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 Krapperup Castle Built in 1570 over the ruins of a 13th century stronghold; near Molle, Sweden From Larry Myhre's Photstream This Article "Inside Sweden's Manor Houses" Published Nov/Dec-2002 By Dan Hofstadter in Departures
In a small rural province called Scania, three country estates define classic Swedish style.
It never occurred to me when I was living in Sweden, in the 1970s, that "Swedish style"—in furniture, interiors, and fabrics—might one day become popular in America. Swedish design, like Swedish humor, has a certain restraint, a quiet wit, that I would have thought lost on outsiders.
Yet classic Swedish design—and I don't mean the 1950s masterpieces of Gunnar Asplund and Carl Malmsten or the Ikea explosion of the '90s, but the checked-fabric side chairs and spindle-backed settees of 250 years ago—is experiencing a great deal of international attention these days. Shops showcasing Swedish antiques have recently opened in London, Paris, and New York, and decorating magazines seem obsessed with Swedish furnishings. The most obvious explanation is that 18th- and early-19th-century Swedish furniture, in its spareness and rectilinearity, fits in quite well with modern furniture; but there's certainly more to it than that.
There is, I think, a real similarity between 18th-century Swedish and contemporary American taste, a psychological affinity that transcends history and geography and owes much, I would argue, to the ancestral Protestant craving for paring down, for simplicity. Many of America's foremost furniture creators, from the Shakers through Gustave Stickley and the Eameses, have stressed economy, availability, and clean, well-defined lines. As it happens, these are also typical features of the Swedish interior.
Classic Swedish design reaches its apogee in the royal palaces and aristocratic country houses of Sweden. As late as the 17th and 18th centuries, Sweden was a very poor country whose noble families were often hard-pressed to maintain even the barest semblance of elegance. Many of the landed gentry were really glorified farmers who kept a sharp eye on expenses and shunned ostentation as wasteful and irreligious. Yet these families also wanted to enhance their status, and as they enlarged and improved their arable acreage, as revenues expanded and their tastes grew more refined, they began to remodel and embellish their houses. Toward the late 18th century, a style of design appeared that was simple enough to be affordable and also fashionable enough to give tone to a country seat. This was the Neoclassical style, and its chief exponent was King Gustav III, who ruled from 1771 to 1792. Because he offered so much patronage to builders and designers, he, in effect, created a revolution in taste.
High-strung and aloof, reserving his deepest affection for the theater, Gustav wrote full-length dramas of his own, shocked the court by performing onstage, and built himself a superb little theater in Gripsholm Castle, near Stockholm; some of his courtiers complained he was confusing statecraft with stagecraft. Having made a trip to Paris as crown prince, he was also keenly interested in Neoclassical art and design; in 1883 he traveled to Italy, where he visited Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Paestum. From France and Italy Gustav brought back drawings, paintings, statues, models, and a highly trained painter-architect named Louis Jean Desprez. The so-called Gustavian Style, still greatly admired by art-conscious Swedes, is in fact the Swedish naturalization of what we call the Louis Seize Style.
Gustav commissioned many grand interiors for royal palaces in the Stockholm area, but his subjects couldn't follow his example to the letter. Too expensive for most of the Swedish nobility, his preferences were translated into a simpler, more provincial visual syntax. What emerged was the intimate, companionable, and at times rather countrified look of Swedish style.
Read More of This Article "Inside Sweden's Manor Houses" Published Nov/Dec-2002 By Dan Hofstadter in Departures
 Wrams Gunnarstorp Castle From ZTaxi On Flicker  Övedskloster Hakan Dahlstrbm's Photostream  Krageholm Sweden Built 1720
 Martha Stewart's Creative Director- Erik Pike's Gustavian Townhouse In New York There are very few Gustavian styled homes photographed that are truly ALL Swedish inspired. After looking at thousands of photographs, I KNOW it is rare to come across a home that is decorated or renovated to look like it is out of the 17th or 18th century. Even if a home isn't decorated to look centuries old, I find it rare to come across a person passionate for a particular period design that is pigeon-holed into a particular category. It is thrilling to say the least to see a home that is based entirely around a theme, such as Georgian, Egyptian, Early American, or my favorite Gustavian. When a designer sticks to a particular style of antiques, and thinks through the architectural elements and paint colors carefully, a story emerges that allows you to walk back in time.
