This beautiful home is decorated around pops of lemon yellow. Swedish antiques can be seen through out this home, with the classic creamy, distressed finishes. This look is pulled together with checked fabrics, stripes and delicate prints. Photographs were taken by Lisa Romerin. Find designer Marshall Watson here
See more of this project at incollect.com
Can you see yourself in some of these? Vogue pulls together 12 pieces of advice from design experts showing common mistakes young designers make. See if you think they are correct:
“Horrible throw pillows. I don’t even know where people get some of these. The ones I see are often flat and limp and look like something I’d use as a dog bed.”
—Amanda Gorski, Gimme Shelter Designs
“Twenty-somethings don’t realize the power of framing artwork. Posters taped or pinned on the walls can look crazy unless you have that artistic eye.”
—Danielle Arps, Dani Arps
“Oftentimes, 20-somethings will either try too hard to be cool (with black pleather furniture, neon beer signs, and shag carpet) or just follow the trends. For example, the zigzag pattern is everywhere—on rugs, towels, and sheets. This design is what the younger generation gravitates toward because it’s what they see everywhere, but I prefer more classic patterns that will stand the test of time.”
—Ashley Darryl, interior designer
Read more at Vogue.com
Q: Clearly, you are scholars on Scandinavian style. For you, what is the essence of it?
A: Recognition of the importance of nature and the impact it has on interiors and overall lifestyles. Light, colors, and the functionality of daily living also play a huge role. In Sweden there is a wordbruskonst, which loosely translates to “useful art.” This respect for economy and intimacy with nature is an integral part of Scandinavia’s design psyche.
Q: Scandinavian antiques are usually made of humble materials, but painted to look like marbles, gilt, and fine woods. How do you make them work in modern spaces?
A: Antique pieces, by virtue of their patina and imperfections, add a depth and soulfulness to rooms that could otherwise be one-note and cold. A rough-hewn, rustic, painted farm table, for example, is going to look amazing with contemporary metal chairs or formal, tailored, upholstered dining chairs by sheer virtue of the contrast. An 18th-century Gustavian chandelier in a barn room or a rustic, painted farm chair in a severe, all-glass or marble contemporary bathroom becomes almost sculptural.
Read more at deringhall.com
Swedish design in American interiors is at an all-time high. Chosen for its qualities not as a fad or trend. White and light interiors are loved by so many. Today I am talking to Colleen Martin, Founder of Swede Collection, in the hand-crafted segment of the furniture industry, who is living her life passion reproducing Swedish furniture, particularly from the Gustavian and Rococo periods. Colleen was making console tables when the need for new dining chairs for her home arose. When she couldn’t purchase what she wanted nor find anyone to make them for her, necessity being the mother of invention, she decided to make them for her line. Swede Collection is shown at High Point market in April and October. The line can be seen at www.swedefurniture.com.
Gustavian is my favorite style as it makes my heart sing. To me it is eloquent, romantic and refined with a simplistic beauty. I do like a few Rococo pieces as well. What I love is that Swedish pieces have never gone out of style 200 years and counting. They are lasting, enduring and inheritable due to their design. Because they are not overly embellished, you don’t get tired of the look.
I first decorated my homes in French antiques due to access as that was what was available in antique stores where I lived and as far as I could travel to antique shows. Keep in mind this was pre-Internet years so purchasing access was limited to as far as you could travel. Even though I lived in larger cities, Swedish antiques or reproductions were not available. I loved the straight legs of Louis XVI. I have always been a huge shelter magazine reader so that is where I first saw Swedish pieces and then realized Swedish was where my true love was which was similar to French Louis XVI. When the Internet made access easier, my passion for Swedish design intensified. One could see and purchase Swedish pieces in the US and Sweden easily.
The colors of white, pale blue/grey and pale aqua are very soothing to the soul. I find people who love Swedish style are deeply devoted to it. Perhaps it is the peaceful feeling people experience in light toned rooms where the furniture is not stark but not overdone either. Swedish pieces have great balance and detail. With the painted frames people get a departure from the brown tones of wood. Today, décor is all about the mix. What is so fabulous about Swedish design is that it fits smoothly in any décor and very surprisingly with contemporary.
Gustavian Spindle-Back Dining Chair, SC0019
My mission was to make excellent quality hand-crafted and hand-carved Swedish furniture more accessible for everyone to enjoy in their homes. I traveled to Sweden and purchased antiques which I reproduce both in Gustavian and Rococo style. This is my passion. I wanted to bring back the hand-crafted pieces originally made in the workrooms in Stockholm by the masters. Swede produces unique pieces for interior designers but also has some pieces available to the public in the retail section. We are continuing to add to the website retail section smaller pieces that can be shipped via ground. Access to Swedish design is an important part of our mission.
Some of the master furniture makers that I admire are:
Although you read that Gustavian style furniture is credited to king Gustav living at Versailles, loving the French style but having the details relaxed for Swedish pieces in his homeland, I differ from that viewpoint by giving credit not to the king who was not a furniture designer, but credit to the master craftsmen and their apprentices working in their shops all over Sweden. The king may have commissioned their work for the royal properties but I believe the design was the masters’ who presented it to the king for his approval on the commission. I really don’t believe King Gustav came up with all these fabulous designs by himself. Pehr Ljung was a known master carver at the time who was called upon for difficult carvings. There were furniture “architects” and architects who did both buildings and the furniture within. Stockholm was a furniture center with many famous workrooms but these fabulous original designs were not exclusively created in Stockholm. Some masters specialized in making mirrors or clocks. I love researching these makers and am searching for information on women designers.
I like to honor the original creator that inspires me but I do change the scale and some details so it is not an exact copy. People were much smaller in body size at that time and particularly their chairs are too small for today’s people to sit in comfortably especially larger men. I didn’t want my husband or a buyer to “perch” on the chair, I wanted him to comfortably sit in it. Comfort is king in what I do. There is no point in making something nobody can sit in. I also produce in Maple, Ash and Cherry not Swedish Pine. I do believe these masters would be proud and thrilled to see that their designs are loved 200 years later by my bringing them back to life for today’s homes. For the most part, I own the original of what I reproduce. There are a few items in my line that my talented crew was able to duplicate just from a photo of the antique.
Yes, in Sweden, England and the United States and it makes my heart pound to find initials carved into the frame. There is also a mark on furniture made for the royal properties. When you see the carved initials IL for example, remember an “I” is a “J” so this could be made by Johan Lindgren. Pieces reproduced 100 years ago of the originals created 200 years ago are fairly available to purchase today.
Although pieces can be found, price is another issue. A chair can run from $4,000 to 7,000. And, you may not be able to sit on it. That is the other reason I decided to reproduce these chairs – to make them affordable. Hand crafted chairs should be inheritable for generations to come and should last another 200 years just like their ancestors.
I made the finishes on Swede Collection pieces blend seamlessly with antique finishes. Unless you have an expert eye, you probably couldn’t tell the difference. Making the new pieces allows me to fill in the blanks smoothly where unattainable pieces can’t be acquired.
I fell in love with this chair at Sabylund Manor. Bukowski’s auction house in Stockholm sold a set of these as well. I believe they look identical to ones made by Johan Hammarstrom which my talented team copied.
Above, these Rococo chairs have the original on the left and our newly copied one on the right.
Everyone on Pinterest will recognize this desk in a home in The Netherlands on the left and Swede Collection’s version on the right.
We also went to Jacquemart-Andre museum in Paris and photoed the Nattier portrait which we made into a poster in a larger size.
Here is another example. Antique sofa on right with Swede Collection sofa on left
On the left are demilune tables brought back from Sweden on my 2014 trip and on the right the new Swede Collection one
These Rococo chairs:
We made some hand-carved boiserie panels that buyers at market kept asking to be made into sliding doors. For April 2018 High Point market, we are introducing four sliding “barn doors”. What is different about ours is that they are elegant with hand carving on solid wood or antiqued mirror glass inserts in beautiful soft colors. You would never find them on a barn. They are great used between a master bath and bedroom instead of a traditional door. They are beautiful separators of any spaces within the home. And, we are always making more chairs and benches. We are also working on a massive tall candlestick like ones found in European cathedrals. There is a never-ending list of items to make. I am having the thrill of my lifetime making these pieces.
2018 is here and it is BOLD. Designers and Brands predict that this year is going to be more vibrant than years before. Below are a few insights into the 2018 home design trends to help you get inspired.
Before we start, remember that CLASSICS ARE ALWAYS IN. Although it’s fun to have that end table glowing in bright red, whites and blacks are the safest colors as these would work for any customer’s home. GF’s top sellers are White, Black and Gray – check some out here in our design Center: http://bit.ly/
2018 IS RICH WITH COLOR. This year, it looks like a vivid start as Pantone named “Ultra Violet” its Color of the Year, while Sherwin Williams selected the striking Oceanside SW 6496. Other colors that appear to be trending are colors such as violet, wine, amethyst and even soft lavenders. You can find some bold colors in GF’s Color Lab here: http://bit.ly/
HEAVY CABINETRY AND STATEMENT STORAGE. The white cabinet trend has faded and Country Living expects to see more warm grays, blues, creams as well as wood grain tones to take purchase in kitchens in 2018. As for storage, Anthropologie’s customer styling director Christina Frederick says “gone are the days of sacrificing style for function… There seems to be a desire for high-end organization in our personal space, a desire for things – and life – to feel pulled together.”
BRASS IS BACK BABY. Whether it be an accent or the drawer pulls on a buffet, this aged finish is making its way back into our homes.
NATURAL ACCENTS. Natural wood, earthy materials and even color iterations of stone are being implemented into designs. Ryan Turf, managing director of CB2 says, “These beautiful, natural materials add texture and depth to any design. Timeless yet very modern and fresh.” Include wood stains in your furniture designs to meet this trend. All GF stains can be compared here: http://bit.ly/
WABI-SABI. Wabi-sabi is the Japanese art of finding beauty in imperfection. For furniture refinishing this means handmade or hand-painted items that retain a deeply personal, organic aesthetic.
GRAY IS THE NEW BLACK. According to Linda Holt, it looks like the cool blue-grays have been replaced with warmer tones of gray, taupe and neutral colors such as brown. REMEMBER: don’t overuse too much neutral or your furniture or it may become so neutral you’ll miss it! Check out GF’s grays at http://bit.ly/
To read more about 2018 predictions, please go to the following links:
Architectural Digest: Sherwin-Williams Reveals its 2018 Color of the Year – https://
Country Living: 10 Trends That Are Taking Over Homes in 2018 – http://
Country Living: Pantone Color of the Year 2018 – http://
Linda Holt: 2018 Color Trends You Want to See Now: https://
Maria Killam: Colour Trends You Need to Know Right Now for 2018: http://
Tricia Foley {staircase} by recent settlers on Flickr
“I think that many people try to copy what’s trendy rather than trusting their own personal style in decorating a home and then the look doesn’t last. If you’re really not sure about making decorating decisions, keep a file of pictures of favorite rooms culled from books and magazines to help narrow it down” Tricia Foley
“In terms of color for walls, I always do a test patch and live with it to see how the color responds to the light and with the existing furnishings. It’s also important to put it all together and make sure that your color palette is compatible and that you’re not acquiring furniture and accessories in bits and pieces that don’t work together. “Tricia Foley
“It makes sense to follow the architectural style of the space. Determine the function of the room and really think about how you will use it. Then furnish it appropriately for those uses. Finally, layer on your own personal style — not someone else’s. Aim for personal comfort as well as visual appeal level.” Tricia Foley
Go with good classic design in terms of furniture. I always look for multi-purpose pieces, that can be used for other rooms as living conditions change. Set the scene for your own personal style with neutral walls and floors. Then add simple window treatments and bed linens to transform a space with color.” Tricia Foley
“I see children’s rooms as part of the home, not so much a separate world. I would design the space so that it visually belongs to the rest of the family spaces. It should also be a comfort zone for children and a place for them to express themselves with their own things — there are lots of great storage units, armoires, bins, etc. that are perfect for kids rooms in grownup styles but scaled down sizes available from Pottery Barn for kids, for example Traditions and Mitchell Gold make smaller versions of armchairs from leather club chairs to slipcovered pretty cotton wing chairs that suit many styles.” Tricia Foley
Glass For Every Occasion Tricia Foley-Found on triciafoley.com
19th Century Swedish Painted Chest Find It on Ebay
Swedish richly carved Rococo period chair that has been with urn-shaped splat back with carved wings and flower on crest rail, low seat, curved and carved apron raised on cabriole legs and ending on splayed feet. The chair has been scraped down to the original paint and gilt. thehighboy.com
A striking Swedish Gustavian period mirror in original paint and gilt. This is a beautiful mirror with original mirror plate and typical neoclassical carving details. thehighboy.com
A beautiful Swedish Rococo period chest with original lock, hardware and key, circa 1750 thehighboy.com
Terrific Painted Details Of A Antique French Directoire Style Canopy Bed From Old Plank
A Look Under The Canopy Of A French Directoire Style Canopy Bed From Old Plank
Danish Baroque chest of drawers, Denmark c. 1740-1760 Green Square Copenhagen
This is a very rare, richly carved Swedish Rococo period grandfather clock that has been scraped down to the original paint. This clock is from Morin, Sweden. Morin clocks are not as common as Mora clocks (clocks from Mora, Sweden) and therefore more rare. This clock is working and using its original movement, key, weight, face, and glass. Circa 1750.
Swedish Mora Clocks from The Highboy Antiques
Swedish Secretary in Original Blue Paint, Signed and Dated 1858 Dawn Hill Antiques
Antique Painted Swedish Armoire with Carved Detail, circa 1850-70 Scandinavian Antiques
Antique Original Painted Green Corner Cupboard, Sweden Circa 1880, Scandinavian Antiques
19th Century Painted Swedish Clock Built Into A Secretary – From The Highboy
Louis XVI style carved upholstered chair Woglethorpeauctions On ebay
Blue Green Painted Mora Clock The Highboy Antiques
Gustavian sold for 26 000 SEK in Norrköping Auction House- godsochgardar.se
Hultanäs Antikt & Second Hand -located in Hultanäs
Very Rare Gustavian Sofa, 1785- trendfirst.com
Gustavaian 19thC Bench Scraped to Original Paint –antonandk.co.uk
Swedish Antique Period Gustavian Daybed, Swedish Banquette, Swedish Antique Gustavian-Style Painted Bench From thehighboy.com
Originally functioned as a daybed with the seat lifting up and the box pulling out like a drawer to offer a space that is double the depth where a mattress would have offered a guest a place to sleep. Great as a bench in a room that can double as a toy box! The Highboy Antiques
Italian Trumeau Mirror, Comprised of 18th & 19th Century Architectural Elements Sold
Through Maison Maison
Classic Mora clock in white painted finish with stylized floral carving The Highboy Antiques
Freestanding consol table. Circa. 1790 – 1810, selected-antiques.dk
Gustavian style extension table with bronze mountings, and one leaf 19th C. selected-antiques.dk
Gustavian style table with two leaves, late 19th C. selected-antiques.dk
Gustavian style, extension table, with later 2 leaves. Signed 1901. selected-antiques.dk
Pair of Gustavian style demi-lune tables, 19th C. selected-antiques.dk
Swedish table with three drawers, circa 1800 selected-antiques.dk
Rare lovely Gustavian freestanding table, circa 1810 selected-antiques.dk
Swedish painted freestanding rococo table, with carved apron, circa 1750. selected-antiques.dk
Very rare richly carved grand father clock, in original paint. Circa 1760- selected-antiques.dk
A set of 8 Swedish Rococo chairs made during the Rococo period 1750-1775. Contemporary upholstery in a soft brown vintage leather.
The Rococo style came to Sweden from France, but trends also came form England. This set of chairs are made on the west coast of Sweden, an area highly influenced by England. English chairs from this time were often made in walnut. Since that type of wood were very rare in Sweden the Swedish version is painted. Starting with the back the chairs have a vase shaped back splat with a top rail decorated with a leaf motif. The cabriole legs have knees with fish scale carvings ending with claw and ball feet – significant for an English chair.This chair is a comfortable choice when choosing an antique dining chair thanks to its tall back and generous seat. We chose to use vintage leather to give the seat a durable and insensitive surface. Read Liza Laserow’s blog at lizalaserow.wordpress.com
Swedish Chest – VOL. 1 antiques
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Secretary from Maison & Co. maisonandco.com
Swedish Antique Displays Seen At The Home Depot
19th Century Swedish Drop-front Secretary, The Highboy
Early 19th Century Swedish Clock, The Highboy
Swedish Chandeliers thehighboy.com
Period Swedish rococo writing desk, circa 1760, with original hardware and secondary blue paint. Three drawers in the bowed front with a smaller drawer just under the drop leaf. The interior features two banks of three drawers on either side, as well as other drawers and compartments. Original bun feet.
Slant Front Writing Desk in Blue Paint– Sweden Circa 1820 Swedish writing desk, circa 1820, with four graduated drawers under the slant-front. The interior features a central cupboard with lozenge trim and two banks of three drawers on either side. Great patina on the secondary blue paint.
Black painted writing desk, Sweden circa 1760 with slant front and two over two
drawers. The interior in blue paint has multiple drawers and cubbies, with two
hidden compartments. Simple bun feet. (Depth when open is 34″.)
Tricia Foley by recent settlers on Flickr
If you love simple, white interiors, you will love decorator Tricia Foley. She has authored 10 design books, and has been featured in national and international magazines. Her white based interiors and simple approach to interior decorating is a look that never gets tiresome. If you like the Scandinavian crisp bright interior looks, neutral color schemes and soft color palettes,…….you will love Tricia’s style.
Here are a few of Tricia’s signature looks which often appear in her interiors:
– Stack Clear Glass Plates – You can easily find affordable collections of clear glasses, and plates at flea markets, thrift stores, and garage sales. Pulling together a collection of glasses and plates is an affordable way of improving a dining room hutch, or decorating the shelves in your kitchen. Consider using wood shelving on the wall, and stacking your glassware out in the open.
– Work with All White China- White porcelain and ironstone, no matter how much you have appears clean and organized. You don’t need a lot of a simple pattern to make an armoire look pretty. Space out larger pieces to draw the focus on individual pieces. White dishware is also a very easy find in many thrift stores no matter where you live. Even the most rural locations has plain white bowls and platters.
