Design ideas: Provence style kitchen

Designers Tatyana Shvetsova and Tatyana Kurilkina save a young family and show how a typical kitchen can turn into a corner of sunny Provence!

“The kitchen windows of Marina and Pasha face the north side, so there is not enough natural light in the room. Initially, the kitchen had only one central light source (plus illumination of the working area), so the heroes’ kitchen was rather dark before the renovation. To fix this, we decided to create an atmosphere of a hot southern European corner, where there are a lot of bright colors and sunlight. The first association is Provence!”

Kitchen area – 12 square meters. m.

1. Little lighting.
2. Wall cabinets and brown wallpaper with a small pattern visually reduce the space.
3. An old set with glossy white facades is difficult to maintain.
4. In the center of the kitchen – small table with uncomfortable wooden benches.

1. We have provided many light sources: spotlights, wall lamps, LED lighting for good illumination of the work area, as well as chandeliers for illuminating the dining table. We chose copper lamps. The copper texture also conveys a sunny mood and adds brightness.

2. A light color scheme was chosen to expand the space of the kitchen. Light facades of the kitchen are combined with dark elements (forged underframe, countertop, handles) and bright color accents in textiles and shutters.

3. Shutters are very common in the south of Europe, they protect from the scorching sun. Therefore, this decorative element appeared in our design project! The result is bright color accents through which light, created with the help of LED-backlight, breaks through.

4. For the apron, we chose a beautiful Spanish tile with a bright ornament, which has become the main decoration of the kitchen. The tile pattern is laid out in the style of “patchwork” (“patchwork”) – this is a good way to revive the interior if you are tired of the monotony of color. Patchwork pattern – a common technique for interiors in the Provence style.

5. We decided to make the kitchen set without the use of upper cabinets in order to expand the space and create a feeling of lightness in the room. We replaced the upper cabinets with open shelves, which are also very popular in many European countries, to show beautiful ceramic dishes, and not hide them in numerous cabinets. Open shelves are also an incentive to maintain cleanliness and order, and not to force the kitchen with unnecessary things, as is usually the case with cabinets. We also provided for a sufficient number of closed storage places – there are many drawers in the lower cabinets. There is also a column and a sofa with 4 drawers.

6. So that the whole family can gather in the kitchen, we put a large table with a sofa and folding chairs. Folding chairs are easily removed, which is very convenient, because the room is narrow. The new Provence-style kitchen table is custom-made, while the cast-iron base continues the wrought-iron style line and resembles the base of early 20th-century sewing machines.

Tips from designers:

• If the room has a rectangular elongated shape, use light shades for wall decoration. This will visually expand the space.

• Patchwork Tile Pattern – this is a good way to revive the interior if you are tired of the monotony of color.

• Don’t be afraid of open shelves! They give airiness to the interior.

• If there is little natural light in the room, a sufficient number of lighting fixtures should be considered. Create several lighting scenarios: built-in spotlights, chandeliers, sconces, lights.