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BathroomInterior in Provence style
Natalia Butt
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A delightful bathroom in Provence style has absorbed the tranquility of French romance and a palette of tranquility. Provence style is a type of popular country music. Provence is a true child of nature, a style born under the warm sun of the south-east of France, among lavender fields, saturated with sea air and the aroma of herbs.
In the Provence region, villagers, artisans and merchants hold leisurely conversations. And their houses are full of comfort. Once I fell in love with Provence, I decided never to part with it. And today I want to tell you what I got out of this.
Bathroom in Provence style - love at first sight
Bathroom finishing
The theater, as you know, begins with a hanger, and any style begins with the interior decoration of the room. Decorating a bathroom in Provence style sets the tone for the rest of the interior. Anyone can cope with this task.
It will not require trendy and modern materials. The motto of Provence is convenience, beauty, simplicity and environmental cleanliness.
Remember that the Provence style is created over the years. Preliminarily weigh the pros and cons, study all the nuances and not miss one important detail.
The calm of French romance and the palette of peace
In order to try on a Provence look for your bathroom, you will need to start from scratch. No professional can remake an old interior into the Provence style. Let's imagine our dream bathroom. What do you think it should be?
Floor
Today, it is becoming more and more important to install environmentally friendly ceramic tiles on the bathroom floor. There are several reasons for this - it is not difficult to care for, it is aesthetically pleasing and its choice is varied.
In the Provence style, floor tiles can be plain or have natural motifs, floral prints, and bold patterns.
Floor mosaics or tiles laid out in the center of the room, imitating a carpet, look very funny and original.
Use environmentally friendly ceramic tiles for floors
A more daring, but traditional solution is to lay a board of wood with a pronounced structure on the Provencal floor in the bathroom, and then tint it with varnish or treat it with a special paste.
Structureless (cheaper) wood can be coated with moisture-resistant enamel of any light or brown color.
A Provence floor made in blue tones looks original and unexpected. It reminds us of the surf of the Mediterranean Sea, on the shores of which magnificent Provence lives and thrives. In this case, white furniture will be ideally combined with the blue floor.
Advice Wooden flooring will add a special French flair to your bathroom, besides, natural wood is noble and respectable throughout the ages. However, a wooden floor will require careful maintenance.
Floor tiles can be plain or have natural motifs
In addition to tiles and wood, you can put natural stone or cork on the bathroom floor. Both options feel good in the style of Provence.
Ceiling
In the Provence style, every detail is important, down to the smallest detail. The ceiling space in it is rightfully decorated with wooden beams or their high-quality imitation (shawl beams). The ideal of the style is undoubtedly white wooden ceilings and brown beams.
No beams? You can do without them. The material for finishing the bathroom ceiling can be different. It must be said that “old Provence” categorically rejected ceilings made of artificial materials.
In this style, every detail is important, down to the smallest detail.
Time dictates new rules and in today's Provence style in the bathroom you can see both suspended ceilings and ceilings made of plasterboard.
If the layout allows, then it is quite appropriate to construct a stained glass window on the ceiling. Thus, a piece of real sky will settle in the room directly above your head.
Walls
Wood or ceramics are used to decorate bathroom walls in Provence style. They can go well together, complementing each other with their texture. Moisture-resistant vinyl wallpaper with a floral theme looks completely unexpected on the bathroom walls.
You can endlessly fantasize about the walls in the bathroom. They can be decorated and combined with brickwork, wood or cork panels, complemented with wallpaper, tiles, plaster and painting. The division of walls in this way can be horizontal and vertical.
Wood or ceramics are used for wall decoration
The bathroom is subject to a lot of moisture evaporation. All natural materials for its finishing should be as moisture-repellent as possible, and the internal ventilation system should be the best.
Entrance door
The bathroom starts from the front door. It is she who reveals to us the Provence miracle that lies behind it. This door is made of solid wood, it can be complemented by cracks, abrasions and roughness typical of Provence.