– Work With White Walls– White walls and layers of pattern through textiles, furnishings, and accessories will allow you to change out your style through the year. Add pops of bold color through the spring and summer, and work with the browns, deep yellows for the winter time. By working with white, you are free to change things out as you find something new to feature or display. Consider changing up your throw pillows, art work, and linens for a nice change from season to season.
– Working With Grays Can Be Soothing – Using a simple palette of antique white with soft
powdery shades like gray can allow your space to have a calming effect. If you work in a stressful environment, there is nothing like coming home to a space you can relax in. White also makes your home appear larger, so painting the wood work, and liming wood is one way to open things up.
Tricia has a book coming out this fall of 2015, called Tricia Foley Life/Style: Elegant Simplicity at Home- where she reveals her romantic Long Island home where she showcases a number of outbuildings along with her eighteenth-century farmhouse. Her signature white look is paired with natural materials, vintage furnishings and collected antiques. Consider also getting her – At Home with Wedgwood: The Art of the Table- which shows off 250 years of the company’s beautiful collections and how readers can integrate Wedgwood pieces into their homes.
Links:
At Home in the Country – Tricia Foley
At Home With Tricia Foley: Interview with an Interior Designer
At Home with Wedgwood by Tricia Foley | Hollyhock
Tricia Foley’s Chicken Coop Found on triciafoley.com
Basket with berries, Found on triciafoleyinthecountry.blogspot.com.au
White painted barn host of Tricia Foley’s New General Store, Found on gardenista.com
New General Store, Tricia Foley, Found on facebook.com
Taupe & White. Tricia Foley’s book, At Home With Wedgwood
At Home in the Country –Tricia Foley Found on triciafoley.com
Tricia Foley’s Home Photographed By Jeff McNamara Country Home September 2004 issue
Empire Furniture In A Simple Setting
Tricia Foley, Found on mariliforastieri.com
Tricia Foley Collection- Found on triciafoley.com
Designer’s favorite whites, neutrals & grays. Designer Tricia Foley’s Benjamin Moore favorites. Great picks! Found on colorchats.benjaminmoore.com
Tricia Foley Laundry Room, Found on colorchats.com
Seen on Martha Stewart
Tricia Foley – Found on remodelista.com
Tricia Foley’s General Store – Found on triciafoley.com
Swedish Gustavian Chairs. Maison & Co.’s 19th c. Gustavian chairs ~ chosen in the Taigan Fetch Magazine story about the book, One Man’s Folly, The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood- Found on maisonandco.com
Brain Fog, ……Do you ever sit and stare at a room wondering what you are going to do with it? You go through endless paint samples, finishes, and furniture placement ideas, and it just doesn’t come together. Have you been there ?
This happens to me….and everyone else who is in the design arena.
When things don’t come together for me, I usually go to a few books, open them up, get inspired,…..and my creative juices get flowing again. I have to say this book (One Man’s Folly) will be one of those books that I will grab from my shelf for those moments.
There is no doubt that if you like gray and white interiors, collections and antiques, you will love this book. I have been waiting to view this book since it came out, and it really is a terrific read!
In One Man’s Folly, you will gather up ideas for painting furniture, space planning, and flooring ideas. This book offers terrific examples of how to work with patterned fabric and how you can incorporate all these elements into a space that offers serenity and relaxation.
This book is a reflection of 60 years of passion for collecting and decorating. As a longtime associate of legendary New York antiques dealer John Rosselli, 94-year-old Gatewood has spent some sixty years locating amazing finds and buys. Through those years, he has also scored a few beauties for his own home.
The book reviews his personal property in Americus, Georgia, where he has restored his family’s carriage house, (which was original to the property), along with several homes which were moved on to his property from nearby towns. The property has four houses, including the Barn which once housed cars.
Southern Gothic Home – Furlow Gatewood Design – Veranda
Peacock House Featured In Veranda Magazine – Mimi Reed and produced by Carolyn Englefield Photo by Max Kim-Bee via Veranda. Architectural salvage was used to give character to the outdoor. Flush boards face the walls of the living room. A porch with salvaged fretwork becomes an outdoor garden room. A guest bath at Peacock House shows off a simple gray and white palette.
The additional houses (Cuthbert House, Peacock and Lumpkin House) were rescued from demolition and made over with a focus on the architectural periods from mid-19th century Gothic to Palladian. The 11 acre property was featured in the March-April 2014 issue of Veranda.
In fact,…..it was Bunny Williams, who convinced Gatewood to do the book. We are so glad she did! Even though Gatewood never went to architecture school,…”He has a real flair that often eludes professionals” she says. The Peacock House, featured in Veranda, began as a dirt floor greenhouse before becoming home for 40 peacocks.
“Never did I expect that twenty pieces of unusual lattice panels, which he bought from Connecticut one weekend while we were shopping at the dealer Michael Trapp’s, would become the back porch of what is now known as the Peacock house” – Bunny Williams
Over the years he has collaborated with local craftsman to transform several of these houses into masterpieces. While the changes on his property took about 15 years, Gatewood has been collecting antiques for decades. Everything from porcelains to paintings were selected over the years to be featured in his house. He said when he collected too much, he needed an additional room and built it…. don’t we all!
While his taste remained the same through the years in his selections of furnishings and collections, the way in which he showcased them slightly changed. He went from colorful walls to a neutral gray and white background which showed the antiques in a better light.
One Man’s Folly is divided into 7 sections. The Barn on page 18, The Peacock House page 70, The Cuthbert House page 100, The Lumpkin House page 134, Gardens and Outbuildings page 184, and finally … Lessons Learned page 204.
This book is so good that 108 people out of 123 reviews give it a 5 star.
Tom Sawyer– “Where has this gentleman been hiding ? His homes are the most inspiring exteriors and interiors I have ever seen”
L. M. Keefer “If you like classic salvaged architectural pieces, antique furniture from around the world, blue and white china, a mix of global fabrics, canopy beds, painted floors, delft tiles, dhurrie rugs, stripes and checks, gilt frames, and dogs, cats and peacocks, you will be enchanted by this book”
A Book Collector “That Furlow Gatewood is not the equivalent of a household name in the design world is soon likely to change with the publication of his new book.”…… “Envy-inducing paintings hang between windows that are left bare except for shutters or wood-slat roll-up porch blinds, when the expected finish would likely include yards of linen or taffeta. Simple white cotton duck is the upholstery fabric of choice here, and it is layered with throw cushions of everything from antique Fortuny to blocked cottons from India to linen tea towels, all counterpointing the lines and profiles of the pieces they cover. It is all really quite brilliant.”
Designer Wannabe “Although Mr. Gatewood has a lot of “stuff,” I thought the interiors were open and inviting. The bare floors and simply trimmed windows added a coolness, which is no doubt welcome in warm Georgia.”
Here are a few tips from the book:
Wood Boards On The Walls Give An Antique Appearance – “Furlow often uses simple rough boards as panels for a room. This gives texture and character that plain drywall cannot provide. In some cases, the boards run vertically with horizontal boards at the ceiling, chair rail, and base”
Work With Antique Pieces, And The Occasional Modern Upholstered Piece “Generous upholstered pieces are used sparingly”
Buying What You Really Love ” It’s certainly true that fabric houses would never get rich off him. There is not a single curtain in any of his houses he much prefers shutters or blinds. The bulk of his upholstered furniture is slipcovered in simple cotton duck, and rugs, when they exist at all are sisal or Indian dhurries or the odd antique Oriental. But the most salient quality of his “look” is that he only buys what he absolutely loves”
Great Design Doesn’t Have To Be Costly “Finally, for all of Furlow’s knowledge, for all his world travels and world-class stuff, he has never been a snob. One of my very favorite things in the whole Barn is on the drinks tray outside the bedroom where I slept. A blue liner, it fit perfectly inside a handsome silver urn that doubles as an ice bucket, and I assumed it was some fine piece of cobalt glass. Upon further inspection, it was a plastic bowl Furlow said he found at the Dollar Store, a detail that delighted him to repeat.”
Cutting Plywood Can Create Architectural Detail – The stylish entrance hall of the Cuthbert House was created by simply cutting pieces of plywood in six-by-twenty-inch rectangles. The edges of each piece of wood were beveled and installed in a running bond pattern over the drywall. This was a technique often used in American nineteenth-century Federal houses to simulate stone patterns, as dwellings were then built of wood”
Work With Brackets To Display Pictures, Pottery and Collections On The Wall – “………small pictures that are stacked one atop the other, with a bracket above to draw the eye up and accentuate the sense of grandeur.”
Turn Fabric Inside Out…Sometimes It Can Be Nicer On The Back Side ” A Billy Baldwin slipper chair is covered in fabric on the wrong side, a favorite Furlow trick”
Center A Room Around A Soda, And Work Your Other Pieces In “In each living room, the furniture is always arranged in comfortable seating groups consisting of large frame sofas and various frame chairs placed around them. He often implements period sofas and chairs with exposed legs to give the rooms a light, airy quality”
Painted Floors Can Be A Beautiful Solution” Manhattan-based painter John Campbell painted the faux marbre floors, and a grisaille wallpaper panel hangs above the console. A similar gray palate (with white) extends throughout the house. Furlow says he finds the color scheme cooling.”
Use Solid Fabrics On Sofas and Prints With Throws And Pillows To Make Them Interesting. Save Patterned Fabrics For Accent Chairs “Large sofas are covered in a solid fabric and then filled with pillows of different florals, stripes, and checks in a single color scheme. A single chair might have a patterned fabric that blends with the others”
Old Leather Is A Gem Of A Find….If You Stumble Across Old Leather, Leave It Be “If a chair has lovely old leather upholstery, it is left as is”
Additional Links:
– Furlow Gatewood – Porcelain Collection – House Beautiful
– Beautiful Interiors – Furlow Gatewood on Pinterest
– The Exceptional Houses of Furlow Gatewood | Garden and Gun Magazine
– 4.2.14 | One Man’s Folly | New York Social Diary
– 1stdibs Introspective – Furlow Gatewood
Furlow Gatewood -Picture Credit- Amazon Book Images
Swedishinteriordesign.co.uk specializes in Swedish Antique Gustavian, Biedermeier, Rococo and Country Painted, Veneer and Natural Wood Furniture.
In the Homes and Antiques April 2014 Issue, Swedish Interior Design was asked to spill about Mora Clocks. Here is what they had to say:
A grandfather clock by another name?
A Mora clock is specifically a longcase clock made in the town of Mora in central Sweden during the l8th and 19th centuries.
Why there and and why then?
Bad harvests in the 1700s meant that the farmers of Mora, which was a largely rural community,
had to come up with a way to supplement their income. The pendulum clock had been invented by Dutch scientist Christian Muygens in 1656 using the sketches of Galileo so there was already something of a tradition for making clocks of this sort in Scandinavia and the cottage industry quickly developed. Each family in Mora look responsibility for making a certain part: the pendulums, the faces, the brass mechanics and so on.
Tell us about the clock’s defining features…
They are known (or their curvaceous hourglass shapes and are more often than not painted in pale greys, whites or blues as these colours reflected candlelight better on long dark evenings. Sometimes they will have ‘kurbits’ folk art designs – a form of bold, painterly decoration most
recognizable from wooden Dala horses that originate from Dalarnia, the same region that
Mora clocks come from.
How easy are they to come by?
Oddly the largest collection of Mora clocks is here in the UK. It is owned by Jo and Madeleine
Lee who run Swedish Intorior Design and have just moved their business to an old granary near Shoreham where you can find over 50 of the clocks in stock. Look out for ones marked ‘AAS’. They may well be made by the first Mora clockmaker Krang Anders Andersson whose oldest known clock dates to 1792. Be wary though, the moniker has been copied onto later clocks so check for documentary evidence of his craftsmanship.
Jo spills some of his secrets of how he goes about refreshing Swedish antiques that need a facelift.
He discovered this Mora clock about many years ago, and it was one of the first pieces he found in Sweden. He loved the clock but wanted the overall look to fit into their 1886 apartment which was decorated around whites and greys.
The clock was found painted in a “Kirbits Folk Art Style…..
“It was statuesque, superbly proportioned, elegant and painted in reproduction Kurbits Folk Art style. The repaint was probably done in the early 1900s and the colours they had used and the painting style were rather garish. The original Kurbits Folk Art Style was prominent in Sweden in the early part of the 1800s and was a freehand style using feather shapes, swirls and subtle earth tome colors (reds, ochres, yellows, oranges) to create a visually sumptuous but definitely country style. You can see examples of the kurbits painting from the early 1800s by looking at the 360 degree view of the Swedish Interior Design Kitchen where we have freestanding cabinets from 1799, 1803 and so on with the original Kurbits paint.”
Jo tells us how he made this clock look antique with paint:
Step 1 – “Key the entire clock with medium sandpaper (180 grit) to allow the paint to grip and look it over to decide whether there were any bits that needed gluing or fixing. Generally I prefer to leave pieces ‘as is’ if possible rather than fix them up to much as the life they have undergone is part of their character and makes them real”
Step 2 – “Prepare The Tools In this case a variety of brushes of different sizes to allow me to get a fine coat on to the clock without filling up the wonderful crenulations and shapes on the body with excess paint. You can get very carried away with special brushes but actually we generally use pretty standard ones – my brush heads don’t have to include virgin yak tails from Mongolia! In this case I used a Craig and Rose acrylic paint (I used Regency White in the Chalky Emulsion finish), which dries nice and quick and that goes on very smoothly with a nice chalky texture. I didn’t use a primer in this case but you can if you want. Alternatively, any chalk-like paint such as Farrow and Ball’s Estate Emulsion, Chalk or Milk Paint could be used. With Chalk and Milk Paint, you would have to wax the piece and not glaze it as I did, which I will talk about a bit later.”
Step 3 – Base Coat “A nice smooth stroke with a larger headed brush to keep an even spread and smaller headed brushes or ones where I’ve cut them to an angle for getting in and under things! Always be careful not to let the paint pool or drip and consider it from several angles to make sure the coverage is good. Once I’d built up the base coat, I added 2 further coats at a slightly watered down consistency until I liked the visual texture“
Step 4 Sand “Light sand to matte the paint down a bit with 320 sandpaper and then some judicious distressing either in the right places where you would naturally get a lot of use (like the handle in the pendulum door) or for effect (to highlight a special feature). I also use a razor blade too sometimes for a different look”
Step 5 Antiquing. “Now that I like the basic color and the level of distress, I decide how and if I should antique it. When well done, antiquing really adds to the feel of a piece and can highlight its decorative mouldings, giving them a 3D effect. But if overdone or clumsily applied..awful! Many people like to use wax but I prefer to make up my own antiquing fluid using an acrylic glaze as a base. I mix the acrylic glaze with a dark brown, grey, red or yellow paint so I can create an antiquing color that matches the color tones I want to effect and it still looks like the real ‘dirt of ages’. So sometimes it’s greyer, browner, more yellow, ochre or red – whatever you need for a special job. The key is “think” where naturally dirt would accumulate and build it up in layers and once that’s done to see if you want to use it as a special effect to highlight any feature. Another light dusting with 320 sandpaper in places and then stand back and admire the handiwork”
Jo and his wife Madeleine, in the left picture
You can see their unique collection of antique mora clocks, and other Swedish furniture by viewing by private appointment 7 days a week.
Call +44 1273734371 or visit the website at www.swedishinteriordesign.co.uk
Also, look up at Swedish Interior Design blog for more tips of how to decorate with Swedish furniture.
Follow Jo on Facebook, follow his wife’s blog Madeleine Lee.com
Madeleine In their Swedish Home
Picture Credit- Swedish Interior Design
Beautiful creamy whites and golds seen in their home
Pictures taken in their home for a fashion editorial in Coco Indie Magazine, see more at bellakotakphotography.com
Clock 1: Unique Early 1800s antique Swedish mora clock with an incredible original trompe l’oieil wreath motif and a very unusual larger head with stunning roman numeral clock face
Clock 2: Early 1800s antique Swedish mora clock in original white paint.The mora clock is in good condition and features the makers name ‘Roth of Norkoping’ and elaborate beautiful handpanted gold curlicue designs.
Clock 3: Very early 1800s Swedish mora clock in original paint. Incredible ribbed crown motif on the hood and very distressed but structurally sound.
Mora Clocks From Swedish Interior Design
If you are looking for beautiful reproduction Swedish furniture, consider Solgarden. Solgarden has two lines of furniture, one named “classic”, and the other named “vintage”.
Solgarden Classic- This line is manufactured by a Swedish furniture maker and the timber is locally grown in Sweden. This line is inspired after authentic 1700s furniture found in Sweden. Within this line, you will find furniture inspired after gustavian, rococo and baroque styles. All of their furniture is hand painted adjacent to their store.
The pricing of the furniture includes a choice of color within their “Solgård Colours”. Their signature painting is a process that involves nine different applications. While you have the option to paint the furniture, you can also have it finished to a “worn” appearance that also gives the look and feel of antique furniture.
Solgarden Vintage- Here you’ll find beautiful pieces found around Sweden which have been restored and refreshed with paint or new fabric. Often times these pieces are one of a kind, very unique and special. If you are looking for something specific, which you cannot locate yourself, contact them, and they can do their best to locate that item. Solgarden also offers furniture painting, furniture upholstery and sewing services.
About Solgarden
The operation was named Solgarden, and was originally founded out of a yellow house. After a few years, the business grew and moved to Karlavagen 58 in Stockholm. It was in 1998 when the company changed owners, and over the years the business developed a passion for concentrating their efforts in Gustavian styled furniture, and it was there that special pieces were copied and reproduced. The level of painting evolved over the years, and the quality of the furniture just got better over time.
In 2012, Anki and Mary took over, and Solgarden opened the current store on Surbrunnsgatan 28 in Stockholm. Skilled painters and artists continue to paint furniture next to their shop, and they have expanded to also offer add one-of-a-kind older refurbished furniture along side their 1700s reproduction furniture. A customer can also take advantage of their upholstery and sewing services. If you need slipcovers made, upholstery for a chair, or settee, or bedding and drapery to be made, they can do that too.
Contact Solgarden:
Swedish-made cabinet that looks like a real fireplace. Available in both round and rectangular versions and hand-painted in any color. The cabinets are available in different sizes and designs and can be equipped with various options such as glass shelving, lighting, interior gold plating.
