Small provence-style kitchens: decoration and unusual examples

If you have a Provence style kitchen, then it is always warm. Very cozy, natural, not the most difficult to create, it is always appropriate in the arrangement of the kitchen. It is noteworthy that even small-sized rooms can look convincing and very expressive in the Provencal style. But the design will have to work.

Provence is one of the areas of country, rustic style, expressing the whole aesthetics of country life, this time in the French province. Its peculiarity is that the natural principle dominates here. Plant motifs, natural colors and simple shapes are eloquent in such an interior.

If you are planning to equip a kitchen in the style of Provence, pay attention to its 7 main signs.

• A lot of light. The room should be light, because this is the nature of nature, the grace of the shining sun and clear sky. Artificial light, of course, is also present in the kitchen, but delicately.

• The colors of nature. In Provencal cuisine there is a place for milk, sand, natural brown (different shades of earth), green, blue and other natural tones. The basis is usually chosen beige, cream or sand, in harmony with them are turquoise, green, blue and, of course, lavender.

• Natural wall decoration. More often it is plaster, ordinary white paint or wood panels (they can be painted, but you can not change the natural shades). Wallpapers are less common, but if it's an adapted style, they are possible.

• Wooden floor. If you follow the aesthetics of Provence correctly, then do not allow laminate, carpet, linoleum and even parquet on the floor.But simple wooden boards that can be painted in conciliatory white, it is always in tune with style.

• Furniture made from natural materials. And furniture rules of naturalness, the quality of materials also applies. Particleboard and MDF furniture are not found in true Provence, but adapted versions allow such models if they are stylistically impeccable. What even adaptation does not tolerate is glass and chrome furniture. Therefore, if you have a table and chairs with metal legs, they can become conflicting elements in the Provencal cuisine.

• Important decor. A small Provence style kitchen cannot be deliberately minimalistic. If there wasn’t enough space for cute trinkets, floral prints, wooden trays, or decoupage containers for bulk products made using the decoupage technique (for example), the style will not be sustained.

• It is always a room with its own face. You can take your favorite photo example and repeat it, exactly matching furniture and decoration. But truly Provencal cuisine will turn out if there is a place in the space for individuality and exclusivity. It’s one thing to buy a tablecloth imitation, it’s quite another thing to bleach Grandma’s tablecloth, slightly renew the embroidery on it and lay it on the table. Your "I" must be in such a kitchen.

It is difficult to say what is more important in the updated kitchen - furniture or decoration. If one of the two points disappears, the design cannot be called successful. Even perfectly finished walls, the right floor and ceiling will not be able to mask a literally striking set that does not fit into the style of Provence.

Provence headset is characterized by:

• wooden facades, in most cases painted in pastel colors;
• the presence of such decor as carvings, curly crowns, open shelves, and not “deaf” cabinets;
• the surface of the facades can be decorated with patina, scuffs, craquelure, painting elements;
• a general feeling of the spirit of antiquity, of ancient times, which in the haze of years seems especially romantic and wonderful.

Since the kitchen is small, it is dangerous to be fascinated by the beauty of the headset and forget about practicality. Outwardly, it may be small, but the modest compact size should be combined with practicality.

Ideally, the headset should accommodate all built-in appliances. If she is in sight, it’s not easy to maintain style. I am glad that ovens and cabinets and hoods today can be found in vintage style. The kettle on the stove should also be in the spirit of the times, no strict geometry and shiny metal.

Do not rush with a corner sinkIf you can use a linear headset, do everything in favor of this option. When the kitchen is uncomfortable, all its external charm fades. But if, for example, you already had a corner wash, and everything was fine, you can not worry.

A new refrigerator is rarely bought for an updated kitchen. But if there is such an opportunity, take a look at vintage models. They refer to the 50-70s of the last century, which will be organic for Provence. If there is no opportunity to buy a new one, you can transform the old one.

If you want to follow the style without constant compromises, you will have to either completely remove the hanging cabinets, or replace part of them with open shelves. Any rustic styles come across this - kitchen utensils, numerous jars and small culinary assistants should be at hand with the hostess.

In the village they cook themselves, food to order or frequent trips to cafes / restaurants are excluded. Therefore, the housewife, forced to cook often and a lot, will be inconvenient to constantly slam the doors of the lockers. Whether it’s a matter of shelves: everything is nearby, everything is before your eyes, and filling the shelves in itself is the decor of the room.

In a really small kitchen, it sometimes makes sense to replace a full-fledged suite with a dining buffet. It will be complementary to the style and unbanal. You will probably have to buy a cabinet for a sink, but you can only get by with a base on which masking curtains are hung. And the shelves for dishes can also be made open.

If you stop at the buffet, choose the option with a countertop. Nevertheless, the kitchen needs a working surface, in such a small space it will be enough. The upper part of the sideboard usually has a display case with glass and / or tulle, transparent curtains. Put what you want to show there - beautiful dishes, various kitchen decoration, dear to the heart.

There may be a small shelf above the buffet’s working surface where it is convenient to store loose, tea, herbs, and so on. Well, at the bottom, behind the doors, everything else should fit. If it seems to you that this “rest” cannot fit in the buffet, if there is free space, put a modest wooden shelf in the kitchen. It can be with baskets for storing household items, vegetables and much more. It can remain open if everything is always neatly and strictly in place.

The most recognizable colors of Provence are olive and pistachio, azure and sand. These "couples" always attract attention, but gently, without dominance.

If you like more modest decisions, you can swipe at white kitchen. It is always beautiful, but the option, of course, is easily soiled.

Good colors for decorating the kitchen space will be sky blue, cornflower blue, brown.

It looks interesting and White kitchen with a large presence of wood motifs. This will eliminate the feeling of sterility (if you take only white), closer to a natural basis. If the kitchen is small, use muted colors.

The window must be with a curtain. Heavy curtains in a small kitchen are inappropriate, but floral curtains or light linen curtains are quite in the spirit of the created image. There is no more suitable decor than simple flowers in ceramic pots on the windowsill for the window zone.

Here are some tips for creating a style.

• Cover the table with a beautiful country tablecloth: knitted or embroidered, it is not so important, it is good if it is a tablecloth with a story. It’s great if all year round the dining table will be decorated with fresh flowers in a vase, especially if it is a modest bunch of lavender.

• In the Provencal cuisine, beautiful and, like time-worn, wooden trays, twisted candlesticks, elegant fruit bowls, kitchen towels with flowers, roosters, butterflies and birds are appropriate.

• At the dining table you can put a wooden bench - it will be more authentic than a corner. And for convenience, decorate it with pillows that make it comfortable to sit on.

• Walls can be decorated with paintings of dried flowers - simple compositions of dried flowers under glass.

The style is formed gradually, overgrown with new details and important details. Despite the fact that Provence is associated with summer, it can be adapted to New Year's decor, and to the luxury of autumn, and to the spring revival.

An overview of a small Provence style kitchen in the video below.