Decorating is an objective art. It is up for interpretation within the eye of the beholder. While some people like one style, others prefer something different. The excitement of decorating ones home is that everyone is allowed to be right in their own home.
Not everyone has thousands of dollars to spend on antiques, or money to change the architecture, flooring, cabinetry or fixtures, so many of us have to start somewhere with one bench here, and a chair there. Building up a home that is entirely from one period and time frame can be incredibly exhilarating, and also quite expensive, but it doesn't have to be. You don't need to have ALL genuine antiques to get the Gustavian appearance in your home. In this blog, I have put together dozens of posts with decor and furniture that look Swedish and aren't. Some are costly, and others aren't. My own home is filled with a ton of vintage furniture that is made over to look Gustavian. Incorporating a few genuine pieces sure help! Your home should be what makes you happy, and not what a blog or a magazine tells you it should be.
It is truly rare to come across a home that is based entirely around the Gustavian look, and not exist in Sweden, and that is the case with Martha Stewart's creative director Eric Pike. His townhouse in downtown NYC is one of these rare homes where the entire house is designed around a Gustavian palette.
 Eric Pike And Stefan Steil's New York Gustavian Styled Townhouse- Photo Credit An Afternoon With Blog
 Eric Pike And Stefan Steil's New York Gustavian Styled Townhouse- Photo Credit An Afternoon With Blog  Eric Pike And Stefan Steil's New York Gustavian Styled Townhouse- Photo Credit An Afternoon With Blog The Blog,..... An Afternoon With posted some incredible pictures of the home giving you extra ordinary angles that allowed you a better glimpse into the rooms.
In one of the pictures a stunning oil painting hangs in the bedroom of Daniel Webster, a Massachusetts senator in the mid-1800s and an ancestor of Eric's.
While the whole townhouse looks like it is within one color, several tones are used. In the bedroom, and the office, the ceiling is a light blue. A light beige is used in the office with storage in a coordinating color. Vibrant colors are used in the closets, keeping the overall palette neutral.
 Martha Stewart's Creative Director- Erik Pike's Gustavian Townhouse In New York Part 1 Pike tells Martha Stewart Magazine that he faced a challenge that we all face: the need to maximize storage. He sacrificed a few feet in every room to allow for deep doorways that contain hidden, paneled closets, each devoted to specific belongings. "I've been collecting for years, and I've made everything work in this space," he says.
Many Gustavian styled homes aren't cluttered, and here you will see an excellent example of a paired down look. Collectibles are grouped together much like the closet featuring Pikes tableware and silver urns, or grouped on side tables. The look is very much clean and organized.
Look at the impressive storage in the above three photos. Boxes are used in closets for odds and ends keeping everything in place. In any home, there needs to be a lot of attention paid to storage if you want an uncluttered appearance. This is especially true for smaller sized apartments. For my own home, I have used the over-sized boxes that come with Crate and Barrel for my blankets which sit in the closet. When I go into my closets, they look clean and organized even if they are in boxes.
In this post I show where you can buy large boxes with lids for as little as $3 Paint the boxes with flat paint, and customize your closets by painting the interior and the boxes so both match. If you have a home that is based around gray, white or beige, consider doing something extra special for the closets. In my storage room in my garage, I am going with a Alpine green with boxes to match. Why not! Consider a bold blue or even a baby blue for your closets. Pantry and linen closets can be one of the most creative areas to experiment with color.