The color of the door is chosen in accordance with the basic design of the interior. It can be decorated with frosted glass. Often, Provence style doors are decoupaged with napkins and artificially aged using craquelure varnishes.
Solid wood door
Remember about the door handle, it should match the door, as rare and vintage. Door handles made of copper with porcelain elements look elegant.
Windows and lighting
According to all the canons of the Provence style, the bathroom should be filled with light. If the layout allows you to have a window in it, then this is real luck. Natural lighting allows you to fill the room with natural sun, which no fashionable lamp can replace. In addition, a window is an excellent method of ventilation.
Windows can be small or large, classic or unusual in shape. Opposite the window in Provence, according to the rules of style, there is an elegant bathtub or a stylish sink.
The bathroom should be full of light
Unfortunately, in city apartments the bathrooms are not designed for windows and this is why they are inferior to country houses. In this case, you will need to create the brightest and most comfortable lighting in the bathroom using a ceiling chandelier and wall lamps.
Tip A large mirror with a stylish frame made of wood or metal will help reflect light and double the amount of light.
Chandeliers and sconces in Provence should continue its inimitable style. Large multi-arm chandeliers with candles or beautiful lampshades feel great in a Provencal bathroom.
As a last resort, you can use spot ceiling lighting. However, I believe that it breaks the harmony of the style and complements it with modernity, far from the rural way of life.
Natural lighting allows you to fill the room with sunshine
Provence palette
Advice: Choosing a color palette for your bathroom is not difficult. Use all natural, natural shades and avoid cold, bright and flashy shades.
A Provençal bathroom should be as saturated with light as possible, which means white should be chosen as the predominant color.
White can be cold snowy or have warm shades of milky, pearl, opal, moonlit, coconut. The main thing is that it is matte.
Use all natural, natural shades and avoid cold ones
Good company for white color will be:
- all shades of lavender;
- cool sky color;
- ash pink;
- the color of baked milk and butter;
- herbaceous, minty;
- olive and pistachio;
- pale light green;
- faded turquoise and malachite;
- sky blue;
- crimson;
- woody brown;
- sandy and all beige tones.
I draw your attention to the fact that when decorating a bathroom in the Provence style, you should not make gross mistakes. One awkward touch can ruin your beautiful Provence dream forever.
White can be cold snowy or have warm shades of milky
- Be careful with cool gray tones.
- Do not oversaturate the room with brown and lilac colors.
- Black color in Provence style is strictly prohibited.
- Red, orange, yellow should have muted tones. They are assigned a secondary role as interior details.
- All colors used in the decoration of the room should leave the feeling that they have faded under sunlight.
Color spectrum
Various pastel colors are used as the background design of the bathroom - cold blue and olive, warm beige and sand, neutral gray and pearl. Often the bathroom is decorated in white colors, due to which the details of the furnishings look much more expressive.
The photo shows a spacious bathroom in Provence style in cream tones.
A restrained palette in the bathroom creates a magical atmosphere, filling it with soft shades of colors faded under the bright sun and turquoise reflections of sea waves. Lavender and soft green tones, symbolizing the flower fields in the south of France, help you relax and fill you with tranquility.
The photo shows an example of a color combination reminiscent of the sea, sun and summer. A bathroom with a window in the attic in Provence style is made in sand and sky shades.
Furniture
The characteristic features of bathroom furniture stylized in Provence are its “shabbyness” and pleasant, rounded and curved outlines. It seems as if the time of past centuries has stopped there.
Don't oversaturate the room with brown and lilac colors
A Provence bathroom should have enough space, because the furniture for it is selected in large dimensions. It is made of natural wood. Forget about modern plastic and cold glossy surfaces. Our choice is warmth, roughness and maximum naturalness.
Approach the furniture in the bathroom creatively, because the Provence style is like a good fairy tale that came from our childhood. He will happily accept into his arms such forgotten interior items as:
- bookcase;
- dresser;
- console;
- chest for storing bath accessories.
