New Year Touches for Provençal-Style Bathrooms

If you are happy with the shape and practicality of your existing furniture, simply changing the surface colours can give your bathroom a fresh feel. This year, Provençal style embraces thin finishes that smooth the surface while revealing the raw texture of the wood, along with distressed white surfaces known as “washed white”. These natural-looking pieces are almost a classic in mountain homes and farmhouses. Inviting a sense of naturalness, the simplicity of these new finishes works beautifully with lively floor patterns such as traditional decorative tiles.

Today’s designers regard the bathroom as a place of healing, renewal and cleansing, and suggest that bath and shower areas in particular should be supported by additional furniture that meets these needs. For example, gather toiletries on a stool or in a basket rather than placing them in the washing area; hang towels on a ladder rather than a rail; or group plants on a log rather than lining them up on a windowsill. Whatever makes you feel good and you wish to keep within reach can be arranged decoratively around the bathing area.

Second-hand, vintage and antique markets are among the best sources for a classic style such as Provençal. An unexpected piece can suddenly appear, and once it arrives in your bathroom, it brings a unique character, a meaningful past and a story. A mirror, a tap, a pair of handles, a basin, a cupboard or a chair can give even an ordinary bathroom a deeply rooted sense of history.

If you are looking for a transformation that takes a little more effort but has a much greater impact, consider changing your bathroom’s overall colour. Deep forest greens, Gustavian blues, saffron and terracotta shades are earthy colours that add depth and meaning to classic bathrooms. When choosing these colours, opt for the softest and most muted tones possible to capture the dignified character of classic style more easily. Provençal style does not favour bright colours apart from metallic glints of gold, copper, mother-of-pearl and platinum—and even these are best enjoyed in small doses.

The weakness of classic bathrooms is their tendency to lose touch with natural, unrefined grace while maintaining a polished, elegant look. Yet Provençal decoration, itself a classic school of design, always takes inspiration from nature and reflects it in every detail. Make room in your bathroom for mother-of-pearl and seashells under glass domes, lavender-scented soaps with visible flowers, naturally creased linen dressing gowns and kimonos, trays made from old wood and vintage brass-stemmed candle holders. If you already have such pieces, treat your bathroom to some new accessories.