 Martha Stewart's Creative Director- Erik Pike's Gustavian Townhouse In New York The settee, chest, and rounded-back chair in this photo are genuine Swedish antiques. Eric purchased the other chair at auction and had it copied for the dining room. The tables in the room are vintage, which he painted himself. Look at the three color combinations on the walls. It appears that the wall color, crown molding and ceiling colors are slightly different tones. With the painted antiques, and color of upholstery, this room is rich with detail.
 Martha Stewart's Creative Director- Erik Pike's Gustavian Townhouse In New York The sitting area above lacks the height compared to the rest of the apartment, so a skylight was introduced into the space. Support beams are concealed yet present a dramatic look to this room. Eric sought a square pedestal table to complete this room; finding none, he designed one with architect Richard Perry.
 Martha Stewart's Creative Director- Erik Pike's Gustavian Townhouse In New York  Martha Stewart's Creative Director- Erik Pike's Gustavian Townhouse In New York You would never know a television hangs over the living room mantel because an antiqued mirror lifts to reveal it. Look at this photo of the kitchen where one wall houses a refrigerator and washer and dryer behind cabinet doors. A toaster and coffeemaker are housed in an appliance "garage" on a tray that pulls out so you can pour in water. The bathroom is designed just right to make it appear bigger with glass shower doors. The bedroom and the bathroom are the most modern rooms in the home.
The gray wood flooring doesn't go unnoticed, tying together the various rooms in his home. The wide planks were bleached, then stained a neutral gray. He decided to upholster all of the living room furniture in a single gray linen, allowing individual antiques to be unified as a set. Hints of silver are found in the candlesticks, light fixtures, and hardware and have always been a classic Gustavian element found in Swedish style.
The house originally appeared in Martha Stewart's September issue way back in 2005. "I wasn't going to buy until I could find the right place," he tells Martha Stewart Living Magazine. He ended up renting a small one-bedroom apartment for sixteen years until the perfect place showed itself to him. The 1840s Federal-style townhouse on a historic block had all the right bones for what he always had in mind.
In this photo from Marthas website, a decorative box houses some objects he used for inspiration. If you look closely, you can see two pictures of the townhouse before renovations. New York City architect Richard Perry, Pike set out to make the apartment his own.
"I like the neoclassical forms and the sculptural lines combined with rustic painted finishes," Pike says. "They have no unnecessary embellishment -- there's a purity in that."
I have loved his townhouse for years. I hope you find as much inspiration from his home as I did.
See Martha Stewart For More Information
 Gustavian Swedish Decorating - Veranda - March 2010, Kay O'Toole  Swedish Gustavian Decorating Ideas- Mikasa Antique White Dinnerware Sets Mikasa produces a "Antique White" set that has all the looks of antique Swedish dinnerware. Collect all the pieces and display them on your walls or in your cabinets for a look that is distinctively Swedish.
- Crafted of fine, chip-resistant china for long-lasting beauty even under
rigorous use
- Pure-white, antique-inspired style features rippled border and ribbed
vertical lines
- Safe for use in the dishwasher and microwave
- Layers tastefully with complementary and contrasting linens, dishes, and
flatware
 Roger Lussier's Boston Apartment-Caninet photographed by Thibault Jeanson, Southern Accents Mrs Blandings Blog
Additional Mikasa "Antique Dinnerware" Groupings:
-Mikasa Antique White 7-Piece Tea Set $67
-Mikasa Antique White Covered Sugar and Creamer Set $45
-Mikasa Antique White Soup Tureen $102
-Mikasa Antique White Gravy Boat and Stand $45
-Mikasa Antique White Salt and Pepper Set $19
-Mikasa Antique White 16-Piece Dinnerware Set, Service for 4 (4 each: 10-inch dinner plate; 8-inch salad plate; 6-inch bowl; 10-ounce mug ) $122
-Mikasa Antique White Oval Platter, 14-Inch $80
-Mikasa Antique White Oval Platter, 16-Inch $81
-Mikasa Antique White Fruit Bowl , Set of 4 $35
-Mikasa Antique White Covered Butter Dish $35
-Mikasa Antique White 5-Piece Place Setting, Service for 1 $40
-Mikasa Antique White Coffee Mugs, Set of 4 $40
-Mikasa Antique White Set of 4 -6-Inch Cereal Bowls, $40
-Mikasa Antique White Dinner Plate $14
-Mikasa Antique White Rim Soup Plate $9
-Mikasa Antique White Bread and Butter Plate $9
 Martha Stewart Kitchen's Set On Her Show Remodelista snapped some incredible shots of the set of the Martha Stewart Show showing a fabulous kitchen modeled after her her very own kitchen in Bedford, New York.