The Provence style bathroom comfortably houses wicker chairs and rare cabinets for storing bath accessories.
Be creative with bathroom furniture
Sink cabinet, pencil case and other furniture
The first violin in the bathroom ensemble is undoubtedly the vanity unit. This is a miracle of miracles, she is worthy of our admiration. Twisted and carved, worn and aged, but always vintage. The Provencal vanity unit attracts the eye with its historical beauty.
This is echoed by a functional pencil case for storing hygiene items. It should be identical in style to the cabinet. The bathroom cabinet is made tall and narrow, and sometimes it is replaced with a typical chest of drawers in the style of a la Provence.
All this is complemented by hanging shelves for storing numerous decor and accessories.
Durable furniture in a Provence style bathroom can be entirely wooden or have glass elements. It welcomes the presence of forged parts, and its handles can be made of natural porcelain.
The presence of chips, scratches, scuffs and cracks on furniture may seem inappropriate to some. However, for a bathroom, Provence is the first sign of style and brings back the history of antiquity.
Furniture from grandma's attic
Manufacturers achieve the desired effect by artificially aging wood. The presence of a light cobweb on furniture is welcome; it can be the color of bronze, brass or copper.
Durable furniture can be entirely wooden or have glass elements
In the interior of a bathroom in the Provence style, you cannot use modern furniture, and it also lacks the shine of stainless steel and the luxury of gilding, and the silver must be blackened.
Natural furniture in the Provence style is not cheap and buying it is not suitable for everyone. I found a way out of the situation with the help of old “grandmother’s” furniture taken from the attic. It was as if she was waiting for her finest hour and fit perfectly into my design idea.
Undoubtedly, I had to bring the old bathroom furniture to perfection with the help of sandpaper and proper painting. The updated furniture received a second life, sparkled with new colors and acquired an elegant and rare appearance.
Modern furniture cannot be used in this style
Advice I recommend decorating bathroom furniture in Provence style using decoupage techniques with craquelure elements.
If desired, you can install a washbasin in an old chest of drawers, and use a restored sideboard instead of a vintage cabinet for storing towels and other Provence items.
How not to decorate bathrooms in this style: 3 main mistakes
1. Build an interior using combinations that are too contrasting. Provence is about nuances, so in general the appearance of the bathroom should be designed in tones that are approximately equal in visual weight.
2. Use linear or spot lighting. This will modernize a retro bathroom—in a bad way.
3. Include angular fixtures and furniture in the bathroom interior. Smooth, rounded lines are the right base for the decor.
Design: Veranda
Carved furniture facades will complement a Provencal bathroom just as well as painted ones.
Design: Nadezhda Zhilenkova
A console washbasin with ceramic “legs” is a visually lighter and more elegant alternative to a cabinet.
Design: Angelina Ishoeva
Curtains
When talking about Provence bathroom curtains, I mean three options:
- window curtains;
- small curtains for furniture;
- curtain designed directly for the bathing procedure.
Roman curtains in the interior
Let's look at each position separately:
Window curtains for the Provence bathroom are a real flight of fancy. They can be plain or floral, with or without frills . It is important that they are made from natural materials (silk is an exception).
Options for “Roman” and “roller” curtains or wood-look blinds look original and very stylish on Provence bathroom windows. Rustic drawer curtains serve as an elegant decoration for shelves, furniture or a cabinet under the sink.
There may be no bath curtain, but it is more cozy when it pleasantly envelops the bath in a romantic mood. It is difficult to buy such a curtain in a regular store. They can be sewn to order from special water-repellent materials.
Curtains should be made from natural materials
A curtain for a bathroom in the Provence style is hung on an unusually shaped cornice . It is round or oval. In any condition, such a curtain looks noble and elegant.
Bathroom lighting in Provence style and choice of lighting fixtures
In a large bathroom, a massive chandelier in a thin forged frame and the same lamps on the walls will look ideal. You can place bronze candelabra and candlesticks on the chest of drawers. The light bulbs are energy-saving, warm light: they will provide good lighting, like on the shores of France.