Kakelugnsskåp – Rectangular version
Plaster Medallion with Fredrik Henrik af Chapman. Wall decoration with frame made of plaster copy of Sergel’s original casts. Size 65 cm in diameter. Also available with other portraits. F.H Chapman
Find these medallions here
House Beautiful Magazine, 2002, Picture Credit solgarden.se
This stunning feature was featured in House Beautiful back in 2002. Read all about Marianne von Kantzow’s apartment located on Strandvagen:
“Welcome to my latest love affair,” said the invitation to the launching of Solgarden’s new management four years ago; Marianne von Kantzow just abandoned her post as as a construction executive” to take the helm at one of Sweden’s premier makers of reproduction Gustavian furniture and objects. The daughter of Swedish aristocrats, she was raised in an 18th-century manor in the countryside north of Stockholm where “you could find not just Gustavian furniture but details of the style everywhere—walls decorated with painted canvas in colors such as pearl gray and decorated with swags of flowers in lovely pastels.” she remembers.
At Solgarden she offers furnishings that hark back to the years between 1770 and 1790, a golden age in Sweden during which King Ciustav III had his own love affair—with the fashions of the French court. Solgarden continues to discover antique pieces to reproduce, often with the help of the distinguished decorative arts scholar Lars Sjoberg. The company makes tables and chairs finished in the traditional 18th-century gray paint, but von Kantzow has also modernized the look of her furniture by using what she calls “Solgarden white.” This color, her trademark, is a soft “broken white” la European term for off-white) antiqued in her store’s workshop with eight layers of paint and one of wax.
Von Kantzow also tinkers with tradition in her nine-room apartment on Strandvagen, Stock-
holm’s Fifth Avenue. Divorced after a long marriage that produced five now grown children,
she left a picturesque weekend house on an island in the Stockholm archipelago and now lives
in town full time with her companion, a lawyer. “He and I have the same taste.” she reports,
although her decor is so “un-Swedish” that when she hosted her daughter’s engagement patty,
the young woman’s future mother -in-law expressed fears that her son might have to live with
Marianne von Kantzow’s aesthetic. “Swedes are generally afraid of strong colors on themselves and in their homes,” says von Kantzow. “They walk into my house and stare with their mouths open, and I can see they wish they could be as daring.”
The late 19th-century apartment overlooking the National Museum and the waterfront is decorated with the same colors that von Kantzow has used in all her houses. “I love while with other colors, preferably strong pastel tones of blue and pink.” she says, “They give love and happiness to a room.” Her color palette is both pleasing and practical. “I believe in color schemes that allow a person to move furniture from room to room without having to reupholster everything.
The apartment’s 15-foot ceilings and ample natural light are dramatic and accommodating. The piece de resistance is the drawing room, where against rosy pink walls von Kantzow has arranged two conversation groups, using her collection of signed late-18th-century furniture upholstered in pink velvet and blue period documentary fabrics. Anchoring two opposite walls, she has hung paintings close to her heart, one of her great aunt, the other showing a view of her beloved archipelago.
For the formal dining room she painted a forthright Wedgwood blue on her walls, along with Solgarden white for the panels. Two pieces immediately attract attention: a 19tg century cut-glass chandelier—a copy of one made for the Austrian empress Maria Teresa—and an 13th-century Dutch cabinet housing pan: of von Kamzow’s china and silver collections. Most of the dining chairs are 18th-century originals.
Von Kantzow- shows her playful side in the kitchen and study. The former took its surprising lime and pink accent colors from the heating stove installed at the time of the buildings construction. In the latter, von Kantzow uses a shack of sorts, complete with roof and trompe l’oeil scenery, as a walk in closet.
If only von Kantzow could enjoy her urban oasis more often. Like any good enterprising Swede, she works long hours—sometimes seven-day weeks. Fortunately her soothing yet stimulating shop makes up for it. Customers, she says, “come in and say things like ‘All this whiteness makes me calm,'” and they tend to stay a while, conversing deeply with strangers.
House Beautiful Magazine, 2002, Picture Credit solgarden.se
House Beautiful Magazine, 2002, Picture Credit solgarden.se
A Close Up
House Beautiful Magazine, 2002, Picture Credit solgarden.se
House Beautiful Magazine, 2002, Picture Credit solgarden.se
Pink Gustavian Interior -SKONAHEM
2004 Picture Credit solgarden.se
Pink Gustavian Interior -SKONAHEM
2004 Picture Credit solgarden.se
Pink Gustavian Interior -SKONAHEM
2004 Picture Credit solgarden.se
Pink Gustavian Interior -SKONAHEM
2004 Picture Credit solgarden.se
House Beautiful Magazine, 2002, Picture Credit solgarden.se
House Beautiful Magazine, 2002, Picture Credit solgarden.se
Pink Gustavian Interior -SKONAHEM
2004 Picture Credit solgarden.se
Pink Upholstered Gustavian Chair- GODS & GARDAR
2004 Picture Credit solgarden.se
Gustavian Room – BAZAAR
2002 Picture Credit solgarden.se
Swedish Interior, SKONAHEM
APRIL 2006 Featured At solgarden.se
Designer Marianne von Kantzow Seen In Hem & Gardar Magazine, Featured At solgarden.se
Designer Marianne von Kantzow Seen In Hem & Gardar Magazine, Featured At solgarden.se
Designer Marianne von Kantzow Seen In Hem & Gardar Magazine, Featured At solgarden.se
Swedish Interior, Designer Marianne von Kantzow Seen In Hem & Gardar Magazine, Featured At solgarden.se
Swedish Interior, Designer Marianne von Kantzow Seen In Hem & Gardar Magazine, Featured At solgarden.se
Baby Swedish Toys In A Nordic Styled Interior – Picture Credit solgarden.se
Bedroom In A Nordic Styled Interior – Picture Credit solgarden.se
Swedish Interior Featured In Hem & Antik Magazine -Picture Credit solgarden.se
Swedish Interior Featured In Hem & Antik Magazine -Picture Credit solgarden.se
Chinoiserie found another outlet in the rare longcase clock at the right, made about 1765 by
Nils Berg, whose signature appears on the case.
The Best Of Painted Furniture By Florence De Dampierre, presents the tradition of painted furniture as it developed in Europe and the United States.
Dampierre, owns a New York gallery which features painted furniture, and specializes in tracing the art form in Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark and America. She features French and Italian examples to simpler, more provincial American and northern European folk-art pieces. She talks about how art influenced furniture across Europe, as craftsmen adapted ideas and techniques. Various chapters discuss furniture embellishments and treatments from high art elegance to folk art simplicity.
Here are her comments on Sweden and Denmark:
Two important traditions of painted furniture developed in Sweden: the high-style aristocratic furniture that evolved from the international taste for oriental lacquer beginning in the seventeenth century- and the rural folk tradition, which grew up both in the manors of landowners (where it attempted to imitate its elegant counterpart) and in humble peasant dwellings. As late as the seventeenth century the great houses of Sweden were still closed fortresses—large rectangular structures furnished with imposing, simple chairs and tables. Tastes began to change by the end of the century when the architects Nicodemus Tessin and his son Nicodemus traveled to Italy, where they eagerly embraced the refined luxury of Italian and French styles. As the designers of Drottningholm Castle and the grand castle at Stockholm, the Tessins did much to spread the appreciation of sumptuous high Baroque decoration among the Swedish nobility.
Skane, the southern region of Sweden had painted furniture traditions of it own. Largely
derived from those of Denmark, since it was a Danish province until 1658. Southern pieces, primarily blanket chests and armoires, featured Rococo and Baroque decoration with rose bushes heavily laden with bloom. The Erik Eliasson style of painting spread from Dalecarlia to Skane at the end of the eighteenth century, intermingling with the
southern style.
Other regions invented their own designs. Painters from Delsbo or Jarvsd, in the Dellen Lake district, notably Gustavus Reuter, originated a version of Baroque style painting that was free of influence from other areas. In Jamtlancl (bordering Norway), the armoires, in typically Rococo style, were particularly interesting. In some areas along the seacoast, such as Blekinge, painted furniture was a rarity.
Florence de Dampierre | Facebook
Buy this book from Amazon for as little as $3.99
Swedish Painted Mora Clock- Swedish Decorating
Close up faux painted detail of the clock
Swedish Hand painted Cabinet Sold through Umbrella Home Decor
The Best Of Painted Furniture By Florence De Dampierre
The Best Of Painted Furniture By Florence De Dampierre
A Swedish, Rococo Chest of Drawers Seller Dawn Hill Antiques
This table was seen in Liselund castle- made in 1795
Stool in the neoclassical style seen at Liselund Castle
The Best Of Painted Furniture By Florence De Dampierre
Swedish Gustavian Console Table, C. 1810 , D.Larsson Swedish Antiques
Gård & Torp Photo Karin Foberg
“Story Time” (portrait of the artist’s father and daughter) by Knut Ekwall (1843 – 1912, Swedish)
“Hårnäver” a headdress from Norra Ny in Värmland! (Sweden)Her hair is tied up in a red ribbon and she is wearing a hårnäver. This is a kind of diadem that is used as a hair band to keep the hair high up on the fore head. A hårnäver is made from two pieces of birch-bark that are sewn together with long stitches on the back. They are decoratively painted in red or reddish-brown. Matte paint is used to cover the hårnäver and patterns are painted on free-hand. Bark is collected from the birch trees – Found on folkthings.tumblr.com
Furniture From Nordic Style
Home of Lisa Larsson- Seen On jessimfine.se
Svindersvik –Stockholms läns Museum
Svindersvik –Stockholms läns Museum
Folk art trunk made by Stenström, from the south of Sweden, 1819. Bukowskis Market.com
Swedish wedding chest with domed top dated 1809 Liveauctioneers
Blue and White Porcelain Room
Decorative Victorian Style Finial Accented Distressed Wall Mirror On Amazon
Sköna hem Magazine
Holiday Decorating in a Swedish Home Country Living Magazine
Van Breems joins sons Lars and Martin in the kitchen for an afternoon of cookie-baking.
Svindersvik, Stockholm, Sweden- Wikimedia.org
Anders Zorn’s Studio in Mora
Swedish Painted Trunk Seen At Country Gallery.com
Country Painted Chest At Milord Antiques.com
Överkalix Painting, See More At kurbits.nu
Egeskov Castle In Denmark- www.skyscrapercity.com
Swedish Mora Clock From Cupboards And Roses
Found on cupboardsandroses.com
Swedish Door Detail – KML Design.dk
This is not an ordinary Mora clock – this is the rare Ångermanland Bride! The cases were made by local carpenters around 1820-1840. – Found on epokantik.com
Egeskov Castle In Denmark- www.skyscrapercity.com
Quenselska gården, Åbo, Finland. At that time Finland still was a part of the kingdom of Sweden. Found on sphotos-e.ak.fbcdn.net
Ornak, A Folk Art Style Villa – See more of this property at Archdeco.org
Original Painted Swedish Trunk, Dated 1843 Scandinavian Antiques
Mora Grandfather Clock, circa 1842 Scandinavian Antiques
Sköna hem Magazine
Light Green Painted Swedish Mora Clock Cote Jardin Antiques
Decorated Farmhouses of Hälsingland – Life Beyond Tourism
Fjällbacka, Sweden
Louis XVI Style Carved & Painted Cane Fauteuils
Seen On Quality Is Key On Ebay
House Beautiful Feb 2011
Designer Alexandra Angle shares her Scandinavian design advice with House Beautiful on how she made over a dark cottage in Venice, California.
This house mixes Americana and Swedish country. Are we in the midst of a Scandinavian revival?
It does seem so. There’s a trend toward being unpretentious and relaxed and real, and people like airy spaces. The way Scandinavians bring light into a room, having these long dark winters, is amazing. People seem to like the simplicity of the historical Gustavian pieces, and the contemporary furniture is novel and a little bit wacky and very well crafted.
If you were Mrs. Blandings, how would you decorate your dream house?
No froufrou. It would have handcrafted things, some Danish, some of my designs, all simple and textured with wicker, felt, and really heavily woven linens and cottons.
What gives you the decor chills?
I don’t like things that feel sterile. There has to be some texture, like worn stairs or a beat-up antique in a minimal house. But not overdone. I love mixing things up, but not just for the sake of it. I don’t like 10,000 layers of something unless it’s an 80-year-old woman who’s been collecting all her life, and then it makes sense.
Read more at House Beautiful.com
Bureau of Jonas Hultsten, champion in Stockholm 1773-1794. Veneered with rosewood, mahogany, maple and stained hardwood and slice of red limestone.
Jonas Hultsten
Jonas Hultsten was born in 1742 and was known in Sweden as a famous furniture maker. Hultsten completed his apprenticeship with Kristian Waistband in Stockholm, and earned the title of champion in his trade. He began working within the Rococo style, but was influenced by Georg Haupt who designed around the Gustavian style. Haupt influenced his choice of motifs in wood inlays, but after his death, he developed an eye which was all his own. He is best known for creating a design with a grid pattern featuring a small flower in each box. An example can be seen in the Princess’s bedchamber at Gripsholm Castle with a chest of drawers made around 1780.
Jonas Hultsten, Seen At Bukowskis.com
Jonas Hultsten, Seen At Auktionsverket.se
Johan Åkerblad
Åkerblad was one of Sweden’s most prominent and prolific mirror maker, working mainly in the Rococo and Gustavian styles. Johan Åkerblad’s mirrors were decorated with beading around the glass and classic decorations seen in the Gustavian styles such as the bow. Johan Åkerblad’s mirrors can be found today, and demand premium prices for their craftsmanship.
Johan Åkerblad, Seen At Auktionsverket.se
Johan Åkerblad Seen At Bukowskis Market
Gustav III’s collapsible bed by Georg Haupt, located at Drottningholm Palace-
Picture Credit- godsochgardar.se
Georg Haupt
Georg Haupt, born in 1741 in Stockholm , died September 18 1784 , was a Swedish craftsman and one of the most famous designers of Gustavian furniture. He became a cabinetmaker to King Adolphus Frederick in 1769, and was known as a master carpenter and burgess in Stockholm in 1770 and 1771.
Haupt was the son of a Nuremberg carpenter, and learnt his trade as an apprentice of Johan Conrad Eckstein in Stockholm. His grandfather was an art maker Jurgen Haupt who in the 1660s immigrated to Stockholm from Nuremberg. He travelled as a journeyman to Amsterdam, Paris and London, and learned the trade during a period when the French rococo had been quite fashionable in Swedish furniture design. When he arrived in Paris in 1764, the neoclassical style, under the name Louis XVI was gaining popularity. Many speculate he was employed in the workshop of Simon Oeben, the brother of the better-known Jean-François Oeben.
One of his most famous piece of furniture was Gustav IV Adolf’s cradle. It was King Adolf Fredrik’s gift to his wife, Louisa. It got its place in the marble cabinet at Drottningholm Palace. His first royal commission was to be a desk intended as a gift for the Queen. After some pressure from the King, the Stockholm carpentry guild allowed him to use the completed piece to qualify as a master, even though journeymen older than him waiting for their turn. When he was allowed into the Guild in 1770, he became a burgess in Stockholm the following year. He establishing a workshop in rented premises at Trumpetarbacken, Norrmalm, which allowed him to employ four journeymen and a few apprentices to produce furniture for the royal court and the Swedish social and economic elite.
A signed Haupt agency was sold in 1989 to Bukowski to 12.2 million kroner at the Smaland financial man Roy Gustafsson, making it Sweden’s second most expensive antique.
Article Credit – Wikipedia
Sophisticated neoclassical interior of the Old Town in Stockholm by Louis Masreliez.- Picture Credit- Godsochgardar.se
Louis Masreliez
Louis Masreliez (Adnen Louis Masreliez) born in 1748 in Pans, died March 19 in 1810 , was a Swedish painter, graphic artist and interior designer.
He was the older brother of ornament sculptor Jean Baptiste Masreliez and son of Jacques Adrien Masreliez, also an ornamental sculptor, invited to Sweden from France to assist in the construction of the Royal Palace .
Louis Masreliez came to Sweden in 1753, and began his education at Scribbles Academy at age 10. When the drawing academy was no training in painting , Masreliez began his studies at Lorens Gott’s workshop. In 1769 he was awarded a government scholarship, which he used for a study trip to Paris and Bologna. He returned to Sweden in 1782, where he became a member of the Academy of Art and the following year professor of history painting . His breakthrough work included Gustav Ill’s Pavilion at Haga Park.
Source- Wikipedia
Gottlieb Iwerson
Gottlieb Iwersson
Gottlieb Iwersson, born 1750. died 1813, and was known to be a famous Swedish furniture maker. He was born in Malmo , the second son of alderman in Malmo carpenters office Olof Iwersson and began his career in 1766 by an apprenticeship to his father.
In 1769, he moved to Stockholm, and became a master in 1778. Mastarprovet was a desk that was manufactured for Gustav III’s behalf, a magnificent piece of furniture with vertical facade, decorated with the Swedish national coat of arms in marquetry and extensive decorations in
gilt bronze. He worked with Louis Masreliez , and designed a desk for Gustav IV Adolf. He also worked with interior Arvfurstens palace.
He opened his own workshop in the neighborhood Ox in Stockholm in 1779, he was forced to close in 1812 due to increasing health problems. Iwerssons more famous works originated at the end of his career when he designed in the late Gustavian style, which saw veneer with dark woods like mahogany and simple brass fittings that incorporated both English and French influences.
Source- Wikipedia
Gustavus Ditzinger
Gustavus Ditzinger, was born in 1760, and died 1800. He was known as a famous Swedish furniture-maker. Ditzinger studied under Georg Haupt from 1776 and became a journeyman in 1782. He worked for Haupts widow Sara from 1784 and married her in 1789.
Ditzinger received a title of master carpenter in Stockholm in 1788. He is known for the rich inlaid furniture seen in Haga Palace and interior Arvfurstens palace. He collaborated with Louis Masreliez, and after 1790 his style changed to include furniture with mahogany veneer and simpler hardware in brass.
Source: Wikipedia
Carl Hårleman (1700-1753) was one of Sweden’s best-known and influential architects ever.
