Customer Reviews

Provencal Interiors: French Country Style in America

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Ok, so this isn't "authentic French Provence design." Suppose you won't be visiting Aix-en-Provence and running around looking for all the pieces you need, and then figuring out how to fill up a shipping container and send it through customs, etc etc, (can you imagine doing this in a foreign country in a foreign language?!) You just aren't going to find a lot of genuine French furnishing and fabrics in the US. What if you want to use French elements in your decorating (as we did) and only have access to American furniture lines and the fabrics sold here?

This book provides a great solution. American houses are DIFFERENT than European, and what's sold in furniture and decorating supply shops is different, too. "Provencal Interiors" shows you how to get that effect with things you can get here. THAT'S great. If it isn't authentic, that's ok. If you don't have unlimited funds for a decorator to buy worldwide to create "real" Provencal, this book works really well. Maybe better.

The pictures give good examples of Provencal style rooms, and there are lists of suppliers that are helpful. The color schemes are perhaps the most useful part. Another useful thing are the fabrics and how to mix them. I myself have problems figuring that out; this helps.

I have spent hours upon hours thumbing through design books at local warehouse bookstores, and have found "Provincal Interiors" to be the most comprehensive one for interior design and building ideas. I have, literally, copied pages to show my architect and am using over eight of the rooms, or exterior shots in my new home. I have just ordered the other book on Amazon by Betty Lou Phillips, and hope it is as useful.

I highly recommend this book for those who are looking for ideas in the French style.

My wife and I are in the process of building a French Chateaux house and need all the design ideas and suggestions we could find. Betty Lou's book was a "God sent". Her selection of featured photographs are incredible with lots of variety in colors, fabrics, moldings, and furnishings. (We actually copied several elements from her book in our home's design.) We also found the book an invaluable resource for showing a contractor ideas of what we wanted in terms of trim, cabinetry, paint colors, etc., etc.

The best compliment I can give this book is that its pages are showing wear.

I LOVE French country interiors and I love this book! I've been waiting for someone to show the beautiful interiors of great designers here in the United States. Finally, Charles Faudree's canines, delecious colors and endless yards of toile', all in one book. The writing is delightfully smart and usable covering information on textiles, antiques, techniques and the whole concept of the French country. This book gives a real sense of the talent of designers here and also how to reach them and a list of shops and dealers in French furnishings and accents. Betty phillips is a professional in her feild of interior design as well as in her ability to capture the essence of French country in this book.

"French country decorating at its finest is the harmonious mingling of fabrics, textures, and patterns - an artistic blending of the familiar with warmth and sophistication."

As you open this book, you may start to have the desire to suddenly order hundreds of pastel pink tulip bulbs. While this book is not quite as lavish as "Villa Décor" it is much more practical. There are extensive instructions for using color, texture and scale.

Betty Lou Phillips has included a wonderful picture of a library with bookcases spanning the library walls. Her work has appeared in Southern Accents, Traditional Home & Bath, Window and Wall, and Decorating as well as many magazine covers. She is a professional member of the American Society of Interior Designers.

There are eight main chapters:

What Is Provencal Charm?
Making an Entrance
French Quarters
Table Matters - Kitchens and Dining Rooms
Bedrooms, Bedding, and Baths
French Accents
Outside Interests
Trade Secrets

I loved reading the "Table Matters" section which includes a comparison between French and American kitchens. The bedroom section had me wishing I had some fresh croissants on hand for a breakfast tray.

There is no need to travel to France to buy beautiful fabrics, furnishings and fixtures. A complete list of catalogs is also included.

This is "French Country Style in America," so it is a fusion of various ideas from a variety of locations in France.

~The Rebecca Review

The book was a disappointing waste of my money. There is no original thought or style to inform or inspire the reader. The information presented can be found and explored with greater depth in other sources. The biggest fault is that the decoration on most pages is so obviously done by a decorator for wealthy American clients. The references are generic French and certainly not Provencal.

What a disapointment ! None of the interiors presented has anything to do with Provencal or even French style. The book features interiors obviously designed by American decorators for wealthy and non discrimating American clients. Nowhere is to be found the true spirit of the French decoration or the Provencal style. A waste of time and money. Quite insulting for the true French style lover.

There are picture books and there are picture books. This is one of the better ones that will do more than grace a coffee table. There's a lot to learn about decorating in a style that is consonant with southern France. The text is informative and authoritative and it is a volume of real immersion even if you have no intention of redecorating your house. Very nicely done, and worth the money.

I found this book a wonderful view of French Provencal style, blended with American verve and elegance. Many of us have traveled in France, and know the French are also very influenced by the freshness and ease of American design.

Remember it was not an English, but an AMERICAN interior designer, Nancy Lancaster from Virginia USA, who revolutionized English Country style. She became Lady Colfax and changed the look of country houses from stiff to chintz.

I think the author introduces the beauty of Euro/American design in this book. The French Provencal Style in AMERICA title is a great clue that the pages are not full of 17th century French country village interiors.

Also, it always helps to read a book before you judge it!

I have lived in France - in Paris. I have been fortunate enough to have traveled throughout Normandy and Brittany and most recently, Provence. I can attest to the fact that this book is not reflective of authentic Provencal decoration.

Provence decor is much more earthy, much more eclectic. It encomapasses the new couch with the comfortable chairs that have seen several generations. The people of Provence treasure their time-worn furniture and artifacts. The photos in this book show contrived, over-decorated settings which are completely out of step with the lifestyle of Provence where families, including children and pets really LIVE in their homes. Even affluent families with homes decorated by professionals, do not have rooms like these.