The interior of a bathroom in a Provencal style provides abundant natural light
In the absence of a window, comfortable lighting is provided by sufficient lamps
Plumbing
Plumbing equipment stylized as Provence is a special story. It seems to completely complement the overall composition of the room.
Pipes and heated towel rails emphasize the depth of style, and taps and valves have an unusual shape, their color is devoid of unnecessary shine and glamor. Select plumbing fixtures made from the following metals :
- bronze;
- copper;
- brass.
Plumbing fixtures should complement the overall composition
But the most important emphasis in the room, of course, is on the bathroom itself. It has a tall, fancy and oval shape. A mandatory element in it are intricate, figured, forged legs . Taking water procedures in such a “beauty” is a real relaxation.
The bathtub can be located near the window, stand in the corner or be located in the center of the room, which is most relevant in real French Provence. Sometimes the bathtub is mounted on a kind of podium, which looks very original.
Shower cabins in the interior of Provence or modern boxes fit least into this warm rustic style, but time passes and human requirements change.
The undisputed decoration of the room is the exquisitely shaped washbasin. The outlandish “washstand” sink has pleasant, smooth outlines and is devoid of sharp corners. It can be on twisted legs, or be part of a monolithic cabinet or openwork bookcase.
Provence sink is made from:
- natural granite stone;
- baked clay;
- porcelain;
- earthenware;
- natural wood.
A modern washing machine can ruin a Provence picture in appearance. In this case, the equipment is either masked with doors or mounted in niches. It is best for her to be in another room.
Photo of a toilet in Provence style
In the design of the toilet, antique plumbing is appropriate, for example, a toilet equipped with a hanging cistern, or a sink, complemented by faucets with valve taps. As an accent, choose a mirror in an openwork frame or tiles with a floral print, small bouquets or meadow grass.
The light color scheme of French country visually expands the area and is therefore perfect for the design of small toilets.
In a small room, you can install narrower or built-in plumbing fixtures, use a monochromatic, faded finish without large patterns: this will add additional lightness and airiness to the atmosphere.
Accessories
Provence is an abundance of pleasant accessories and additional interior items, this is what distinguishes it from minimalism. The Provencal bathroom is so cozy that you don’t want to leave it.
Everything here is saturated with time, from the soap dispenser to the toothbrush holder, even the towels should be truly Provencal.
An abundance of nice accessories and additional interior items
In this room you can find everything that no one would think of putting in a bathroom in other styles:
- Wicker baskets.
- Lace napkins and curtains.
- Soft floor mats.
- Candles and candlesticks.
- Ceramic vases.
- Figurines.
- Watch.
- Pictures and frames.
- Interior dolls.
- Floor and table lamps.
- Jars and sachets with aromatic herbs.
Everything here is soaked in time, from the soap dispenser to the toothbrush holder.
Plants
Provence without flowers is not Provence. Flowers should be everywhere. In the bathroom, flowers can be fresh or dried, but in no case are they artificial. Preference is given to Queen Lavender - the calling card of the province of Provence.
Flowers should be pastel colors and classic in shape. Friends of Provence are roses, ranunculus, eustoma, hydrangea, peonies. Flowers should not be bright or exotic in color. Make sure that they do not upset the balance of style.
Plants in pots and floor planters can also become inhabitants of such a cozy bathroom. Unpretentious, moisture-loving and shade-loving tropical plants are grown here. An important point is that the container for growing them must be made of wood, clay or porcelain and no hint of plastic.
Flowers can be fresh or dried
Features of classic interior design
How does the classic style differ from all others?
- Classicism is translated as “exemplary”, everything in it is harmonious and elegant, it does not go out of fashion. Includes such styles as Baroque and Neoclassical.
- The decoration mainly uses light, cream colors, emphasizing the elegance of the decor.
- The quality of materials is always high, which allows for durable repairs
- The interior may be strict and laconic, but it is filled with elegant details that decorate the furniture, walls or ceiling.