He was a central figure during the 1700s, and pushed for the influence of French Rococo on Swedish architecture and decor.
Carl was the son of a landscape architect, and trained to be an architect under the tutelage of Nicodemus Tessin Jr., one of Sweden’s great Baroque architects. Hårleman spent 1721-1725 in Paris, improving his craft, and then went to Italy to to study church architecture.
After coming home, Tessin Jr. had died, and his son Carl Gustaf had taken over as the country’s Head Architect or Superintendent. Hårleman was still a young man, around the age of 30 years old, yet he was accomplished in his talents. He had the finest architectural education of any Swede, which landed him the job of building the Swedish royal palace in Stockholm.
Tessin Jr. had planned around the Baroque style, however, France was seeing the trends steer towards the Rococo style movement. Regardless that Hårleman’s style was Rococo, he stayed faithful to Tessin Jr’s plans for the exterior, and created some of the most spectacular Rococo interiors that remain to this day.
After returning to France, to hire competent artists to finish off his various projects, they would then teach a new generation of Swedish artists and artisans,which influenced the style in Sweden for decades.
Hårleman succeeded Tessin as Superintendent, and would mold the Swedish tastes in architecture and interior decorating for a century. He also designed a number of palaces and villas, both new ones and renovation objects.
Carl Hårleman was one of the most important Swedes of the 1700s, and even though he died young at 52 years old. He was known for his architecture and interior decor, but also had his hand in landscape architecture, and created an education system to ensure that Sweden would continue secure skilled artists and artisans to continue on in the work of design, architecture and decorating royal palaces and administrative buildings when he was gone.
Here are a couple modern day interiors which incorporate many of the elements found in the Swedish style. While we all enjoy looking at historical manor homes, modern day homes can give us a better feel of how we can bring this style into our own homes. Whether it is rooms based around white, or Swedish antiques used, see how the top designers around the country have used this style in every day residences.
Jocie Sinauer’s Home Of Red Chair Antiques
Designer Shannon Bowers, featured in the Spring 2014 issue of Milieu-mag.com
Buffalo Check Twin Beds Seen On Harry Norman
Jeffrey Bilhuber- His Book The Way Home– Seen At Quintessence Blog
Designer Susan Anthony
Attic Bedroom Seen on Coastal Living.com
Taarbæk Strandvej 24, 2930 Klampenborg, lutzau.dk
Jeannette Whitson
A New Nashville House With an Old Soul – House Beautiful
Jeannette Whitson, Architect Bethany Puopolo
Frank Babb Randolph
Frank Babb Randolph
Frank Babb Randolph
Designer Ken Fulk, Seen In House Beautiful
Seaside-style dining room – House to Home
At Home with May and Axel Vervoordt- Buy The Book On Amazon
Ornate Wall Shelves – Featured In Nicky Haslam Design
Featured on Katherines Blog Auction Decorating
Sconces- Unknown Designer
Interior Designer Candida Taylor
Designer Julia Alvarez de Toledo Seen On Zoë Design
Designer Brian J. McCarthy
Designer Leta Austin Foster
Designer Leta Austin Foster
Home Of Jewelry Designer Mish Tworkowski- Elle Decor
Home Of Jewelry Designer Mish Tworkowski- Elle Decor
Brunschwig & Fils New York Showroom The tented café at the revamped Brunschwig & Fils showroom in Manhattan, Seen In Architectural Digest, Designer Michael S. Smith
Todd Chrisley’s House
Swedish Period Gustavian Secretaire £3400.00 (approx $5490 / €4013) www.dlarssoninterior.com
Scandinavian 18th and 19th C antiques have been highly sought after by dealers, designers and decorators for quite some time. In today’s market, the best of the best are still buying Gustavian and Rococo painted furniture to use as feature pieces in their projects. Because Swedish antiques are known for demanding top dollar, typically only the crème de la crème of dealers have been able to afford stocking them in their stores. When I first discovered the wholesale antique warehouses in Sweden I knew I had discovered the “low door in the wall,” and would be able to give our clients access to more Scandinavian inventory and better prices than ever before.
I’m delighted that The Antiques Diva® & Co now officially offers Scandinavian Antique Buying Tours for both the Trade as well as Design-Obsessed Tourists wanting to shop abroad. While we have 10 Antiques Diva® Tour Guides scattered across Europe and England, making us the largest antique buying service in Europe, Daniel Larsson is our first Divo – male Diva Guide – to join this all-woman-run company. Heaven help him! He might just as well be Saint Peter for he holds the keys to the kingdom of antiquing bliss as the Divo Guide on our Sweden Buying Tours.
While on tour with a recent client – discretion prevents me from name dropping this First Dibs Dealer – The Antiques Diva® & Co went “on the road” helping to stock their store. While we can do 1, 2, 3 or 4 day tours, we recommended a full-on 5 day tour with this client to fill their container as their shopping list was extensive.
At our recommendation our client flew into Copenhagen and rather than taking a customary day off to doze before starting his tour, this experienced buyer went head-on into his tour by having us pick him at the airport and start shopping his first day in northern Europe. Rejuvenated by Danish hot chocolate we took our client to some small private dealers before be-bopping to Green Square, the Mecca of Danish Décor Inspiration.
In Copenhagen a visit to Green Square is almost a rite of passage for design aficionados visiting the city. This giant warehouse is very posh in its presentation, not at all the dirty, dusty halls one normally expects when hearing the word “warehouse”. Here my dealer client filled his cup up with inspiration, whetted his appetite for the days following and scored some amazing pieces to jump start his Scandinavian buying tour.
Hungry for more, we headed to an antique vendor’s house for dinner to finish out our first day. Britt Paulsen is not only my favorite antiques dealer in Denmark but also an amazing cook. While she sells in Britain at The Blanchard Collective, at home in Denmark she opens her private home to Antiques Diva clients for antiquing straight off her own dining room walls – you get access to the inventory wholesale before it hits her retail store in England! Between pheasant pie and mascarpone and bramble for dessert, we sourced wholesale pieces, happily shopping for antiques between courses with a gorgeous glass of French wine in hand. After all, this might be a hard-core trade tour but a client can’t live on antiques alone. Wine and local foods are a necessity for Diva clients.
The next day it was off to Sweden, crossing the famous 5 mile long Øresund Bridge, destined for finding more Scandinavian treasures. For the next 4 days we shopped non-stop, crossing our way up from Malmo to Helsingborg before delving deeper into Sweden, passing by the town famous for the original Ikea store, before foraging deeper and deeper into the southern Swedish countryside to sources that can only be defined as “well off the beaten path”. One warehouse was housed in a former church, another a former train depot, another in a storage facility – a giant cavern of a warehouse – without heat and yet another in a rambling private mansion. Inside these places we found the mother lode of Scandinavian antiques, sometimes finding ourselves barely able to turn around without knocking into another chair, cabinet or armoire.
While there we learned which chair backs came from which region, easily learning to tell the various origins apart. In one wholesale store specializing in unrestored pieces we were looking for a set of 8 dining room chairs. The vendor let us pillage through a giant pile of Rococo pieces, finding 8 pieces with the same lines but painted in various colors. Then he took his knife and scraped a huge chunk out of the side of the chair, showing us centuries of layers of paint covering the chair. In Sweden, in the days of yore, it was customary to regularly repaint your furniture as part of your spring cleaning. During the month after we left the store, the vendor scratched down the chair by hand, through layers of paint, finding the perfect patina for each of the pieces. This fascinating process is unlike any experience I’ve had in the antique kingdom before and felt quite unique to shopping in Sweden.
During our time in Sweden with this particular client, we based ourselves in Helsingborg, returning each day to Diva Guide Daniel’s hometown where we stayed in a nearby hotel, enjoying the comforts of traveling with a local who toted us around in his personal car.
Before Daniel was a Divo Guide, we first knew him from shopping in his eponymously named wholesale store – D. Larsson Interior & Antikhandel. His shop is one of the best choreographed collections in Sweden, offering 18th & 19th C furniture, and when he approached me about leading our tours locally I knew with his eye for pieces perfect for export that he was the perfect person to lead our tours in Sweden.
When the week-long antique buying tour was finished with this particular trade client, we returned our client to Copenhagen to the airport to catch his international flight back home across the pond. Exhausted from all that shopping, I suspect he slept like a baby on that return flight!
And while all our client had to do was return home and wait for his inventory to arrive, Divo Guide Daniel took care of the rest of the details on the ground in Sweden. While we don’t do the shipping ourselves, we liaise our clients with international freight companies, helping our clients
post-tour by filling out the complicated customs paperwork and following up on collections and deliveries, offering full service on our European Antiquing Tours.
For more information on Antiques Diva Scandinavian Tours visit www.antiquesdiva.com or email info@antiquesdiva.com
The Antiques Diva & Co offers tours in 8 countries – France, Belgium, Italy, England, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Coming soon Portugal and Switzerland.
By Toma Clark Haines, aka The Antiques Diva®
www.antiquesdiva.com
www.antiquesdiva.com
www.antiquesdiva.com
www.antiquesdiva.com
D.Larsson Interiör & Antikhandel
I recently was able to interview Daniel Larsson, owner of D.Larsson Interiör & Antikhandel, one of Sweden’s top sources for authentic antique furniture and decor. Daniel opened his store in July 2012 and has quickly become recognized in the industry as the go-to guy for Swedish Antiques – He not only locates the goods you’re looking for but also educates you when buying your first slice of Swedish history or adding to your ever growing collection of rare Scandinavian finds.
Unlike other dealers who wouldn’t dream of sharing their sources, Daniel is a guide with The Antiques Diva® & Co European Tours which means he takes clients hand in hand to wholesale warehouses and secret sources.
Daniel has traveled around the world, and has lived in the USA, England, India, Norway, Spain and Holland, but has returned back to his roots in Helsingborg, Sweden where his main antique store is located.
He and his better half, life partner and wife- Cristina, work together to run D.Larsson Interiör & Antikhandel, a busy antique store, which offers Swedish furniture ranging from 18th to late 19th century. They specialize in presenting Gustavian painted furniture and Swedish country styled pieces. They supply directly to private or trade customers worldwide, and network with easy and reliable shipping companies. Daniel is one of six dealers in Decorative Collectives; a new Antiques Center in Petworth, Uk, where he currently features the majority of his stock.
Here are my questions for Daniel:
Q- What had you interested in antiques? Where did that passion come from?
A: I have always been interested in Interior Design and it came rather naturally to me. In my early 20s I got hooked on the modern retro Scandinavian style when I decorated my first apartment. After taking several years to tour the world I settled down with my wife in Helsingborg, Sweden and together we began to make my house a home. A friend recognizing my talent in design approached me and asked if I wanted to start a business selling antiques together. After a couple of years together we eventually decided to each go our own way – but I was hooked! I had been bitten by the antiques bug and I was committed to staying in the trade. I began to concentrate on higher quality Swedish pieces and expand my repertoire in to Baroque, Empire, Rococo and Gustavian pieces.
Q: Was there one antique that you let go, and wish you hadn’t?
A: Sigh… the one that got away. I’m dreaming of a stunning Rococo mirror (see attached pic) that I wished I would have kept for myself. I try not to get too attached to the pieces in my store – but must confess sometimes I sell items to quickly and find I don’t have enough time to enjoy them properly.
Q:Tell us a few keys to look for when determining if a piece of furniture is an authentic antique?
A: The authenticity of antiques is a complex matter, there are great books about the subject but for an untrained eye it can be very hard to spot a fake. A good way to start is by looking at the wood to check if it’s old and has a nice patina. The best thing you can do is to buy from a trustworthy dealer which will be able to give you all the information about the piece so you are sure of what you have bought. And you can always ask for a certificate of authenticity. Another tip is to always check the price, if it is to good to be true… it probably is!
Q:What are the most sought after styles right now? What are people asking you for?
A: The Gustavian style with it’s pale colors is always popular and people are also asking for good Swedish country pieces because they fit perfectly in a modern setting as well. People are looking to mix things up nowadays, it gives more caracter to a home.
Q:Like many of us who are fond of one thing over another when shopping for furniture and decor, is there a particular style or antique that your wife Cristina buys over and over? Tell us her secret antique fetish?
A: Cabinets, She always need to have at least one big cabinet in the showroom. She likes big and impressive things 🙂
Q: For New Buyers, ….what would you suggest to invest in first?
A: Always buy something that you love, follow your heart. If you want something really Swedish go for a tall case painted clock or a Gustavian sofa. Both are very decorative. Another great choice is a Rococo or Gustavian mirror as they are easy to place making a fabulous statement peace.
Q: Many Swedish dealers shun the thought of re-painting antiques. I find many dealers re-painting furniture in the most popular colors such as gray, or white, and others cringe at the thought of disturbing a finish. What are your thoughts on this?
A: The majority of Swedish painted furniture has been painted several times thru the centuries and to find one in original color is extremely difficult nowadays and when you do find them they sell for extraordinary sums. What happens sometimes is that the latest layers of paint are dry scraped to reveal traces of the original color but the majority of times this is not possible because the paint has suffered to much damage thru the years and needs to be repainted. This way the tradition continues. Don’t be mistaken; repainted pieces, if done properly are still highly valued.
Q:From a Small Business point of view, here are some pooled questions that have been asked from small furniture collectors who represent smaller markets:
How would you suggest going about determining the price for an item? Do you recommend reproduction pieces and if so what determines a good piece? How do you go about restoring pieces that are not in tip-top condition?
A: When I determine the price I look at the originality, rarity and quality of a piece. It’s also important to know the market value.
I certainly do recommend reproduction pieces especially when clients are looking for more than one-of-a-kind pieces. What often happens in the hospitality market is that they need many arm chairs of the same model and that is an impossible to find in the antique market.
I always use a specialized furniture carpenter to restore my pieces if they are not in tip – top condition. It’s important that the restoration work is done the traditional way sympathetic to the past.
Q: Finally, what should clients who wish to participate on the hardcore antiquing tours be prepared for?
A: At The Antiques Diva® & Co we’re known for giving clients access to the best little black book of antiquing address on the continent – in Sweden as well as all over Europe. On my tours I really try to educate my clients. All our tours are private and customized – and thus, when a client books a tour we inquire what they’re looking for and then we plan a route that gets them to down the back roads to the places they need to know about. On tour we translate, negotiate and then we liaise with a shipper to help get the goods home sweet home across the pond. While you can book at 1 day tour – real dealers want to delve deep into the countryside – and our trade tours can run 3 or 4 days of hard core antiquing.
Visit Daniel and Cristina’s website dlarssoninterior.com
Follow Daniel on Twitter- here
D.Larsson Interiör & Antikhandel
Wrangelsgatan 13 254 39 Helsingborg, Sweden
+46 73 438 18 43 info@dlarssoninterior.com
Picture of Daniel’s Rococo mirror that is sold.
Picture of a 18th Century Baroque Commode that has been repainted.
This picture is taken just last week (2014) of Daniel’s showroom in Helsingborg, Sweden.
Rococo Desk 1700’s
Bukowski is the leading auction house founded in 1870 by the Polish nobleman Henryk Bukowski. Bukowski Market also happens to be Sweden and Finland’s largest on-line internet site for quality auctions. Bukowski Market offers modern capabilities to the auction experience; one that combines online shopping with spectacular antiques and reliable expertise.
Bukowski pairs together buyers and sellers from around the world and allows antiques to be brought to the public for sale. All items sold at Bukowski have been reviewed by experts in showrooms in Stockholm, Gothenburg, Malmö, Helsinki, and Norrköping. Bukowski offers a large assortment of antiques, design, art and decorative items for all tastes. Before bidding from Bukowski, be sure to look at their terms of sale, and have your shipping and pick up arrangements set before bidding.
Swedish Portrait -the figure of noble women, in courtdress, within giltwood frame
The Style Saloniste posted an interview with designer Martha Angus, founder of the San Francisco-based firm, Martha Angus Inc. about her favorite style and paint colors. It turns out she loves the Gustavian Swedish styles, and gives out the paint colors she uses most often in her designs.
Q- Favorite design period?
Martha Angus: Gustavian. It’s late eighteenth-century, and feels like Louis XVI but not as grandiose. In addition, I love the painted finishes typical of the period, often in gray. Swedish design can offer a type of low-key opulence. During the Gustavian period, a light wash of paint in earth colors of light blue, gray, green and yellow was used instead of gilding. The prices of antiques vary, depending on the object. They’re now very collectible, so prices are rising fast. I’ve seen some fantastic examples at the Marche Paul-Bert at the Paris flea market, Clignancourt.
My favorite local source for Gustavian furniture is Therien & Company in Los Angeles (as well as the Therien & Co 20th-century collection at their gallery in San Francisco.)
Q: Your most versatile paint color?
Martha Angus: It’s Benjamin Moore and my special mix of half Decorator White mixed with half Linen. Works every time.
The finest paints are those designed by Donald Kaufman in New York. They are all elegant and multi-dimension and complex, so you could pick one with your eyes closed.
I’m a big fan of Farrow & Ball, colors: Parma Gray, Folly Green and Mouse’s Back are very individual and give rooms character.
Q: Which fabric could you use over and over?
MA: Heavy Belgian linen by Henry Calvin Fabrics, # 8793 “Mail Bag Linen” texture in natural. To the trade, Henry Calvin Fabrics, 151 Vermont Street, San Francisco, 415-565-1981. I often use antique textiles, tapestries, and pillows from Kathleen Taylor, The Lotus Collection, 445 Jackson Street, San Francisco, 415-398-8115.
Paula Caravelli & Martha Angus- sceneinny.com
Home Dit also features an interview with Martha Angus, where she reveals more of her love for French and Gustavian antiques.
Q: Tell us about the moment when you decided to follow a career in the field of interior design.
Martha Angus: I always felt like an artist growing up. I moved around constantly for my father’s career, so the whole idea of ‘home’, a place where you feel comfortable and can settle into, is the most important thing in the world to me. When I was a child, I absolutely fell in love with color, especially coloring books. I became so passionate about art and color, I thought “Oh, wow!” this is all I ever want to do, which led me to
eventually study painting at Carnegie Mellon and the Ecole des Beaux Arts de Paris.
