If you want to make sure you are buying authentic Provençal antiques rather than reproductions, look for pieces crafted in honey-toned golden walnut, pearwood, or linden; for mirrors, cherry; and for humble pieces, painted pine. Floral carvings, some with lacy ironwork, characterize pieces from Arles.
Focus on the richly hued indiennes, or printed cottons inspired by 18th-century Indian designs, that were fashioned into quilts called either boutis (plumped with cotton) or piqué (classically stitched). You may also come across old toile, originally produced in Aix-en-Provence.
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