoming fashionable among Russian parents. Its bright, sunny colors and unsophisticated simplicity are to the taste of many citizens who are tired of urban dullness and despondency.
Children's room in Provence style for our children.
Other parents, with pleasure and nostalgia, furnish children's items that, on a subconscious level, remind them of their rural childhood, albeit not as rich as in the French provinces. Provence (which means "province" in French) is one of the regions of France, for the French, associated with the village and small towns.
This picturesque agricultural province has given its name to the Provence style of design. Sometimes it is also called "French Country Style" (French Country Style), simply to say - French folk style. Natural motifs and rural life largely determine its stylistic orientation. A lot of sun and light, natural greenery and yellowness of the ripened crop, flowers and fruits - these moments also determine the color scheme of the design. The color of lavender is very characteristic of the Provencal style. Lilac and purple shades are intertwined in it with yellow and white flowers. All colors are muted, with autumn hues, as if covered with a cobweb of past times.
Modern designers who want to express the Provence style in the interior use mainly natural materials - stone, wood, ceramics, natural fabrics. Metal is also used in forged or painted form, characteristic of rural life.
Shiny chrome and nickel-plated structures and plastic are absolutely excluded. The same is true of the shapes of objects. No angularity and strange shapes, rather the Provencal style can be described as conservative and old-fashioned. The Provence-style children's room is gaining its fans.
The main motifs and colors of Provencal design
Plant and floral motifs are one of the favorite themes of rural design, which designers working in the Provence style are happy to pick up. In the children's room there can be live or painted flowers, dried flowers, bouquets of dry stems of cereals. As patterns are used, first of all, the vine and wild flowers. Oak branches and wheat spikelets are popular - everything related to nature and rural life.
Forged parts in various objects and accessories (sometimes deliberately rough and primitive), metal beds (painted or forged) are the same style-forming elements. Vintage (or imitated) items are required - antique clocks, furniture, lamps. With these components, the Russian lover of the Provencal style will have a rather difficult time. In the French province - all this is not uncommon, the French are thrifty. Finding them in Russia is difficult and expensive. The Provence style is characterized not by exquisite bureaus, chairs, chests of drawers, but by simple, rustic, often lacquered furniture.
Color combinations are extremely important. In them, the Provence style is very close to the Scandinavian style.The most popular colors are milky white, cream, olive, terracotta, lavender, light shades of ocher. One of my favorite color combinations is pastel blue and yellow, symbolizing heaven and earth. All colors are not bright, pastel, delicate shades. Furniture is almost always light wood or painted.
Walls, floors, ceilings, characteristic of the Provence style
The walls of the room can be made in two versions. The first is natural materials: rough masonry, decorative plaster with special flaws, wood paneling. All this is in the spirit of a rural dwelling, but hardly suitable for a children's room. It is more acceptable to use idyllic wallpaper in a small flower, as light as possible.
The floors in village houses have always been wooden. For a children's room, light parquet, a massive board in terracotta shades, light coffee or cream plank (painted) floors can be suitable. Of modern materials, light is quite suitable laminate. A prerequisite is color matching with the walls.
Ceilings are predominantly white. No newfangled frills: suspended, stucco, plastic ceiling panels - the Provencal style does not accept. The overall combination of white ceilings, light walls and floors visually increases the volume of the children's room, which is very important. Large windows, if any, go well with the Provencal style.
We have already talked about furniture - these are wooden chests of drawers, old wardrobes, fancy iron beds. This furniture is not very characteristic of the modern design of the children's room, but stylists and Provence style enthusiasts insist on such furniture. It seems that the overall style will not be spoiled by wicker furniture made of rattan and wicker. In the general Provencal interior, it will look organic, especially since a variety of wicker baskets, trays, chests are also present in the classic Provence.
The use of plastic furniture, wardrobes, bulky upholstered furniture, modern forms will undoubtedly break the stylistic unity. If you make furniture in the Provencal style to order, think about artificially aging it. Cracks, craquelure, slightly peeling paint - very in style, as well as painted floral ornaments.
The use of textiles and window decor.
With the use of textiles - everything is quite simple. For the Provence style, natural fabrics have always been used - cotton, chintz, linen, homespun cloth. All of them are currently available, you just need to stick to the same color scheme. For pillowcases, bedspreads, decorative pillows, embroidery is typical - the same ornaments, floral and plant motifs. Designers are actively using aged fabrics, but their relevance in the nursery is in doubt.
Very suitable for this style is the fashionable patchwork patchwork technique, appliqués with a rather primitive striped or ornamental pattern. A variety of lace "grandmother's" napkins, tablecloths, curtains will ideally fit into the style. Cushion covers can be crocheted, lace, ruffles and frills.
The window decor is quite simple. Wooden windows of ancient outlines are desirable, but if they are not there, it does not matter, the main thing is a light color. Plastic windows do not fit the style, but the Provencal design always closes the window opening with curtains, light curtains, curtains, lambrequins. Flowers in pots on the windowsill are an indispensable attribute, as well as a small flower on textiles. And again, you need to remember about the general color scheme - only the black color of wrought iron can fall out of it. Bright color spots are not for the Provence style.
Accessories and baby items
The French are generally quite conservative, especially the Provence style designers.Snobs from Provencal design do not use developing drawings, modern pictures, posters in their projects. Their credo is to be true to style in everything, down to the smallest detail. In their opinion, a large number of old figurines, clocks, knick-knacks, and ceramics are enough for a nursery. Instead of modern photographs and paintings, they recommend picturesque countryside or seascapes. Relevant, in their opinion, are reproductions of the great painters who painted Provence - Van Gogh, Cezanne, Chagall.
What about the recommendations of psychologists on the selection of colors in accordance with the temperament of the child, on the introduction of developmental and educational elements into the design? This approach seems to be the most correct - when considering the design, you need to follow the general directions of the Provence style. Later, together with the children, you can make changes to it to their liking.
You can also check out articles such as:
Decoration of a children's room
Patchwork nursery
Children's room for a newborn
Striped children's room