Small bathroom
Not every one of us is lucky enough to own a large bathroom where the Provence style can be fully explored. However, do not despair, because if you approach, mini-Provence can be arranged on small square meters in an ordinary city apartment.
You can also take photographs to confirm this. Following the rules of style will solve this problem in no time.
A large bathtub with twisted legs can be replaced with a regular one and decoupaged into an antique look. In addition, it can be lined with larch and then it will look like an ancient font.
Following style rules will solve this room size problem
In this case, it is recommended to combine a bathroom with a toilet, which will allow you to maximize the space.
Tip Use light colors for walls and floors (they do not absorb light rays). Brighten your central lighting and backlighting.
Hang a beautiful ceiling chandelier, and instead of a boring rectangular mirror, decorate the wall with a mirror in a wrought iron or wooden frame.
Use light colors for walls and floors
The main thing is not to break the rules:
- use of natural finishing materials;
- adherence to the color scheme of pastel natural tones;
- make maximum use of free walls;
- do not overload the interior with details;
- prefer additional shelves and bedside tables;
- avoid large patterns and prints;
- choose plain surfaces and narrow borders with flowers;
- Replace blue, lilac and violet with light and airy tones;
- avoid bright fragments and contrasting transitions;
- give up unnecessary accessories;
- Store shampoos and other cosmetics behind cabinet doors or pour them into stylish dispensers made of natural porcelain.
I wish you successful implementation of Provence ideas in the interior of your bathroom!
Adaptation of Provence for an apartment
Let's be honest: it's 2022 outside the window and any classic style is an imitation . Nobody demands from us a historically accurate imitation, and we owe nothing to the style of Provence or France.
Then let's make a bathroom with elements of Provence style and adapt it for an ordinary apartment, where there is no window in the bathroom and the area is small. And we don’t have servants either.
First, we replace the freestanding bathtub with a regular rectangular one and cover it with tiles. This will already make the bathroom suitable for cleaning, will significantly simplify your life and save your budget. By design, the bathroom will not suffer much from this. Can be replaced with a shower.
Because We have a bathroom without a window, but for Provence it would be necessary, mirrors will replace it for us. You can make doors in the form of mirrors within frames. You can even close pipes like this. Well, why not. There is still no France outside the window, let there be a sewer. =)
We are making more closed storage areas to completely hide all items that do not correspond to classical styles.
We hide the washing machine and boiler completely from view, perhaps behind textiles.
We either lower the cabinet floor with the sink completely to the floor, or hang it, or choose one with legs higher so that it can be cleaned underneath.
We choose a wall-hung toilet with an installation - they also come in a classic style. Much more practical than floor-mounted. Read more about the design of bathrooms with toilets.
You can already live with such a bathroom, even if it does not 100% correspond to the Provence style. By the way, if you have a small bathroom, then consider the option of designing it in a Scandinavian style; it is more modern and practical, and is close to Provence in spirit and atmosphere.
How to decorate a bathroom in Provence style in a small apartment
Since this trend prefers spacious rooms, it is cramped in typical city apartments. However, this is not a reason to deny yourself the pleasure of decorating your bathroom in your favorite style. If you resort to certain tricks, even a tiny room will acquire a French flavor.
You will have to give up unnecessary items that do not perform any function. Do not overload the space; it is better to leave only the most necessary furniture. For decoration, it is recommended to choose light shades, since dark ones hide the space. Tiles on the walls or floor should be medium in size with a discreet small pattern or plain.
Instagram @davydova_interiors Instagram @design.trikota
Hanging open shelves and cabinets with distinctive finishes will create the right atmosphere. Wicker baskets for linen and cosmetics will complement the recognizable look.
Instagram @creative_viva
Instagram @halldecor Instagram @provence_vdecore
Even in a small bathroom you can put a tiny ottoman in the main finishing color. In addition to ease of use, it will give the interior a homely feel.
Instagram @yarkohome
Instagram @ya_volshebnaya