Open shelving displays an amazing collection of all white tableware. If you look closely, in the back of the cabinets, risers were painted and hide lighting that illuminates the collection of plates and teacups. Vintage pitchers are used for utensil storage and grouped in a set of three. Look how she seperates the wood from the metal. Look at the additional picture Remodelista shows for how Martha displays her vintage rolling pins as decor on the wall.
The cabinet paint is Mourning Dove Gray (MS 151) and the wall paint is Evening Moth (MS 173), both from the Martha Stewart Colors line. Brass is commonly used by Martha on gray cabinetry, which dresses up the cabinets quite nicely. Marble countertops also give the kitchen an upscale elegance.
 Martha's Gray Kitchen  Martha Stewart's Grey Kitchen Showing Off Her Espresso Maker  Gray Painted Cabinets With White Dinnerware Displayed
 Look How This Mora Clock Is Painted The Same Color As The Wall- A Gray And White Combination -Clock From Jeffree Turney of Lone Ranger Antiques Watch Jeffree Turney of Lone Ranger Antiques on Martha Stewart
Jeffree Turney from Lone Ranger is one biggest dealers who specialize in Gustavian antiques, and also happened to be on Martha Stewart and revealed some of his refinishing secrets. He recommends after initially painting and distressing your piece using milk paint, mixing 20 percent "Howard's Feed 'n' Wax" furniture wax to 80 percent "Dark Walnut" Minwax. Wearing latex or rubber gloves covered with socks, apply wax, and use a paint brush for tight spots. Rub off excess wax immediately with a long plastic-bristled scrub brush. The overall faux finish gives you an antique effect.
I always found this picture from Martha Stewart captivating. Matching furniture up with the wall color is a very interesting design concept. Adding a dark wax to your piece will allow your furniture to stand out from your wall color.
Here are some unique examples:
In this kids room wall storage is painted a bright red. The design look appears minimal.
This room is painted a vibrant teal blue. Wall letters on the wall and furniture is painted in the same paint color.
A matching set of Swedish chests are placed in a room where the wall color and drapes are designed to match.
In one of my favorite pictures a kitchen is painted in a mute blue. The walls and the kitchen island and cabinets are painted in almost the exact shades. The walls are 5 shades lighter and brighter than the cabinets. It is one of the best kitchens I have seen.
 Gustavian Designed Interior From Swedishinteriordesign.co.uk  Gustavian Decorating - Martha Stewart Martha Stewart always seems to get color right. I believe she has an eye for historical colors palettes. In this photo we see a console table that is matched up to the wall color. The look is absolute perfection. See additional Martha Stewart interiors based on Gustavian influences.
 Gray Paint Tones A series of gray tones are paired together in this dark interior. The bar table is painted in a lighter shade of gray with glass cloche's are paired together. Limed wood add to the gray appearance without loosing the detail of the wood. Stainless steel also works with the gray interiors like no other metal. The metal adds a richness and some light to dark room. If you love this appearance, but find it too dark, consider the same elements with lighter paint tones.
