Beautiful houses in French style. Projects of houses in Provence style. Flooring and carpets

A dream home like this exists mostly within the confines of our wildest imaginations. But in real life you can find such beauty. Take a look at this beautiful French Country Villa from JJ Locations. It's possible that you may have caught a glimpse of this home before while browsing through unique homes in your leisure time. The following images of this stunning villa in South-East France are sure to give you movie star fantasies, or at least get you started planning your next holiday.

The Antibes style has become the quintessence of the French countryside, which for many years has been part of the famous French country style, also present in a house like this traditional Provençal masterpiece. This French interior can be described by the following adjectives: country, rustic, calm, charming, casual, antique and textured. And after looking at the beautiful dining room, it's easy to see why. The treatment and painting of the walls, in particular, is in close accordance with the rules of style: the main thing is warm colors and a textured effect.

Indoor spaces of a more private nature such as bedrooms, work areas are ideal for experimenting with more dramatic themes and this is used to great effect here. Rich burgundy and seafoam green adorn the master bedrooms, while modern individualism commands the office. Heavy curtains hang on the windows, as is typical for the French country style, but the authors are careful with this so as not to allow the curtains to obscure the view of the pool surrounded by palm gardens.

France, without exaggeration, is the heart of Europe; it has always set the tone in its architecture. Almost all the successive monarchs, the church, and, of course, the common people, who have their own traditional foundations in each province, left their mark on it. Time, of course, has made changes, but the French-style house is still a role model for many today. What is its harmony and what projects today can be taken as the basis for such construction? This will be discussed in this article.

Option for a summer residence

It is unlikely that anyone will doubt the attractiveness of French architecture, because this country has given the world many masterpieces of medieval architecture, which are admired by representatives of all nationalities.

Reflection of historical events

Each era has formed its own style, the features of which are also visible in the appearance of modern houses.

From the Romanesque architecture that reigned in the 10th century came high, massive walls and rounded arches.

Romanesque style

The Gothic style that replaced it introduced a pointed form of vaults and arches, including doors and windows.

Gothic style

In the 15th century, during the Renaissance, there was a rise in fine art in France, which also influenced national architecture, which, however, also took into account the Italian experience. An example of this is the huge number of castles and royal residences of those times (Fontainebleau, Chenonceau, Amboise, Chambord).
During the reign of Louis XIV, in defiance of ascetic church styles, a new one emerged, expressing the unity of royal power. In the architecture of the 18th century, the unrestrained luxury of Baroque was combined with the restraint of classicism, and from that time a transformation began that served as the basis for the development of modern Paris.

Baroque

At this time, Gothic elements were still used in construction, but the Age of Enlightenment (neoclassicism) that replaced Rococo completely revised architecture, moving it away from ancient canons to modern functionality.

Neoclassical

As a result, the architecture of France became a kind of indicator of freedom of thought; in it one could see a variety of, often very non-standard solutions. The variety of shapes, sizes and colors is sometimes astonishing, as is the environmentally conscious approach to construction.

French Art Nouveau

Provincial styles

The change of monarchs mainly influenced the life of the aristocracy; the province always preserved traditional foundations. In many areas, during construction they used their own architectural techniques that had been proven over centuries, depending, among other things, on the characteristics of the local climate. The most widespread architecture is that of Normandy and Provence, as well as houses in the chateau style popular in France.

Features of the Norman style

Normandy is a region located in the northwest of the country. Accordingly, the bulk of its population consists of people from the Scandinavian countries that are geographically closest. It was they who brought into the appearance of their houses a certain severity and monumentality characteristic of Gothic architecture.

A Norman house usually has one floor with an attic, or two or three full floors, certainly with balconies (see our website).
The half-timbered construction style, which originated in the Middle Ages in Germany, spread throughout Europe (see link). The geometric nature of the facade, resulting from the beams and braces of the frame left in sight, is still liked by many today. Therefore, even if they are built using a different technology, the facade of the house is often finished in such a way as to imitate half-timbering.

Elements of half-timbering on cornices and balcony railings

In Normandy, this style became most widespread; this design technique was called “colombage” in France. Ornaments are made not only by boarding, but also by simple painting, combining them with brick, stone or colored plaster.

House in the French style typical of Normandy

In addition to half-timbered elements, Norman architecture also contains classical elements. For example, rusticated slabs, which are used instead of stone to decorate openings and corner areas of a building.

Half-timbers painted on plaster

But the main feature of the style, of course, is a high roof, always hip or combined, with many mezzanines and windows on the gables (read about it in the article). Roofing material is mainly tiles, but may also be straw.

House with thatched roof

The northern climate also made changes to the shape of the windows. They are narrow and tall, mostly rounded and decorated with flower boxes.
The entrance doors are double-leaf, leading to a massive stone porch decorated with wrought iron railings.

Architecture of Provence

Provence is the complete opposite of Normandy in geographical and architectural terms. The style that emerged in this province is more elegant, devoid of the harshness and coldness inherent in the north. The main construction material, in addition to wood and brick, is sawn natural limestone stone, as it is a local mineral here.

The hot climate and proximity to the sea influence the palette in which both facades and interiors are decorated. These are all shades of white and yellow, beige, blue and lilac. For wall cladding, wild or molded stone, decorative plasters, and natural boards are used.
If in Normandy houses usually have a high base, then in Provence there is practically none. Accordingly, there is no porch, and the path leading from the gate immediately leads to the entrance to the house.
Windows are also usually small, but they can, being narrow, start right from the floor. Usually, they are decorated with an interesting layout and bright shutters, without which it is very difficult to escape the heat.