When I came out of college the options for a female artist were quite limited yet art has always been a driving force in my career. As a young artist fresh out of school, I got my start as a fashion illustrator and textile designer in New York City. That eventually led to store design and high-end residential design. My work and interests are always evolving but I never abandoned my first love –painting and contemporary art. To this day, art is the most important feature in my designs. It’s usually the first thing I discuss when starting a new project.
Q:Where do you look for an obscure source of inspiration?
Martha Angus: I find inspiration in my usual trips to the Paris flea markets. I believe my ideal shop would include that sense of history, unstated elegance and fun that the French do so well. As in my projects, my ideal shop would include timeless and elegant items such a Gustavian settee or a weathered neoclassical zinc planter paired with a super chic custom designed plexi-glass bench upholstered in zebra silk-screen hide and bold Ellworth Kelly prints.
Q:What would be your recommendation for “what to do first” in a decorating project?
Martha Angus: Start with a good floor plan and remember that upholstery is the key. High quality upholstery can go a long way. Not only is it a good investment but it also brings a sense of tailoring and richness that other items can’t. Once the art and essential furniture items have been selected, accessorizing can do wonders. Scented candles and cashmere throws add a sense of luxury to a room without a significant investment. I always include small trays and boxes that bring the project down to a warm and livable level.
I always say that art is the most important aspect of a space, aside from the people collecting it. I live for bold, statement art. High art should not be treated as a mere decorative item that accessorizes a room, but almost a living element of the space – something with a very distinct personality.
Q: What’s your current paint color obsession?
Martha Angus: I believe in airy, fresh spaces that usually call for very subtle neutrals so that I can come in later and play with fun splashes of color in art, fabrics or accessories. When it comes to paint I find myself constantly going back to some Farrow and Ball colors precisely because they have that timeless elegance that relates so well with my philosophy. Some of my favorites are Middleton Pink and Arsenic.Throughout my career I have always recommended Benjamin Moore’s decorator’s white for its freshness and vibrancy. I have a life-long love affair with textiles of every kind. In fact my career started in New York City as a textile designer and fashion illustrator. I believe David Hicks style fabrics are classic and always so chic.
Q : What advice do you have for someone with a new house to decorate and perhaps a limited budget?
Martha Angus: Small changes can go a long way. I also advise my team to use color as envelopes for a room. Soft neutrals like French Gray or even Decorator’s White are great colors for walls, ceilings and trim because they can give an atmospheric look to a room and make it timeless, standing the test of time and whimsy trends. The one item I would recommend investing in is good upholstery pieces. The big items should also be covered in a neutral material that can stand the test of time. It will not only look good but will wear well for many years to come.
Pair of Swedish Late Gustavian Side Chairs- the rectangular upholstered crest rail within carved and moulded frame on foliate carved spindle supports, over upholstered seat with carved and moulded apron flanked by rosette filled blocks, raised on foliate carved round section tapering legs ending in toupee feet
San Francisco Office -Martha Angus
Martha Angus
The Neoclassical period replaced the Rococo influences during the second half of the eighteenth century. Cabinet makers responded to the excavation of Herculaneum and Pompeii with great fervor, eliminating the robust naturalistic forms of the Rococo in favor of delicate colors and a less exaggerated line. The Klismos, the original antique form of this chair, was brought to light late in the Neoclassical period in Sweden as well as other countries. The Gustavian, another name for this chair, was developed during the reign of Gustavian III who seized power in 1771. This chair is believed to have been made for the marvelous pavilion at Haga, the summer home of Swedish royalty
Pair of Roman Neoclassic Painted And Parcel Gilt Armchairs with horseshoe shaped foliate carved back with downswept arms, joined to Greek key carved seat and raised on tapering fluted legs
Pair Of Swedish Baroque Giltwood Candlesticks each of compound foliate and gadrooned tripartite form rising to flaring foliate sheathed bobeche, raised on conforming scrolling volute base, centering ribboned and foliate swagged cabochon medallion and ending in lion paw feet; now electrified and fitted with beeswax candle and calf skin shade
Swedish Neoclassic Painted Armchair- the upholstered back within conforming moulded and carved flaring frame, over urn shaped carved spindles joined by down swept supports to upholstered seat, raised on stylized foliate carved swelling round section legs ending in brass sabots and headed by rosette filled carved corner blocks; the whole retaining original paint
Swedish Karl Johan Mahogany Satinwood and Olivewood and Parcel Gilt Sofa Table- the rectangular top with satinwood stringing centering satinwood and olivewood inlaid central patera medallion and corresponding corners, with two drop leaves over breakfront apron incorporating single drawer, flanked by relief carved foliate volutes, on cluster columnar support in the early English taste, with molded socle and concave platform ending in foliate carved downward scrolling feet centering floral medallions
Swedish Karl Johan Mahogany and Parcel Gilt Center Table- the oval top with reeded edge over straight conforming apron , raised on square section tapering serpentine legs headed by blocked rosettes and ending in bronze lion paw feet supported on concave sided rectangular plinth on gold ball feet
Martha Angus – Alta Plaza Residence
Antique Gustavian window seat with pale grey blue lightly lacquered linen Rogers Goffigon fabric.
Martha Angus on One Kings Lane
Martha Angus – Alta Plaza Residence
Hampton Showhouse- Martha Angus
Hampton Showhouse- Martha Angus
Martha Angus – Manhattan Residence
Martha Angus – Manhattan Residence
Martha Angus – Manhattan Residence
Swedish winters are long, dark and dreary, so historically Swedes have always turned to lighter interiors. Swedish style isn’t all about the gray and the white interiors they are famous for, but many homes feature brighter, richer colors to decorate around.
There are so many shades and tones of paint, that it can be impossible to decide on one color. Buy sample-size colors to help you make the perfect selection. A color can look quite different at night than the day. We recently painted the outside of our home, and the color which looked to be a creamy yellow at night, turned green in the day. Be sure to try your selected colors on a few different walls to determine what suits which room. You’ll thank yourself for making this extra effort before spending $$$ on the wrong shade.
Don’t judge the room until the paint is in place, and accessories and furniture are placed. A color which may seem to bright can be toned down by wall accessories, coordinating drapes, and art work. Consider working with the off shades of the primary colors. Intead of purple, consider lilac, or a raspberry tint.
Consider whether you are a warm or cool person. I once was asked this by a hairdresser, looking to choose a shade of blonde. I never gave it much thought before, but knowing which color you lean towards can certainly make picking colors a lot easier. Earthy reds, dusty warm plums, and rusty golds are in the warm color range. Silver blues, mint, and lavenders are colors which are cooler.
Advice From Pros
“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works” Steve Jobs
“Green pigment was expensive in the 18th century, making it a status symbol. So it would have been appropriate for the royal governor’s house. I’ve been a curator at Colonial Williamsburg for 20 years, and when my husband and I lived in a historic house, we had similar green woodwork. It worked with every fabric I wanted to use, and it’s a great mood enhancer—chlorophyll for the spirit!” —Liza Gusler
“People think that they need to use small furniture and light colors to make a small room look big, but that’s not the case at all. Dark colors and just a few pieces of large-scale furniture, with the appropriate lighting and accessories, can give a room a larger, more luxurious feel.” —Mona Hajj
“Everything else in my house is off-white and grey, and I just had to have a break from that. I was looking at my pond, which is this murky shade of acid green, and I thought, ‘I’ll do that in high gloss to make it even more watery and translucent.’ It’s strange, but I love it.” —Stephen Sills
“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” – Coco Chanel
“While looking at one of my first New York apartments, David Hicks told me diplomatically,’Dear boy, if you’re going to paint the walls white, you need art.'” Peter Dunham
“The only time white curtain lining should be used is with white curtains- J Randall Powers
“Use the precious for everyday purposes. We’ll rummage through clients closets and find loads of precious hand-me-downs like porcelain vases and crystal that are a bit out of vogue. We’ll use them for completely ordinary purposes – a case becomes a chic pencil holder, a crystal bowl holds makeup brushes. Turn the ordinary into a special moment” Benjamin Dhong
“I learned that passion about objects and furnishings makes for fearless decorators—and that if you are comfortable in your home, everyone else will be too. That sense of authenticity is what gives a home its soul.”- Courtnay Daniels Haden
“The most elegant interiors are just slightly tatty.” – David Netto
“Playing it safe. Instead, put a large-scale printed fabric or wallpaper on the walls and even the ceiling. It’s easier, safer, and less expensive to be dramatic in a small space. You might get tired of a bold print in the main living area, but it can make a smaller, less-used room an exciting space to spend time.” —Victoria Neale
Guest Post By Corey Amaro, Tongue In Cheek Blog
Crystal chandeliers sparkle like stars above A. Tyner’s Swedish antiques booth in Marburger.
The Antique fair in Roundtop, Texas is a sight to behold even if you don’t like antiques. The amount of foreign antiques, museum like quality, history that you can touch, feel and soak in is literally mind boggling. The dealers are knowledgeable, passionate about their business and share their wealth of history freely.
Most of the items I cannot afford. But that does not stop me from going in, asking a million and one questions. Antique dealers love to talk shop… how lucky I am to gain from their wealth of experience and to stand amongst such beauty. What amazing craftsman and women walked before us, leaving such elements of a life once lived with grace and elegance, a worthy path to follow.
A Tyner Antiques are one of the largest importers of Swedish antiques in America. They have been in the antique business for over fifteen years. Their stand in Marburger is an incredible wealth of beauty. Painted furniture is something I adore, so stumbling into their booth felt like I had fallen into an eighteen century Swedish home finding myself happily at home.
When I dared pick myself up and back into reality, I asked if I could take a photo, I found myself happily engaged in a most interesting conversation about Swedish antiques and their antique business. Thank you Angie and Rex for your allowing me to peek into your world.
French eighteen and nineteen century printed and embroidery silk panels. (picture below)
Due to the storm last night some of the tents leaked, worse, had water running through them. Some rugs, fabric, and upholstered items were soaked.
Though most things were protected, the dealers were fretfully worried that their pieces might be ruined.
Interiors with Provenance specializes in antiques from around the world, including antique oriental carpets, textiles, furniture, decorative accessories, and fine art from purveyors, Deborah Gott and Ken March. Their booth is right behind Lynn’s so I often peek inside.
Their collection of printed linen, silks, tapestries is worthy of a trip, they have something for every pocket book and are the kindest folk to talk to.
Usually these globe de mariage (Napolean the III with a glass dome and a painted black wooded base) contained a bride’s wedding wreath and other marriage tokens surrounded by gold leaf styled symbols. Fete de Fleur describes it best…
Though the globes (glass domes) also were used to guard other souvenirs: Flowers, birds, butterflies and religious artifacts.
I think I might have to have a couple of those globe de mariage … as big as a house please to store my souvenirs of Marburger!
About The Author:
Corey Amaro, author of Tongue In Cheek Blog, and Tongue In Cheek Antiques– has been living in France for twenty five years, and fell in love with France while meeting her husband, who was a Frenchman, while dancing in San Francisco. Now, with two children in their twenties, she has time to spill about her favorite hobbies and thoughts on her blog.
Garbo Interiors was founded by Anneli Ullman and Barbro Sahlin. After training in design and decor, both in Sweden and abroad, the two decided to start the furniture shop Carin and Carl in central Stockholm in 2002. New opportunities opened up in 2007, where a large hotel in Stockholm needed redecorating, which resulted in Carin and Carl’s closing.
Since then, the concept of Carin, and Carl has grown, with greater perspective and new ideas, and is now – Garbo Brahegatan 21. At Garbo, you will find Swedish-made custom reproductions of Gustavian furniture. They carry genuine antiques, vintage furniture and accessories.
Garbo can help you choose colors, textiles, furniture and accessories. Let them design your room on your behalf! They manufacture furniture, with the right fittings, and work closely with the carpentry and craftsman as painters, tilers and dressmakers.
Please contact them below:
Besöksadress
Garbo Interiors
Brahegatan 21
114 37 Stockholm
Barbro Sahlin, Mobil: 073-338 56 08
Anneli Witasp Ullman, Mobil: 070-331 30 79
Custom Reproduction Gustavian Furniture
Louis XV Limed Oak Chest
In 1975, Frantz Hemeleers opened a small shop in Etterbeek (Brussels), and over time, it has been known as the place to get quality antiques. Gradually over time, the business acquired more substantial antiques of higher quality, such as polished wood, and marquetry. Today the company features antiques which have been brought in from France, England, Spain, and Sweden. They are known to carry stock consisting of furniture and objects from French, English, Swedish and Belgian from the 17th, 18th, 19th and 20th century.
To ensure the best quality antiques for your home, their furniture passes through the hands of the carpenter before being offered to customers. Besides a wide selection of furniture such as desks, bookcases, tables, chairs, sofas, cabinets, and consoles, Frantz Hemeleers offers a range of paintings, lamps, chandeliers, bronzes, mirrors, and silverware.
Visit this shop in person at the address below, or find them online at Frantz Hemeleers
Frantz Hemeleers Antiques
Avenue des Casernes 61
1040 Bruxelles
Tél. 02.640.29.16
Fax. 02.640.83.21
Email. info@frantzhemeleers.com
Bonheur du jour Inlaid Table
Buffet Half Demi Lune Mahogany With Marble
Empire Mahogany Chest
Small Cabinet With Marble Post Gustavian
Marble Console Louis XV
Beveled mirror in gilded wood
Pier mirror – Mirror Louis XVI polychrome wood
Large Extension Table In Cherry – Charles X
Post Gustavian Blond Mahogany Dresser
Pair Of Bedside Tables
Pair of Empire style furniture corner tables
Petite Gustavian Style Table
Double post Gustavian body
Post Gustavian Giltwood Mirror
Pier Gustavian Giltwood Mirror
Giltwood Mirror Louis XVI Style
Gilded Console Louis XV Style
Buffet With Vitrine Gustavian
2-Door Buffet Post Gustavian
Buffet Two Post-Gustavian
Console Table Stunning Patina
Grande Bibliothèque
Game Table In Mahogany
Georgian Mirror
Gustavian Inlaid Chest In Cherry
Table polychrome style Louis XV
Small Elm Limed Table
Swedish state secretary painted Halsing
Table Set In Pine
All Furniture Pictures Found At Frantz Hemeleers Antiques
Rococo Period Clock– The Dial Is Marked Stockholm.
Uppsala Auktionskammare is known to present some of the finest collections of antique furniture. Uppsala Auktionskammare has been known to feature exquisite collections of silver, furniture, and art from Swedish private homes at their auctions. In the spring of 2008, Sweden’s most expensive furniture ever was sold at Uppsala Auktionskammare, a unique bureau by Nils Dahlin for 18 million.
They carry a beautiful selection of European art; everything from the Renaissance until the late 19th century. They are known to collect an array of antiques from mirrors, table clocks, chandeliers, table lamps, candlesticks,bronzes, figurines, and much more.
They are known to carry mirrors, candlesticks and bronzes by the following masters: Burchard Precht, Pierre-Philippe Thomire, Carl Henrik Brolin, Ehrhart Göbel, Johan Åkerblad, Fredrik Ludvig Rung, Niclas Meunier, and others.
Uppsala Auktionskammare features many prominent furniture designers such as Gottlieb Iwersson, George Haupt, Nils Dahlin, Christian Linning, Ephraim Ståhl, Jonas Hultstén, Anders Lundelius, Gustaf Foltiern.
They also are known to feature silver from Pehr Zethelius, Jonas T. Ronander, Petter Eneroth, Gustaf Stafhell, Arvid Floberg, Isak Sauer and Kilian Kelson
Check out some of Gustavian furniture and decorative collections from Uppsala Auktionskammare below…..
A Gustavian Chest of drawers, attributed to Jonas Hultstén.
A Swedish Gustavian Chest Of Drawers, by Nils Petter Stenström.
A Pair of Swedish Gustavian Armchairs.
Picture Credit-Toronto’s Best Dressed
Designer Colette van den Thillart is a very talented designer whose work has been featured in some of the biggest magazines such as Canadian House & Home Magazine and Traditional Home. This Canadian designer works as the creative director of NH Design and certainly doesn’t mind breaking the rules and going her own way.
Colette is currently working on an 18th Century estate in Denmark that we hope to see some time soon. We cannot wait to see what this beautiful home looks like, and whether she will keep with the traditional schemes that are often found in 18th century or if she will incorporate modern elements in to the design.
Achica Living had an interesting interview with Thillart, where she gave her top 10 unexpected design tips. In the Achica Living article she suggests to create multi purpose rooms, than typical living-rooms, kitchens and bedrooms. She suggests in vertical houses with tall walls that libraries could be incorporated into dining rooms.
Here are some excellent examples:
1. Home Beautiful Magazine features a wonderful dining space with an extravagant cabinet that reminds me of some of the elements in the Drottningholm Palace Library. Designer Myra Hoefer’s California home’s unique library and office features a large table perfect hosting dinner parties.
2. This dining room features a round table with brighter green colored slipcovers. The wall cabinets have wired fronts exposing a large collection of books.
3. This Ketchum, Idaho home features a lengthy white painted table with a large collection of antique books featured on built in black bookcases.
4. This dining room features a paired down approach, with books stacked on industrial metal shelves. The look gives this room a clean look, yet the books give this room a lot of detail to look at.
All The Best Blog also interviewed Thilart, and here are some of the questions and answers I found most interesting…..
Q: What books are currently on your bedside table?
A: Savage Beauty – The Life of Edna St. Vincent Millay by Nancy Milford
Citizen of the World – The Life of Pierre Elliott Trudeau by John English
The Book of Symbols– Reflections on Archetypal Images, Taschen
Redeeming Features – Nicky Haslam
French painted blue and gold dining chairs featured in Traditional Home Magazine
Watch this video featuring Colette van den Thillart, who adds European touches to a classic Ontario cottage without losing its rustic feel. Barn boards and crockery lamps work beautifully with Windsor chairs, antiques and pretty designer fabrics
A sitting area within the master bedroom doubles the comfort and elegance. The lilac-and-white bedroom was inspired by Canada’s northern light. The headboard was custom designed by Colette.- Traditional Home Magazine
18th-century engravings, Lilac Draperies – French Sofa
The hallway is a study in neutrals with wall-to-wall seagrass and patterned wallpaper. Colette accessorized the foyer with gilded antlers, a unique art piece with a plaster frame and warm white furnishings, including an 18th-century Russian side chair. From Canadian House & Home
This pedestal table with matching cane back chairs features a hand-rubbed grey finish. Beige linen seats complete the upscale look.