 Matching Wall Paint and Furniture This photo takes the concept to the extreme, where everything is painted in the same shade except for the stool, and the accessories. Furniture that may be an eyesore, could be given a face lift using this concept. It allows the furniture to disappear into the room, giving other pieces the spot light. This concept also gives a minimal look to a room, allowing a busy room to appear less cluttered.
 Matching Wall Paint Up With Furniture In this photo, we see a very interesting effect using two paint colors instead of one shade for the entire room. We see a chair rail used to divide the wall. A brighter paint color is used on the bottom of the wall, and the furniture is painted in the exact same color. Using this idea, adding a brown glaze to the furniture which can be painted on and wiped off would give the furniture a bit of a distinction and less of a newly painted appearance.
How To Get This Look
-Use the same shade as your wall color on your furniture. After your piece has been distressed (and dried), consider painting a thin coat of brown glaze to give it an antique appearance. Ralph Lauren glaze works terrific. You simply mix one third paint to glaze, or half glaze/ half paint in a cup. (The glaze is white, but dries clear with what ever paint you mix with it) Add brown paint to your glaze, and simply paint a thin coat on to your furniture. You can either paint on a thin coat, and call it done, or you can wipe off some of the glaze with a rag leaving some of the glaze behind. I cannot tell you how thrilled I am to have discovered this secret for brighter paint colors. Brighter paint colors automatically look antique when a translucent brown is added. Bright blues become muted, everything looks better.
-Heavily distress your furniture to give your furniture more depth. The natural wood will give more warmth in your room, and add to the overall look of the furniture.
- Add furniture ornaments to your furniture painted in white or in gold to add some detail to your painted furniture. Cake molds often have beautiful designs that would look just as beautiful on furniture. These designs can be made easily with plaster, concrete, or resin inexpensively.
 Fashion Designer Andrew Gn’s Apartment Andrew Gn's Parisian apartment is a perfect mix of 17th and 18th century interior design. In my previous posts, here and here, you can see the vibrant color choices Gn makes for his 2,000-square-foot flat. Every square inch of space is designed to be unique and personalized. In the room above, we see a Gustavian interpretation. Raw herringbone floors bring warmth into this room that is based around grays. Louis XVI chairs line the wall, and a cartel clock gives this room a distinct Swedish feel.
The house is adorned with endless ceramics and china, which he tells Elle Decor is a bit of an obsession. Augustus, the king of Poland at the turn of the 18th century, amassed more than 24,000 pieces of china. Gn says he shares the same love. He bought his first piece at age 16 and the endless fascination has never subdued. The walls in his home serve to display his vast collection, although he admits that thousands more pieces are sitting in storage.
Gn decorated the apartment himself without a designer. Every room is well thought out with precision. Vermilion red is used in one room exclusively. Shelves of blue-and-white chinoiserie contrasts against the red quite nicely. Vermilion red has been found in ancient China, Egypt, Greece, Peru, and other areas of the world. In the middle ages Vermilion was used to line early music staves.
Ideas For Your Home
-54'' Wide Ticking Stripe Black/Ivory Fabric By The Yard $7
-Blue Rose Chintz 11-Piece Tea Service $55
-Red Poppy Porcelain 3-Piece Tea Time Set with Gold Trim $51
-Gracie China Red Poppy Porcelain Tea Cup and Saucer Set of 4 $44
-Red Toile Farm Scene Individual Casserole with Liner Tray $23
-Corner Cabinet in Bright Red $365
-Spode Blue Italian 12 Piece Set $129
-Gracie China Gold Trimmed Porcelain 15-Inch Tea Set Tray $28
-Blue Willow Plate Set of 6 $78
-AA Importing Three Drawer Cabinet in Red $635
-AA Importing One Drawer Cabinet in Antique Red $424
-Classical Solid Wood Wall Shelf with Brackets White $25
 Fashion Designer Andrew Gn’s Apartment  Fashion Designer Andrew Gn’s Apartment
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