When it comes to our homes, we all want to achieve the highest level of comfort and luxury our bank accounts allow us to. However, most of the time this is unattainable as comfort and luxury do not always go hand-in-hand. Luckily, that is not always the case. French provincial style is the ultimate blend of fine style and convenience. It is the winning combination of refinement and comfort.
Originating from the gentle hills and valleys of the French countryside, this style was born as an antithesis to the palaces of French royals. Provincial craftsmen hand made furniture pieces to prove that humble and warm is more elegant than extravagant and cold. While palaces were distant and closed off, the French provincial cottages welcomed everyone in, rich or poor, to sit down for a cup of coffee and a crispy baguette.
For this precise reason, the French provincial coffee table has an important purpose in a home that aims to achieve this style. A genuine French provincial coffee table is the one that looks dreamy and classic, but most of all welcoming. Reminiscing of the ones in old country cottages of Provence, it invites you to pause for a moment, forget about your worries and revel in the present.
Hand carved from the sturdiest of timber and hand finished with a special attention to details – this table should fill the room up with warmth. The French provincial coffee table does not hide its imperfections, on the contrary – the worn off look is what it prides itself in. If not antique or handed down, there are tables deliberately adorned with small dents and cute distressing to make them look like they’ve been through hundreds of friendly gatherings.
Colour wise, this style demands a neutral palette of white, grey and beige. But the elegantly distressed woodwork of the coffee table is best enhanced by a silky white paint that’s noticeable and tasteful. Actually, whitewashed furniture is the ultimate trademark of French provincial style. And since everything goes well with white, this coffee table allows you to surround it by a sofa or rattan chairs with splashes of bright colours such as sky blue or sunflower yellow.
Another focus of the French provincial style, besides comfort, is functionality. Therefore, it’s common to find coffee tables that have a split shelving below. This makes them convenient to store sugar or cream for your coffee, reading materials or other knick knacks close at hand.
Although humble and minimalistic, the French provincial coffee table welcomes some décor here and there. Again, you should go natural and spice its simplicity up with some juicy fruit or fresh flowers. It may be referred to as a coffee table, but it can also welcome tea. Especially lavender tea, which draws an opulent link to the wide lavender fields in Provence. You can use a set of a vintage tea pot and small cups as a permanent décor piece to emphasize that this table is all about unwinding.
