Unlike other building, design, and interior decorating trends, French Provincial architecture has retained the majority of its key elements from the mid-1600s to modern day. Some aspects that will prove essential in nailing that French Provincial look and feel include:

• Flat brick or stone facade: Apart from a few outliers that may feature half-timbering, the large majority of French Provincial homes feature brick or stone facades with detailing in copper or slate. Other detailing features include rectangular doors set in arched openings and double French windows with painted wood shutters.
• Steeply pitched roof: Similarly, nearly all French Provincial homes are adorned with a steeply pitched, hipped roof — meaning that all four sides of the roof slope down towards the ground. Many French Provincial roofs were made from slate tile or copper, and topped with dormers, a type of window that extends just off the edge of your roof.
• Balanced, symmetrical proportions: Balance and symmetry are two of the primary characteristics of this architecture style, which means that the doorway is typically centered on the front of the house with an equal number of tall windows on each section. The only break from this symmetry would be rounded towers near the entry or other sections of the home.

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