Gustav Foldover Table and Chairs. Table, $1998; armchair, $699. Available at The Art Shoppe.
See more products inspired by Colette van den Thillart’s London home, featured in our January 2011 issue, in our gallery. Plus, watch a tour of Colette’s cottage.
Designer Colette van den Thillart’s daughters, Ava, 9, and Hannah, 11. Each bed is framed by a chintz canopy for a soft and romantic look.
For more than 40 years interior designers throughout the United States and Canada, Sarreid Ltd has been known as being an innovator in the home furnishings field since 1967. After receiving many requests from customers to provide them with identical pieces of the best selling items, Sarreid Ltd finally decided to manufacture the best of their furnishings that could be then made available to the public on a wider scale.
Their goal was to make exact replicas of the original antique that they had in their possession, so they could produce quality pieces that look identical to the originals. Every item could be made using the original techniques seen on the pieces themselves by skilled craftsmen who restore Sarreid’s genuine antiques. Their reproductions look like thousand dollar 18th century antique furniture. This is partly due to the amazing skills of their craftsmen, (whom they recruit from all over the world), but also the steps they take to make the furniture look genuine. They start with reclaimed wood, and every item is hand finished by their team of antique restorers, replicating the finish of the original antique in every detail. The end result is that each replica is unique in its own way, just like the original. Expansion, shrinkage, small cracks, and wood imperfections are all inherent qualities of their product.
Some of their pieces come with a unique story. The painted blue chest (above) was almost was lost….
“I will pay now and pick it up in an hour,” I said to Monsiuer Bersaut at the flea market in Lille. Someone must have overheard me because when I returned the Louis XVI style French Bahut was already “collected”. Lille has one long street so I called two other dealers and started looking. An hour later we found the sideboard tucked behind a car. Since then I always leave a code name for the goods to be collected. We liked it so much we had our great craftsmen make an exact replica”
Sarreid sells exclusively to fine furniture stores and design galleries.
French Provincial Ebony Rub Oak Chest Dresser Sold By Marcia Treasures on Ebay
“Buying antiques in Sweden is a special job. Although I speak Dutch I still do not understand one word of what they say. The Dutch word tafel (table) is bord in Swedish, and bord in Dutch is a plate. A chest of drawers in Swedish is Byra, but if you order a Byra in Holland you get a nice cold Heineken. Anyway, I was very excited when I bought an early 19th century chest of drawers in Gustavian style. We liked it so much that we asked our craftsmen to make an exact replica.”
For fifty years Dennis & Leen has been creating authentic reproductions from highly noted collection of original 17th and 18th century antiques. Known for using only the finest quality of materials, detailing and superb centuries-old finishes. Dennis & Lean offers an extensive line of tables, chairs,cabinets,consoles, mirrors, stone mantelpieces, art and accessories. Above we see the San Marco Corner Cabinet with intricate hardware and 22k gold accents and a lovely painted finish.
Here, you can see the old world faux finishes on the walls really brings together a historical presence in this room. The furniture, as well as the walls are painted with detail for an old world charm. The focal table in the center to the upright statues all have the same distressed finish. French chairs with distressed frames complement the worn leather which they are upholstered in. The orange really complements a room that is based on grays, beige, and whites. You can see in the distance a bit of blue on the door frame, and in the over sized jar that sits on a table. Black and gold really pop against the all white interior.
This heroic scaled mirror is an exact reproduction of an 18th century original antique belonging to the owners of Dennis & Leen. The elaborate carvings and burnished 22-karat gold frame is worn to an authentic patina and enhanced by its aged and split restoration mirror plate.
The Paper Mulberry featured some fabulous Swedish photos of Lars Sjoberg’s house which were featured in Country Style by Judith and Martin Miller. Judith Miller is the co-founder of the hugely successful annual publication Miller’s Antiques Price Guide. All of her books are really well done, especially her antique guides. She is an author of dozens of books, many of which I really look forward to.
Judith’s Country Style details the warmth and strength of the rural tradition in interior design. The book details more than 400 stunning photographs of homes throughout Europe and North America. All the elements essential to creating a country style are covered: furniture, table and kitchenware, floor and wall surfaces, and architectural details. Although I have not had a chance to review this book myself, it looks incredibly interesting if you are looking to decorate in the country styles of Scandinavian or American influences. Judith’s Country Style can also be purchased on Amazon.
I invested in Millers Antiques Encyclopedia, and am looking forward to buying Furniture: World Styles from Classical to Contemporary. Millers Antiques Encyclopedia is only book I keep beside my desk. Miller is the co-author and author of several other , including , More Period Details : The House Renovator’s Bible , Period Finishes and Effects, and Influential Styles.
Additional Books:
Period Kitchens: A Practical Guide to Period-Style Decorating (Period Companions) by Judith Miller (Jun 1995)
Period Fireplaces: A Practical Guide to Period-Style Decorating (Period Companions) by Judith Miller (Jun 1995)
Classic Country Colour: Naturliche Farben fur jeden Raum by Judith Miller
I have not bought or had a chance to look at her Period Finishes, which looks incredibly intriguing. This book is designed for the designer or decorator looking for
a comprehensive catalog of “out of the ordinary” finishes. Suzan Nettleship describes this book as NOT your typical handbook for the weekend “do-it-yourself”
decorator/painter finishes, which is exactly the type of paint books I like to buy. It looks like you can buy this book for $20 dollars with free shipping. In my post with my friend Melanie I detail some painting books that we both agree are the best in the market.
What can I say about Lars Sjoberg? He is amazing!! I love his work, and he is one of the best designers when it comes to Swedish antique decorating.
Lets look at this room in particular……………..
He features two Swedish Rococo Style chairs, one with a natural aged patina, and another painted a classic yellow ochre. The most typical colors from the Gustavian period were gray, Swedish blue, and yellow ochre. It has been known that in ancient times Sienna- A clay that contains iron and manganese, has in it’s raw state the appearance of dark and rich yellow ochre.
If you are looking to paint a piece of furniture, consider painting your piece in an eggshell as close to the antique color of orchre as possible.
Daniel Smith has a wonderful Acrylic Paint in Yellow Ochre in an oil based paint, that is meant for paintings. These sort of paints dry to the touch over a weeks period. As you can see the color is very rich.
Genuine or Reproduction Swedish Chairs are very hard to find. My suggestion is to either buy a genuine one from a dealer, or find something that may work with the style.
Blue and white check patterns are hard to find. I often have trouble finding a heavy linen, or woven material adequate enough to use as upholstery. Often times the gingham fabrics are wonderful to look at, but most times incredibly thin to upholster with.
A company on amazon called Linen Tablecloths sell a number of beautiful classic check table cloths for about the same money that a yard of fabric costs. One comment on amazon said that her table cloth shrunk quite a bit in the wash, so consider getting the largest size and prewash it, and iron it before applying it to your furniture.
This wonderful tablecloth by Mahogany might be the best one yet! The pattern is smaller in scale. It is an excellent table cloth, and one to consider for upholstery. It comes in black and white, a bright Swedish blue and white, and red and white.
60 x 102 Inch Checkered Tablecloth Blue and White
Check out this wonderful Blue Hill Classic Tavern Check. You couldn’t get any more Swedish than this fabric.
Blue Hill, 52″x90″; Classic Blue Tavern Check, Flannel Backed, Vinyl Tablecloth; “Made in the U.S.A”
Blue Hill, 52″x90″; Classic Red Tavern Check, Flannel Backed, Vinyl Tablecloth; “Made in the U.S.A”
Durable Hand Woven 100% Cotton Red Picnic Check Tablecloth 54″ X 90″
Durable Hand Woven 100% Cotton Blue Picnic Check Tablecloth 60″ X 60″
100% Cotton Jacquard Check Dishtowel Yellow Honey Bee 18″ X 28″ Set / 6
Mahogany Large Check 100-Percent Cotton 60-Inch By 90-Inch Euro Tablecloth, Red and White
This picture was blown up to show you how lovely the portrait painting is in this room.
Investing in some quality antique LOOKING oil paintings can really turn your room into more of a historical look.
Check out my page on my favorite 100 oil reproduction paintings, and keep your eye on ebay for some portrait paintings for your rooms.
I have been thinking about this lovely handpainted portrait painting for my home, as the colors are hues of blue. Keep an eye on ebay and you will find affordable oil paintings that work with the colors of your room.
Classic Art of Old Masters- Officer in Uniform
Completely Handpainted Reproduction Painting Beautiful Young Girl in a Grey and Red Dress
Completely Handpainted Reproduction Painting Little Girl in A Blue Dress
Another beautiful detail in this room is the simple wall stripe on the top of the walls. Sjoberg shows us how easy it is to add some interest to the walls without going into complex patterns. You can see he has formed boxes with paint to look like moldings. In the following pictures, he creates an extra special place for a wing chair. Painting frames on the wall can give extra attention to your furniture. Symmetry, or balance to a room is important to the Swedish look .
Some additional furniture that has the Swedish Looks:
3 Pc Cherry Finish Wood Empire Style Nesting Table Set
Weathered Three Drawer Cabinet in Red
Hand-painted Louis Xv Bombe Chest
Tyndale Accent Table – Bailey Street -6003250
Bailey Street 6043208 Dylan Table
Boutique 3P2/LN YO95 Avocado/Linen Decorator Fabric
Cooper Classics Isabelle Pine Console Table
Fluted Half Column Set (plane Capital) F4
Grandfather Clock in Rich Brown – Coaster
Infinity Instruments The Dais – Distressed Round Table Clock
Design Hole Online has some interesting pictures of alternatives to bed canopies, such as ones which anchor to the ceiling. Beautiful wood bed canopies are very hard to find. One thought that came to mind is to bend plastic molding onto a backing of some sort. Home Renovators on amazon has some stunning ornate crown molding that might or might not bend. Although as you see in this design, it is rectangular, instead of the classic round, so bending wouldn’t be an issue if you wanted to interpret or copy this look. This Rococo could be a wonderful look to a bedroom based around a Swedish Gustavian style. These bed canopies are also called bed coronets.
For more than ten years, Noir has been designing, building and importing a unique collection of home furnishings. The company emphasizes their collections around natural fabrics, carved furniture and outstanding finishes. The best thing about Noir is they base their collections around the very best designs of our time. In their collections, you will see a variety of furniture from key designs in history such as Empire, English, French and Gustavian looking pieces.
Noir builds their furniture using high quality solid wood, instead of composite woods. You would be surprised to learn that some of the most recognized furniture brands which used to build in wood, are now gravitating towards composite woods to save money. Noir uses solid wood, something that is almost forgotten in a world concerned about the bottom dollar. Buying solid wood will ensure that your furniture will stay in your family for years to come.
Wood washes have become extremely popular in the last 10 years. Some of the best reproduction designers such as Restoration Hardware have been building furniture that combine the best of painted furniture and the beauty of wood in a wash finish. With painted furniture, you often don’t get the detail of the wood, and additionally wood left alone can look rather plain. Washing wood gives you the extra edge towards an appearance of aged furniture that we have all come to enjoy.
Noir’s Gustavian Pieces……
I am particularly thrilled with the Fabian three seater sofa in a weathered finish, as well as the Fabian loveseat. With this collection, they have also produced an armchair to complete the collection. It seems as though the Louis XVI styles,(square back chairs, and sofas) can be challenging to find locally, but they are still widely available through dealers, ebay and amazon of all places. Gustavian collections such as these three pieces are incredibly hard to find and some what rare to have available in a reproduction, which makes this collection particularly exciting! Scroll through their website, and find dealers who carry the Noir furniture here.
Gustavian Swedish Pier Mirror From Mallett Antiques
A pier mirror is a mirror which is placed between two windows. These mirrors are generally of a long and tall shape to fit the space. 18th century buildings often featured long windows, which the mirrors were created to complement. These mirrors were commonly seen as a decorating feature in the rooms of large 18th century houses.
Live Auctioneers displays a rectangular pier mirror that has a beautiful urn over a frieze carved with laurel leaf swags and flowers and fluted apron below. They estimate this mirror is between $3,000 – $5,000
Ruby Lane also has a rare 19th century pier mirror in gilt wood with bright green paint. The mirror features interesting carvings with garlands and acanthus leaves and is a style that is reflective of the Empire style. Circa 1800-20. $1,850
Neal Auction also has a Swedish Rococo carved giltwood mirror that features a basket of flowers, cornucopia brackets, rectangular mirror plate with reticulated rococo surround. This mirror sold for $1,673. Check out this amazing pair of American late carved gilded pier mirrors that sold for $5,078.
Laserow Antiques has some of the most beautiful antique Swedish furniture around. Here we see a Swedish signed Gustvian Wall Clock, from the period between 1790-1810. Signed on face is the name of Wihl Pauli, Stockholm. Second, we see a Gustavian Wall Clock in Gilt wood made in Sweden during the late Gustavian period between 1790-1810. This lovely gilt wood wall clock is decorated with all the typical Gustavian symbolics such as columns, pearl beading, urns shapes, swags etc. The clock was made in Stockholm by Welter.
Here are our favorites
– A corner sofa made in Sweden during the Gustavian period 1790-1810. Custom made for a country house. Corner flowers and carved railings.- here
-A gorgeous black painted secretary made during the baroque period 1650-1750 in Sweden. Cabinet top with shelving and wiring department with interior of small drawers and compartments. Base with 3 drawers.- here
-A beautiful Gustavian armchair made 1790-1810 in Sweden with traditional carvings for the period such as: Braided carvings along the frieze, armrests and back. Legs are rounded and channeled.-here
-A lovely armchair from the Rococo period with amazing carvings and curved shapes. Frieze and back splat is decorated with carved flowers and leaves. The scrolled legs and armrests are typical for the Rococo period.-here
-large Swedish desk made during the Gustavian period ca 1775-1790. Repainted in soft distressed black . 2 long working drawers. Original hardware.- here
A pair of late Gustavian chairs with a generous seat and a curved splat inspired by antique roman “sulla” models. Leaf boarder on the frieze and back. The fleurons on the back harmonize with those on the corners above the legs. Chair was made in Stockholm.
A white painted cabinet from Sweden with glass doors and a cabinet base.
A pair of barrel back chairs in ALL original. Stripped to their original paint. Curved backs with leaf tip carvings symmetrical to the carvings on the frieze. Turned foot cross connecting the rounded legs with leaf decor. Circular corner decorations.
Pair of Swedish Gustavian stools in a large size. Curved frieze with leaf tip carvings and fluted legs decorated with channels, attached to the frieze with a rounded corner flower. The curved and rounded shapes shows that the stools were made during the early part of the Gustavian period.Signature HIGK on underside of frieze.
A Swedish tin stand used here for walking sticks
Giltwood mirror made in the transition between the high Gustavian and Late Gustavian period, 1780. The mirror is not signed but attributed to the greatest mirror maker in Sweden during the Gustavian Period (1751-1799). A very similar mirror was made by Niklas Sundström.
A gilt wood mirror made during the transition period between Rococo and the Gustavian period 1780. Signed by Niklas Sundström who was a mirror maker in Stockholm 1754-1781. The mirror has a rectangular frame characteristic for the Gustavian period with carved decorations such as the rocaille the symbol for the Rococo period.
Everyone knows Rachel Ashwell for her french country “shabby chic” approach to decorating. Rachels new book The Shabby Chic Home by Rachel Ashwell will be released on Jun 5, 2012. I had no idea she was releasing a new book, and along the way of looking into what has been up with Rachel, I learned that she produced a Swedish inspired line for the mega department store Target. Why did I never see this before? Perhaps this is REALLY old news, but I cannot help to show you the handful of pieces that she produced. The collection isn’t sold in stores, but rather online at Target. The collection was inspired after Gustavian Swedish furniture, which makes it really exciting to see styles that are offered at exceptionally low prices.
Her line has a number of bedding, and textiles and a handful of furniture pieces. The most interesting in the collection are these 5 pieces:
(If the item is not in stock, after phoning Target, they do re-stock the furniture, it just may take a month)
Simply Shabby Chic® Swedish Style Classic 3-Drawer Chest – Sour Cream $329
Shabby Chic Nightstand– Swedish Gustavian Style $179 Target
Simply Shabby Chic® Fluted Leg Demilune Table Target $144
Gustavian Fluted Leg Stool Target $45
Fluted Leg Computer Desk Target $289
The pieces don’t compare in quality to the Chelsea Textiles Gustavian line of furniture. Their Swedish Bureau is made of solid wood, and the tapered legs line up with slanted frame of the chest. Chelsea asks $1,500 for their chest which is very reasonable because it is made of genuine wood and the paint finish is much like a genuine Gustavian antique.
Rachel Ashwell Nightstand
Simply Shabby Chic Classic 3-Drawer Chest Rachel Ashwell For Target
Rachel Ashwells Gustavian Chest……..
After seeing Rachel’s line, she sells both a nightstand ($144) and a chest ($389)for fractions of the price of a real antique. Of course, a real antique is created from hand, and has the details and paint of the period in which it is made from. If you fall in love with a period antique, I would highly suggest buying the real thing.
Although the beauty of Rachel’s line is the looks of Gustavian furniture are affordable enough to get you started collecting Gustavian styled furniture without the hefty price points of genuine antiques.
It is easy for people who live in Sweden to come across Swedish antiques and pay a decent price for them, but those around the world don’t have access to these styles, the styles can range in the thousands for just one dresser or console table.
The shape of Rachel’s chest is wonderful. The framed drawer fronts show the extra detail that many Swedish pieces have. Paint the frame gray and highlight the details of the drawer frames in a whiter gray tone. Many of the pieces even have some extra decorative detail around the chest that appear Scandinavian in style. Consider gold leafing these details.
Rachel’s furniture collection for Target are made from composite woods much like all the other furniture target carries. Target carries inexpensive furniture at low price points, so their collections of furniture rarely are made from solid wood unless it is a dining table. Composite woods are inexpensive for companies to work with. The draw back is they can be damaged easily compared to solid wood.
You couldn’t strip the finish off this furniture, but you could re-paint the pieces in a classic gray, red, or blue. Consider giving these pieces several layers of paint which you can then lightly distress.