Note: the invention of blinds and impenetrable blackout fabrics helped solve this pressing problem for southerners, which is why in modern Provence you can also see panoramic windows.

House with a residential attic and glazed veranda

Roofs in Provencal houses can be either hip or gable, multi-gable. Their peculiarity is the obligatory presence of dormers - dormer windows protruding beyond the plane of the roof.
The shape of the roof is designed so that there is also a pediment with a window on the facade side. This part of the building is accentuating, and elements of classical architecture are often used for its decoration.
The main entrance, or even the entire facade, can be decorated in an artistic way, but the theme of the design is usually floral. The door at the entrance is always massive, but more often it is glazed and has a transom.

House in French Provence style with a multi-gable facade

The architecture of any area with a hot climate is characterized by the presence of summer extensions in the house: verandas, kitchens, outbuildings, encircling terraces. Everything is for the convenience of the owners and their guests, who can enjoy a meal in the shade of a canopy covered with flowering plants.

Photos of houses in Provence style

A terrace covered with plants is the best place to relax

In the photo - a design option for the facade with painting on plaster

Half-timbered elements can also be

Modern house in Provence style

A terrace or veranda is an important attribute of a house in the south

Country house in Provence

Distinctive features of the chateau

The word "chateau" in France does not refer to a locality, but to an aristocratic country house. And since this is a mansion, it is not at all like in Normandy or Provence. Typically, this is a pompous building with turrets, many projections and bay windows, chimneys and pointed spiers on the roof.

Country house, French style - chateau version with a glazed veranda on the roof

Hip roofs are an almost universal attribute of French architecture, and in this regard, the chateau is not particularly different from the two styles already presented. There are also attics here (read on our website:), lancet and trapezoidal dormers and windows.

The house must have a basement floor, which is usually used as a wine cellar. The base is high, and a wide flight of stairs leads to the entrance. Yes, and inside the house there are monumental stairs in marble and beautifully finished metal (see link).

French chateau style in the interior of a country house

Windows with a height from floor to ceiling were called “French” because they were originally installed in country houses with two or three floors. They were placed above the first floor, which provided the best daylight to the rooms. At the bottom there were often ordinary small openings.

Home design: French chateau style with a rustic twist

Wide windows were often combined with double glazed doors, through which one can access a balcony with access to the facade. There may be not one, but two balconies - in this case they are symmetrically located on both sides of the main entrance. A modern chateau must have an extension, which may contain a garage or a recreation area with a swimming pool.

Photo gallery of the interior of a house in the chateau style

The aristocracy of the situation is obvious

The luxury of an aristocratic chateau

Socialite Béatrice Ogier entered the decorating profession at an age when others are entering a well-deserved retirement. But she got down to business with youthful enthusiasm! Here is her project - a former shelter in Normandy, turned into a country residence.

To create this spacious living room in the house, Beatrice had to combine four rooms. The walls are painted beige, Farrow & Ball. The sofa, Caravane, is upholstered in gray velvet. A low pouf is used as a coffee table.

In her “past” existence, Beatrice worked in the press services of Yves Saint Laurent, Cartier and even the Paris-Dakar rally, and was the director of a consulting company. “I worked hard and had fun,” she recalls. - Traveled, explored the world, always tried to look sophisticated and elegant. And suddenly I realized that all this was not the same!”

Floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets act as partitions, separating the dining room from the kitchen.

Photo: Pierre Laurent Hahn

Floor boards and ceramic tiles were purchased from vintage building materials dealers

The red and white stripes on the walls bring a festive feeling to the interior of the formal dining room.

Photo: Pierre Laurent Hahn

Nowadays Beatrice paints flowers and decorates interiors. And, as the house she decorated in the town of Beaumont shows, in her new profession she is not an amateur at all. The building, stylized as a 19th-century Norman farmhouse, was once intended to be an orphanage.

The facade of the house is covered with Japanese grapes.

Photo: Pierre Laurent Hahn

All kitchen furniture, except for the antique oak table, is painted white. The work surface with the sink is adjacent to the window, so the housewife can admire the landscape “without interruption from work.” On hot days, the windows are covered with roller blinds, Silent Gliss. The floor is made of antique concrete tiles. Faucets, Dornbracht.

Photo: Pierre Laurent Hahn

The new owners asked Beatrice to make the interior lighter and more modern, while maintaining a rustic flavor. She approached the task with great tact. The house has a lot of antique furniture - but in fashionable, bright upholstery.

Chess tables, Moissonier, go well with antique chairs from the Napoleon III era, the seats of which are upholstered in velvet of different colors

Photo: Pierre Laurent Hahn

Between the rooms, instead of blank walls, light transparent partitions with small glazing appeared, matching the window frames of the house. In the kitchen, the sink is located in front of the window facing the garden - a concern for the cook’s mental comfort, unthinkable in the old days. No comments needed!

A half-glazed partition separates the guest bedroom from the bathroom. The starting point for decorating both rooms was an antique bright red bedspread. Beatrice selected fabric to match it for the upholstery of the headboard and for the curtains on the bathroom window.

Photo: Pierre Laurent Hahn

I worked a lot and had a lot of fun, always tried to look elegant... but one fine day I realized that all this was not it!

The sinks in the bathroom remained from the time the house was built - the owner wanted to preserve them at all costs. The cabinets with bases for sinks are made according to Beatrice's sketches. She enclosed the Delphes bathtub from Jacob Delafon in a wooden “case” similar to them. Retro style faucets, THG.

Photo: Pierre Laurent Hahn