French Provincial Benches
Removed from the fashions of the court, French Provincial style developed in the provinces of the country, such as Provence, Normandy, the Loire Valley and Bordeaux. Dating to the 17th and 18th centuries, French Provincial furniture was not as ostentatious as the designs being produced for the royal palaces, but elegant S-shape cabriole legs and ornate carvings elevated the sturdy chairs, sofas, tables and bedroom furniture intended for everyday use.
Although it varies by region, antique French Provincial furniture is unified by solid construction and an artisanal attention to design. While this furniture often followed the metropolitan trends — including the Rococo or neoclassical aesthetics of Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVI — since it was produced in the French countryside it was more subdued with nods to its rustic settings.
Local materials like fruitwoods, oak, beech and walnut were used to construct large French Provincial armoires for storage and comfortable armchairs with rush-woven seats. Wrought-iron elements and carvings like floral details and scallop patterns were common as ornamentation. Furniture was frequently painted white or other muted colors that coordinated with gilt and would acquire a patina of age over time. Other wood was just stained with vibrant fabric such as toile de Jouy, which sometimes depicted pastoral scenes, adding color as upholstery.
The style arrived in the United States after World War I, with soldiers returning home wanting furniture like what they had seen in the rural homes and castles of France. In Grand Rapids, Michigan, designer John Widdicomb split from his family business, the Widdicomb Furniture Company, and had been focusing on Louis XV– and French Provincial–style furnishings since the early 1900s. Other American manufacturers such as Baker, Drexel, Henredon and Thomasville also responded to demand. Today antique French Provincial pieces and reproductions continue to be popular.
Find a collection of antique French Provincial dining tables, seating, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
1890s French Antique French Provincial Benches
Oak
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Benches
Oak
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Rush, Beech
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Concrete, Steel
20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Wood, Hardwood
19th Century German Antique French Provincial Benches
Softwood
1970s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Pine
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Pine
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Elm
Late 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Pine
1930s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Leather, Maple
Late 18th Century French Antique French Provincial Benches
Pine
20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Cast Stone
1940s Vintage French Provincial Benches
Brass
20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Upholstery, Cane, Oak
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Wood
1960s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Fabric, Oak
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Oak
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Leather, Pine
Late 20th Century American French Provincial Benches
Upholstery, Hardwood
20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Fabric, Linen, Wood, Walnut
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Leather, Oak
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Elm
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Fabric, Wood
1950s European Vintage French Provincial Benches
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian French Provincial Benches
Upholstery, Poplar
1940s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Upholstery, Wood
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Oak
Mid-20th Century American French Provincial Benches
Fabric, Plastic, Wood
1940s American Vintage French Provincial Benches
Upholstery
20th Century French Provincial Benches
Wood
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Benches
Wood, Mahogany
Early 1900s European Antique French Provincial Benches
Iron
Early 20th Century French Provincial Benches
Fabric, Wood
1970s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Pine
Mid-20th Century French Provincial Benches
Pine
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Benches
Fabric, Wood
19th Century French Antique French Provincial Benches
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Cherry
Late 20th Century French Provincial Benches
Wrought Iron
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Benches
Oak
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Wood, Oak
Mid-20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Iron
1950s French Vintage French Provincial Benches
Pine
2010s American French Provincial Benches
Metal
Late 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Benches
Rope, Paint
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Wood
Early 1900s French Antique French Provincial Benches
Beech
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Pine, Paint
18th Century French Antique French Provincial Benches
Oak
1960s Scandinavian Vintage French Provincial Benches
Metal
20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Leather, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Antique French Provincial Benches
Wood
Early 20th Century Belgian French Provincial Benches
Linen, Hardwood
Early 20th Century French French Provincial Benches
Chestnut
Early 1900s American Antique French Provincial Benches
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique French Provincial Benches
Chestnut