I have worked with Coverstain in the past, and have been extremely happy with the results. Coverstain can be tinted almost any color except black. In the past I have mixed in other darker based oil paints into Coverstain to make the colors darker. Dark gray would be an excellent color for a bottom coat on this dresser. Then re-paint it in a light beige gray and slightly wipe off the paint around the details before the paint dries.
An alternative idea is to paint an undercoat of lighter muted orange, which you could use a gray over top. Let the orange paint dry over night, and with your second coat being gray, blue or red, before the paint is dry, wipe off with a low grit sponge sander some of the paint. You would never know the orange on this chair is not wood, but rather paint. Coverstain is formulated for sanding, which makes it much different than any other oil based paint. Oil based paint is more durable than any other paint, and exactly the reason why I tend to prefer it.
To go a step further you could buy tapered legs to replace the fluted ones, and angle them like original Gustavian chests.
Is this chest really worth it at close to $400 dollars, compared to Chelseas Swedish Bureau is made of solid wood,…………..?? The decision is yours.
After Two Years Held Up Well– I purchased two of these dressers. One for my room: I painted my room a pale pink and added bead board to the bottom half, with a chair rail to finish the look. Hardwood floors and a neutral rug w/floral trim balances the white. The second went into the guest bedroom, which is painted a lavender shade. Just waiting for my Modern Home Purple Flocked Comforter to ship! The dressers were easy to put together, I reinforced w/glue. The drawers glide easily, and they’ve held up well. For the money th … see moreis set is a fabulous buy.
Shabby Chic Fan- I absolutely fell in love with this furniture. It is a great set. They are very heavy because of the great wood quality and have a charming design. It comes with two sets of knob designs and I mixed it up and used both, the metal and glass, knobs. It really looked cute. The only reason why I gave this product 4 stars is because it scratches easily. You have to be careful about what you place on top of the dresser and nightstand. I know most people have bought this furniture for their nursery or … see morekid’s room. However, I’m 26 years old and bought the set for my room and I couldn’t be happier. I was able to put it together myself within an hour or two and it wasn’t too terribly hard. You have to watch out when putting the drawers together because I kept making the mistake of placing pieces upside down haha. Also, attaching the back of the dresser was a bit tricky. But I promise that you won’t be sorry. They are really pretty and worth
the money.
T. Sawyer– We bought this chest 5 years ago for my daughter. It seemed heavy duty and good quality. When our second daughter needed a dresser we again purchased this chest since my children share a room. What a mistake! Quality between the two chests is night and day. The older one is really nice. The drawers on this new one are flimsy and do not work well. It definitely and says made in China all over it.
The colors between the older version and this new style do not match and are slightly different in height size. I am really disappointed.
Michelle-My sister bought this dresser 5 years ago. I thought I was buying the same piece when I purchased it a few weeks ago, but the quality has taken a dive since the time she purchased hers. The drawers are no longer inset and have cheap short runners instead of nice ball-bearing glides like they used to have. This causes a lot of lateral movement as it slides in and out. The drawers are also 8 inches shorter than the actual depth of the piece, so there is a lot of wasted space behind them. The … see moredetail work around the top is not as precise as it used to be and the knobs have less facets. The shade of white is quite a bit warmer as well. I still think the dresser is adorable and worth the price when it goes on sale. Shipping is reasonable and fast
Jamie- Just received this dresser. It took me about two hours to get it together by myself. I expected the wood to be low quality. It had some knicks, splinter parts in the wood and a few other flaws. The dresser is heavy! Overall, the wood quality is better than I expected. The draws stick when sliding and feel like the might fall out. For this reason, it’s probably not great for kids. Also, the dresser doesn’t hold as much as I thought it would, so really evaluate how much you need to store before b … see moreuying. It’s adorable. It really livens up my new NYC apartment and the dresser knobs are so chic. I’d recommend this to someone, but I do think the value isn’t so great. [$] is a lot for a Target dresser. Overall I think you’re paying for a stylish piece that isn’t necessarily the most practical choice.
MrsWalibug– I purchased this dresser in 2006, 5 years ago, while I was a college student. I have moved several times since then, and this dresser has held up EXCEPTIONALLY well:) The only issue I have had is that the drawers on my dresser are very difficult to slide in and out. They tend to stick and have to be worked and jiggled back into the dresser. With that said, I still love it, and feel it has a ton of character and decorative detail. I am now married and am planning on using the dresser for storage and a changing table in my child’s nursery. Don’t hesitate, this dresser is built for the long haul!
Here are the additional fluted desk sold by Rachel Ashwell, and the fluted stool. Both having amazing style! Paint these pieces up and get the Gustavian look for less!
Rachel Ashwell Fluted Gustavian Stool
Rachel Ashwell Demilune Table
Jo Lee of Swedish Interior Design talks about Swedish Antique Furniture
Shabby chic reared its ugly head about 10 years ago as a cheap way of renovating furniture and giving your home a different feel. Based on the French and Swedish painted furniture and gustavian country pieces that had become distressed with age and use, it was the perfect way to find a cheap piece of furniture – lets say a chest of drawers- and smother it with white paint followed by a bout of sandpapering. You see this at fairs like ardingly where dealers try to offload their own ‘brown’ victorian furniture with a new coat of paint.
This in turn spawned the reproduction industry that now pervades the high street with cheap Chinese imports, some of which claim a ‘7 stage antiquing process-.
What a load of cobblers.
If you are happy with the rather clunky repro look (which really is now a look in itself) then go for it. You really see the difference not just in the paint finish but the poor quality of carvings especially on repro armoires.
But actually aging a piece convincing is a lot more complicated and time consuming than just hitting the sandpaper.
First of all you need to prepare the surface to take the paint smoothly and use the right kind of paint depending on the effect you are trying to create.
Acrylic can be good in some circumstances although it has a tendency to peel if the wood beneath it moves. Emulsion can be good for some topcoat finishing techniques if used sparingly – really depends what you are trying to achieve. Also be brave and create your own colours by mixing paints to make a statement in a particular room.
Even use several layers with slightly different colours to create texture.
Next the sand paper – be very careful to use the right grade and also composition as different types and weights of sandpaper give very different results – you may end up using several different types on a single piece.
Think careful where you distress so it looks natural – where would an old piece have got knocked about and where would it be marked from usage? Its actually fairly obvious when you think about.
Sometimes work with the grain and sometimes against it for effect and go slow – you can always do more but will have to repaint if you get too carried away. ‘Slowly slowly’ is the motto for this kind of work.
The key stage is then creating the patina of dirt that would accumulate on an old piece – this is what gives it a convincing feel and an aura of authenticity. I saw a cupboard recently done by someone which had been painted and sanded back rather badly.
And that’s just what it looked like because it didn’t have the sheen of ‘dirt’ that authentic pieces have. How do to do this well is somewhat of a trade secret and its down to getting the right colour mix for the ‘antiquing’ and applying it with subtlety. Again paying attention to where dirt and grime would naturally accumulate.
This is why repro stuff looks odd because you cant mass produce this feel convincingly as it takes time and artistry to do well.
Finally you might consider finding some old handles, escutcheons etc to give the piece a further lift – its amazing how this can elevate the feel of a piece quickly and make it your own
JO LEE is director of Swedish Interior Design
1900s Swedish Gustavian Grey Dining Table Extendable,1800s Antique Marble Top Gilt console table ,1800s Antique Swedish Pine Table In White- Swedish Interior Design
1800s Antique Swedish Gustavian Sideboard, 1800s Antique Swedish highly carved gustavian white side table, 1850 antique swedish handcarved gustavian gilt sofa, 1900s swedish carved pair of gustavian carver chairs with white upholstery, 1900s swedish classic gustavian white double door sideboard, 1900s swedish gustavian carved 2 seater, 1900s swedish gustavian cabinet, 1900s antique gustavian corner cabinet-Swedish Interior Design
1800s Black Handpainted Rocking Chair, 1800s White Swedish Antique 6 leg Rocking Chair, 1800s Swedish Antique 6 leg Gungstol Rocker in Original Swedish Blue-Swedish Interior Design
Original paint ‘1836’ blue folk art Antique Swedish Mora Clock, White Antique Mora clock with gold detailing, Swedish Antique Gustavian mora clock with flower motif Swedish Interior Design
Sasha Waddell is known for her Swedish–inspired interiors for almost two decades. 20 years ago, Waddell was the leading pioneer of the Scandinavian look which is still a favorite interor design style today. The beauty of the white-on-white palette, remains to be one of the most understated, simple, natural and elegant looks in interior design. With an emphasis on painted floorboards, gray and white tones, painted furniture, elegant stenciling, and interiors bathed in pastels; Swedish decorating is here to stay.
Her work has been featured in most interior magazines and Sasha has appeared frequently on television and radio. She has also lectured on her interior design style and taught at various art schools, King’s College, Cambridge and at the Victoria & Albert Museum on Carl Larsson. Sasha was also listed in the top 100 Interior Designers by House & Garden magazine, as well as being chosen by House & Garden as one of the most influential designers in the last decade.
New Swedish Style By Sasha Waddell
Rewiew of Her Book “New Swedish Style:
Everett E. Day – Here are some practical ideas and projects for creating the Swedish Look. Some such as the instructions for creating a “Roller Blind with Lace Trim”, are
useful, some, such as “The Garden Gate Radiator Cover”, are of dubious utility
and inspiration. Authentic this book is not, but if you are interested in the
Swedish style and wish to transform a room or apartment into a semblance of the
Gustavian look on a tight budget, it may be of use to you.
Review of Her Book “New Swedish Style:
An interior designer working in London, Waddell presents the uncluttered country
style that is now being championed in such books as Perfect Country Rooms,
reviewed above. With the advice to “keep it light and simple, and always pare
down the unnecessary,” she describes Swedish interior design style, with a
special focus on Swedish arts and crafts designer Carl Larsson and his home in
Sundborn, Sweden. Most of this well-illustrated book consists of how-to projects
such as creating accents with wood, constructing curtains, and antiquing a table
with clear, easy-to-follow instructions. Similar to Rosalind Burdett’s Essential
Swedish Style (LJ 5/15/96), which contains fewer illustrations and covers a
broader range of decorating styles, Waddell’s book is recommended for interior
design collections that cater to a do-it-yourself clientele.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
18th century French Louis XVI Console with White Marble Top, 19th century Swedish Grey Four-Legged Table, circa 1850, French Antique Louis XVI Carved Wood Trumeau Mirror with garden and musical attributes, circa 1760, 18th Century French Coal Burner
Jane Moore, is the successful woman behind the shop Jane Moore, Ltd. which specializes in Swedish and French antiques. You may recall the extravagant Swedish home that was featured in March of 2008 in Veranda Magazine.
The Dallas home was remodeled and filled with beautiful Swedish antique furniture. The same house was then featured in Swedish Country Interiors, by Rhonda Eleish, Edie Van Breems.
Nobody has put together a better article than the one by Indulge Decor Blog featuring comparisons of this home between the publications of Veranda and Swedish Country Interiors.
18th C. Swedish Rococo black painted chest with rare brass hardware decorated with crown and cross, circa 1760.
19th C. Swedish White Buffet– Original Paint $4,350
18th C. white buffet duo corps, circa 1760 Jane Moore Interiors
19th C. Swedish Gustavian dark blue cupboard with original date, circa 1842 $5,280
Jane Moore Interiors, 2922 Virginia Street, Houston, Texas 77098
I have to say I am so thankful to Inspiring Interiors Blog for discovering a rare jewel on the internet. I haven’t been so excited than I am now, in a long time.
I adore Swedish antiques, and it is even more thrilling to see them showcased in 17th and 18th century stylings. Augustus Brandt Antiques, not only has incredibly captivating antiques, but their dramatic interiors are breathtaking.
Augustus Brandt is based in the UK. They specialize in English,Scandinavian, French, Italian and architectural antiques.
Looking through their website, you will see countless drop dead gorgeous antiques in magazine worthy interiors, all which can give you inspiration for faux finishings, interior paint color selections, and furniture selection ideas.
Our hats are off to Augustus Brandt Antiques for spectacular Gustavian inspiration!
Lets cross our fingers and hope they come out with a book that we can buy!
Scandinavian Gustavian Swedish Decorating- Augustus Brandt Antiques
Scandinavian Gustavian Swedish Decorating- Augustus Brandt Antiques
Scandinavian Gustavian Swedish Decorating- Augustus Brandt Antiques
Scandinavian Gustavian Swedish Decorating- Augustus Brandt Antiques
Scandinavian Gustavian Swedish Decorating- Augustus Brandt Antiques
Scandinavian Gustavian Swedish Decorating- Augustus Brandt Antiques
Scandinavian Gustavian Swedish Decorating- Augustus Brandt Antiques
Swedish Secretary- Gustavian Furniture- Suzanne Kasler’s Rug Collection
Suzanne Kasler is a high-end residential interior designer whose work exudes timeless quality and comfortable sophistication. Kasler’s flair for blending art with antiques, contemporary pieces, and custom-designed furniture places her among the elite of America’s top interior designers.
She was named one of House & Garden’s “50 Tastemakers” and “one of the top 100 designers” by House Beautiful. In 2010 Elle Décor named Kasler to its list of 30 A-list designers.
Holly – author of the famous “Things That Inspire Blog” took some terrific shots of Suzanne Kasler’s booth At the Home furnishing market at America’s Mart in Atlanta. I love how the walls are sectioned up with blue on the bottom giving this room a Gustavian appeal.
Interior designer Amy Morris’s home Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles
Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles featured Interior designer Amy Morris’s home which was filled with lovely distressed Swedish antiques, and an eclectic mix of furnishings making her home comfortable and inviting to her family and friends.
Here are some of my favorite highlights of the home:
One of the home’s powder rooms features a pair of arched iron windowpane mirrors which were placed together to look like one solid mirror. The mirror and the painted wall paneling give the room a primitive feel. The vanity topped with limestone gave this room a polished appearance. The rustic elements paired with the rich stone pushed this room into absolute luxury.
Several antiques really shine in this home. The master bedroom which features serene Swedish blue and gray-white tones. A 19th-century Gustavian settee sits at the end of the bed and is from A. Tyner Antiques. The basement is just as beautiful as the rest of the house, outfitted with a distressed wood pedestal market table, with Louis XIII reproduction chairs. In the back entry hall, the floor is patterned with brick and wood to create a focal point. Matching weathered chests really steal the spotlight in this room. The distressed paint finishes feature colors of blue and cream make a Swedish statement in this room.
ORIENTAL FURNITURE sells a lovely white cabinet for $569
Furniture Woodworks sells a terrific cabinet that is currently unavailable, although it may become available in the future. They sell it unfinished.
Others to Consider:
Short-Back Split-Seat Storage Bench by LINON HOME DECOR $82.00
Acadian Collection Entryway Bench by CCT GLOBAL SOURCING INC $179.00
Somerton Wooden Storage Bench in Golden Brown by Wildon Home $165.00
BENCH COASTER 501008 by Coaster $289.00
This shoe cabinet has all the Swedish looks for your entry way. This cabinet is crafted of durable hardwood and hardwood veneer. Home
Decorators Collection sells this cabinet for $199. This cabinet isn’t as big as a regular chest making it perfect for hallways or entry ways.
The Jaclyn Entryway Storage Bench From Home Decorators Collection features Swedish looks combined with functionality. The seat features storage compartments that easily lift to tuck away everything from winter apparel to the dog’s leash. The bench is crafted out of wood construction and is sold in a walnut finish. Measurements are 30.75″Hx50″W.
Paint this bench, or strip it and lime white wash it for a look comparable to Amy Morris’s bench.
Check out the Painted Porches Country Painted Bench in Pastel Blue Green
Check out my advice when it comes to White washing raw wood furniture.
Get Amy Morris’s Look For Your Own Home:
Uttermost sells a rustic primitive looking mirror called the Ameil Metal Arch Mirror. This mirror is hand forged and made in a metal frame. The overall dimensions: are 82″ H x 42.25″ W x 114″ D. They sell this mirror for $653
Intelligent Design sells a very attractive arch mirror for $240. This mirror has terrific details, and certainly doesn’t look cheap!
If you like the look of the Louis XIII primitive style chairs, consider the Bailey Street Lassiter Chair which is finished in a bone suede complete with brass nail heads and a rich honey walnut tone. They are priced at $699.
A Louis XVI bench appears in one of the bedrooms. Acme sells a single Louis XVI bench for only $80 dollars, which could be painted, distressed and upholstered for the particular room that needs a stool.
The Hampton Vanity Stool would be spectacular against a wall. Buy two of these stools and make a feature wall shine with these delicate looking stools. The half circle really falls into the Swedish period look. The best thing about these stools is the price point. They are only $60 dollars, which gives some room for re-upholstery and a new paint finish.
Hooker sells a Radcliffe Bench that looks like a Louis XVI bench. The bench is upholstered with Taupe Zebra Fabric and sells for $675.
Foreside Iron Bird on Pedestal is made of cast iron, this bird statue measures 7-inch high. $6.43
Since everything in Sweden is made from wood, why not go with a wood painted bird? Gift Warehouse sells a set of three Folk Art painted birds. If you don’t like the color scheme, simply follow the painted pattern and re-paint them in the colors of your choice. The set costs only $11 dollars
Creative Coop sells a set of Iron Bird Statues in a creamy ivory painted finish for $16.00
Universal Lighting and Decor sells a very attractive birdcage. Often times I see some of these decor pieces come and go on Amazon, and this one is STILL available. It is made of iron, and actually quite big. The cage is 21 1/4″ high, and 12 1/4″ wide. They sell this cage for around $50 dollars. Get it while it is still available. Pair it up with a rounded plant stand for a decorative piece of furniture painted in the same color, or leave it in its rustic state for a piece of decor on a dresser or cabinet.
Space Positive sells a set of two Decorative Antique Nesting Wire Bird Cages with a curved style for $172
Two’s Company sells a very attractive Antiqued Birdcage Display Shelf which can either hang or be used as a stand. They have it priced at $254.
If you are looking for a pretty vase to hold some long stemmed orchids in, consider this cast iron Bird feeder which has a very attractive stem and base, and could be easily painted or left in its rustic state. The feeder sells for $19 dollars and is such a versatile piece. Consider it in the bathroom to hold soaps, or as a vase for faux flowers. The price is right, and the style is lovely.
Scandinavian Antiques began as a wholesale company based in Denmark 25 years ago, with business in Sweden, Germany, Russia, Italy, France and Romania. The company moved to the U.S. in 1994. Over the past 14 years they have become one of the largest European antique dealers in the West, and the largest importer of Scandinavian antiques in the country. The exceptional quality of their antiques is credit to our 2,000 sq ft workshop where skilled craftsmen ensure each piece is tenderly restored before leaving the premises. The purpose of restoring this aged furniture is to preserve its inherent value, original integrity and beauty.
White Swedish Grandfather Clock c.1780 This white Grandfather clock from Sweden and can be restored to it’s fully working condition. It’s original white paint adds a commanding presence to this piece and it is in excellent condition. Scandinavian Antiques has this clock priced at $3,250.00
Elegant Pine Country Biedermeier Secretary. Exceptional details highlight this stunning secretary. Gentle curves accentuate the doors and inner drawers. Columns and delicate finials lend a classical touch. The painted finish on this is approximately 100 years old, and can be stripped down to the beautiful Danish pine. When the desk top is extended it becomes 29″ deep. Scandinavian Antiques is selling this Secretary for $5,850.00 or make them an offer.
Antique Danish Black Distressed Chest of Drawers Dresser c.1840 This fantastic chest of drawers boasts four larger drawers for storage and a smaller upper drawer on the top. This dresser has been expertly repainted with the highest quality paints in their studio. It has been done in a manner and fashion of the 1800’s period paint. The distressing brings out it’s original charm. This highly desired painting preserves the piece for generations. Each imperfection makes the piece unique, and brings with it the joy in owning a true one-of-a-kind piece. Scandinavian Antiques allows for customization of paint colors and distressing techniques. They have this chest listed for $3,885.00
This hand painted trunk has maintained its original beautifully worn flower motif in the rosemaling style of the area. The overall color is a light red burnt orange hue and would be a nice pop of color in a home or cabin space. Even the interior of the trunk top has a lovely floral design as well, creating visual intrigue and a ‘surprise” when opened. These treasure chests of the past are perfect as antique home decor. Scandinavian Antiques is selling this trunk for $1,485.00
Antique Danish Pine Green-Blue Chest of Drawers c.1820-1840. This wonderful original 1820’s chest of drawers has been given new life with a lovely green-blue paint. Each imperfection makes the piece unique, and brings with it the joy in owning a true one-of-a-kind piece. The shape and curves of this piece are accentuated with the color and create great visual impact. Large double pulls on each side add to ease of use.
Carolyn Roehm has long been noted as one of the top interior designers in the industry. What makes her book A PASSION FOR INTERIORS– a bit different than the hundreds of decorating books on the market is her ability to stage antiques well.
She uses very minimal modern furnishings, and arranges her designs around exceptional period antiques. This book explores the best of antique designs in my opinion- Regency, Empire and Swedish. Her focus is always neoclassical and classical architecture which is found in all three designs.
Of the three homes in PASSION FOR INTERIORS, her New York apartment is designed around a neoclassical style, showing high end empire and regency furnishings, while the second home is focused around colonial furnishings and decorations. Designs often found in American colonial style often features bright upholstery and paint finishes typical of architect Robert Adam. American colonial borrows much from British furniture and has many classical elements woven through the designs. The most interesting of the three homes is the third home -Westbury. This home is a friend’s residence in Aspen, and is fashioned after 18th century Swedish design.
Wall Mounted Resin Gazelle Horns Dark Wood Plaque
Lazy Susan Wall Mounted Resin Gazelle Horns Ecru Wood Plaque
Cabela’s European Mount Moose Trophy
Pine French Provincial Signboard
African Wildlife Elephant Wall Trophy Statue Figurine Décor
Picture Credits:
Kevin Sharkey walks us through A Passion for Interiors by Carolyne Roehm. Roehm. He features 46 pictures from Roehm’s book.
New York Social Diary features a large amount of pictures of her classical inspired home in New York. This home is generously decorated with high end Empire / Regency furniture.
Crown Publishing features a generous preview of 19 fabulous pictures from Passion For Interiors.
Rustic Gustavian Swedish Furniture Carolyne Roehm
Rustic Gustavian Swedish Furniture Carolyne Roehm
This Carved Wood Bench by Lazy Susan gives a very rustic appearance to any Swedish designed room. This bench measures 33.5 x 18 x 32.5 inches.
Lazy Susan Carved Wood Candelabra
Lazy Susan Carved Wood Candleholder
Lazy Susan Carved Wood Hurricane, Small
Neoclassical Decorating -One pattern unifies four different style chairs-PASSION FOR INTERIORS
Tara Shaw has a keen eye for good looking antique furniture. Like many dealers who buy antiques from Europe and bring them to America, Tara Shaw started realizing that the treasures from Europe were slowly disappearing. She describes in Southern Woman Online that in Europe she would sleep in hotels that would cost $30 dollars a night, and trade with the dealers from four to nine o’clock in the morning, while the other dealers would arrive at 10 o’clock. She would go to Europe 5 times a year looking for these hard to find antiques.
There is no doubt this woman has worked hard to where she is today! In 2004, she built a reproduction line, which she calls Tara Shaw Maison. Her line is distinguished by the commitment to reproduce furniture that features the authentic finishes found in antiques. Her line features over sixty pieces, ranging in style from Swedish country to Italian, and Directoire. With detailed carvings, hand-rubbed paint finishes and selective distressing these pieces look genuine! Tara tells us to collect the things we love, and find out who we are. I agree! Over time, you begin to discover what you truly love, and it is a joy to be surrounded with pieces you truly adore.
1st Dibs Interview with Tara Shaw
This grand Swedish banquette offers elegant seating in a living room and is embellished with decorative floral carvings, including tulips. This handcrafted birch bench boasts a washed finish and white upholstered bench and bolsters.
This Swedish rococo bench is perfect for a living room, bedroom or foyer. Handcrafted with vintage appeal from birch, 3 distinct chair backs boasting elegant curves come together to form a long seat with carved armrests and embellishments.
Simple yet elegant, this handcrafted birch Swedish side chair boasts decorative carvings across its open oval back. Nailhead trim around its seat and columnar legs complete the unique take on a classic design.
Swedish Dining Table
Swedish Rocco Bench, Swedish Barrel Chair, Swedish Barrel Back Bergere, Swedish Candlesticks
If you love Swedish furniture, take a look at K.A.Roos who specializes in reproduction 18th century Scandinavian and European furniture. With careful attention to scale, and proportion, they are able to reproduce some of our favorite pieces to look like the genuine thing. Their careful consideration to scale, ornamental details, and hardware allows them to produce stunning collections that are very close to original Swedish 18th century furniture. K.A.Roos has a signature style of paint finishes that go through a 5 step process.
By aging and distressing the furniture, along with their extensive palette of period colors, each piece of furniture looks like a genuine antique. They also have gone as far to develop the paints used by the artists of the eighteenth century! K.A.Roos also insists on painting each item individually by hand. It is their attention to detail that allows their furniture to look truly exceptional as if it was newly purchased in 18 century Sweden!
Atelier September , located in downtown Copenhagen is known for their 17th and 18th century Swedish furniture. The company has traded antiques since 1992, and has an eye for painted antiques. They feature furniture and tableware from Scandinavia, France and Italy, mirrors, french bookcases, Swedish strokes tables, French long tables, console tables and small tables and much more. Annette Trampedach, a former architectural journalist loves the antique forms of furniture and century old paint and precious woods. They feature some of the most beautiful pictures I have come across.
Swedish Furniture And Decorating Ideas From Atelier September
Lennart Castelius Antiques & Interiors- here
LENNART Castelius ANTIQUES & FURNITURE
Klockaregården 1
314 41 Torupsgatan
073-506 56 62
Lennart@Castelius.com
Restoration Hardware never fails to impress. For some time now, they have been featuring french furniture, but have offered a line of Gothic, Modern, Colonial and Gustavian lines. There are just a few handfuls of companies who reproduce classic furniture and Restoration Hardware is one of them.
Give a person the choice of something freshly painted, and something aged with patina, they will always choose the piece that has a bit of history. Many people would rather choose something classic looking, that opt for a new design. Antiques are seen over and over in the magazines, but finding them is a different story. Magazines showcase antiques because they are often rare, and more interesting than our modern furniture, and they always offer a fresh look that isn’t seen too often.
It is nice to see a company produce an antique design with some integrity. Their Gustavian chair priced at $179 is cross between both the Swedish and French style in the 18th century. The chair is made of solid oak and has a curved top rail, shield back and comfortably upholstered seat on smoothly hand-turned, tapered legs. The French Louis XVI table is priced between $1295 – $1795 depending on the size. Gustav III brought over the french designs from France when he spent some time in Paris and Versailles, which is why most of the Swedish furniture is based on the Louis XVI styles. Hooray to Restoration Hardware, we know you have many fans!
Gustavian Medallion Collection | RH
Gustavian Spindle Back Collection
Palladianism was based on the writings of Andrea Palladio (1508–80) who was perhaps the greatest and most influential architect of the end of the 16th century. Palladio strongly governed his designs by the principles of classical antiquity, from those surviving buildings and in the writings of the 1st-century-bc architect and theorist Vitruvius. Palladio was especially popular in Europe, and gained popularity in America from the 1740’s and on.
Palladio’s work was strongly based on symmetry, perspective and the formal classical temple architecture of the ancient Romans. The style was bold, grand and featured large architectural elements such as Venetian windows and columns. Floorboards were often bare, and paired with sisal matting or oriental carpets. Ceilings were plain plastered or dressed up with plaster moldings. Walls were fully panelled and flat painted often in grey or green, wood grained or plaster covered. Furniture was made from solid or veneered walnut. From the 17th century Palladio’s interpretation of classical architecture dominated design everywhere and was known by the term Palladianism. By the 1770s, architects as Robert Adam and Sir William Chambers were in huge demand and also drew inspiration from classical forms. What made them different is that they also drew a variety of elements from ancient Greece. Their style eventually was defined as neoclassical rather than Palladian even though both styles were incredibly simular.
In Europe, the Palladian revival ended by the end of the 18th century. Most of Europe drew inspiration from the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum which gave them a peek into the past and sparked new creative design. Pattern books from architects such as Robert Adam, and James Adam fueled these new waves of cabinet and furniture makers abroad and in Europe.
If you have not heard of Judith Miller, she has the leading authors for period design. Every book that she authors I fully would recommend, as she packs each book with loads of information. The Style Sourcebook is an encyclopedic book that contains over 2300 swatches, from a extensive range of international designers.
This book goes into great detail concerning fabrics over the centuries. It is geared for the professional who puts together rooms or designs for a living. This book is a must have for a decorator who deals with design on a daily basis and needs a variety of swatches to show clients. This book is particularly unique because it covers a large amount of period textiles over the centuries. If you are looking to get a true authentic period room feel, this book is worth looking at.
It is broken down into six basic categories; Style guide, Fabrics. Wallpapers, Paints and Finishes, Tiles, and Flooring.
It begins with a style guide, a short photographic introduction to nine different design periods from medieval to the early twenty-first century. Five specific sections concentrate strictly on fabric, wallpaper, paint and finishes, tile, and flooring, capturing information (price, manufacturer, suitability, color, composition) for each color sample.
The chapters are divided into main design types florals, geometrics, pictorials, motifs, and etc, and then further subdivided into time periods: medieval, 18th Century, late 19th Century, 21st Century, and etc.
Judith Miller does an excellent job of giving a wealth of information about not only different periods but also what textiles lend themselves to these periods. The swatches are carefully reproduced in brilliant color and are accompanied by a detailed caption listing all the information necessary to order such as the manufacturer name, pattern name, size, repeats, composition and, etc.
This book is perfect for the professional who decorates and designs for a living. The book is over 400 pages and contains a wealth of information.
Swedish Blue Stefan Chair by Aidan Gray
Founder and head designer of Aidan Gray, Randal Weeks has a thing for European design and Swedish furniture. The Aidan Gray line represents everything that encompasses old world design and aesthetics. Products are made-by-hand with natural materials such as solid wood and rustic metals.
Aidan Gray is quickly becoming known for their architectural looking decorative accents and their reproduction antique furniture. Not only do they carry beautiful antique-looking furniture, but the finishes are extraordinary. Their furniture is finished using old world painted finishes and classic distressing techniques. Multiple layers of paint, glaze and waxed finishes are often skipped with most retailers as they become tedious and ridiculously expensive for most companies to make a profit, which has opened up the door to niche companies such as Aidan Gray, Barreveld, Uttermost, Restoration Hardware and Wisteria. Furthermore, being a faux painter myself, it also takes quite a bit of practice to get these antiqued painted finishes looking just right. You need the right paint combinations, because as you add paint, the overall color changes, so I appreciate a line which goes the extra mile.
Painting can be tremendously rewarding, but also quite a lot of work especially when layers of paint are involved, so it is especially nice to see a company provide the extra finishes which give more of a worn antique appearance. The best thing about Aidan Gray is YOU can sell their line, and open up your own small business.
Many retailers who sell shabby and rustic antiques tend to bring in Aidan Gray in amongst their antiques because the line brings forth more of the authentic paint finishes that are often found in Europe. In fact, many small business are even selling on ebay from the comfort of their homes instead of having a store front. Many blogs have sprung up featuring furniture staged in homes with price tags and additional pictures about the furniture which are ultimately connected with “but it now” on ebay.
Ebay has been the fastest growing online outlet, which many sites such as Esty have tried to match, that it is foolish for a small retailer not to be listed on ebay. Paypal, and Amazon have gained the peoples trust when it comes to personal securitythat most people turn to them when they decide what retailer to purchase from. Today you see big mega stores such as Target selling on amazon because that is where the people gather today. With such a niche line such as Swedish furniture, who would have the time to drive across the country to visit a specialty store? Check out some of Aidan Gray’s beautiful Swedish looks for your home, and possibly for your future store.
The Mallery Hall Collection and The European House bring to you antique Swedish furniture reproductions for half the price of true Swedish antiques. They specialize in reproducing old world distressed styles found in Tuscan furniture, the soft and feminine lines of the Victorian era, and the beauty and elegance of the French and Swedish styled furniture. The Mallery Hall Cottage Collection consists of french and Swedish styles with an array of customized distressed paint finishes. Each piece of furniture is hand-finished using old world techniques alongside modern production methods. They also offer a number of custom construction options within the context of the line. Even their French and English farmhouse tables and coffee tables can be ordered in custom sizes. You would be amazed how many natural looking Swedish furniture pieces they carry.
The European House carefully finishes each piece of furniture to create the patina of fine antiques with fittings and appliques appropriate to period furniture. Using traditional construction techniques such as tendon joints, dovetailing, pegged mortise, parquetry and hand carving, they offer high quality furniture at very reasonable price points. They work with oak, alder, teak, mahogany, pine, rubberwood, and birch woods.
Some of their finishes are distressed which gives an authentic worn antique appeal that most companies tend to skip due to the time and hand precision that is required. Waxed finishes are hand-applied over natural pine or selected painted colors. Waxed finishes are often times at first somewhat tacky to the touch, but over time hardens and produces an aged look, in addition protects the finish. Mallery Hall also uses hand applied glazing over painted colors giving it an additional authentic antique look, which is then sealed in with a clear lacquer finish.
It is important to know that Mallery Hall produces their quality furniture right in the USA, and adds new products weekly. Their furniture is customizable which can take up to 6-8 weeks to deliver. Reproduction furniture is hard to find, and trying to find a company that works with a variety of paint finishes is even more rare. Mallery Hall’s French and Swedish lines are quite impressive, that we guarantee you will find a variety of pieces that you will love!
This is only a few colors they offer. We choose our favorite colors which would fit into a French or Swedish scheme.
Uttermost Gavorrano Bombe Foyer $1,075.80
You have most likely run across some of Uttermost’s ads as they have been featured in some of the most popular home decor magazines. Their ads instantly draw you in with their stunning selection of lavish home decor, and adorable family pets. Who doesn’t love little Tilly posing in front of a glamorous mirror, which could be in your home. Bob and Belle Cooper founded The Uttermost Company in 1975, and it is still 100% owned by the Cooper family, as Mac Cooper is the CEO (who you also see in the ads), while Taz Cooper is the VP of Sales.
The company manufactures decorative home decor and accent furniture and has been in business for more than 33 years. The family owned and managed company has approximately 290 employees working out of its Rocky Mount location and has a sales force of 120 representatives throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, etc. Their product lines consist of mirrors, art, clocks, lighting, accent furniture, and accessories. They feature a wide mix of contemporary home decor but also feature many pieces for period style decorating. The first time I found their ad, I was blown away with the painted finishes which are typically found on antiques. Looking at their wide assortment of decorative pieces, they have truly incorporated a lot of different selections that could go into a wide range of styles. The select few reproduction pieces often feature exquisite faux painted finishes that would work really well in a Swedish decorated home.
Uttermost Midnight Botanicals Wall
The Beautiful Finishes Of Uttermost Furniture – See them on Amazon (affiliate Link)
Uttermost Butterfly Plants Framed
Uttermost Retonja Accent Table is an accent table, in a cream finish, featuring delicate hand painting in blueberry and vine green. The overall dimensions: 27.5″ H x 22″ W x 22″ D. The weights & dimensions:29 lbs 27″H X 22″D X 22″W
Uttermost Bozeman Distressed Blue Frame
The best part of visiting their site was learning that the company name Uttermost was inspired from Acts 1:8. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Amen to that! Possibly the founders were spirit filled Christians.
Check out my top picks of furniture and accessories that would finish off a Swedish styled home nicely.As you can see in the picture the Darby Plaque is quite large. This wall art would be grand above a door way!
The Garin Mirror which is a classic Robert Adams reproduction and features an ornate frame which is heavily antiqued with gold leaf, and then finished with a dark gray glaze. This sells for around $250 on Amazon This neoclassical looking side table is one of the nicest in their stock and could go a long way in a Swedish inspired room. This table features antiquing on iron frame with iron cross stretchers. Top is reinforced mirror and gallery shelf is clear tempered glass.
Uttermost Fortino Clock Table in Sun Washed Patina has a stunning washed patina finish. The table is made from both fir wood and MDF construction, in a rottenstone glaze. The clock is distressed walnut brown with antiqued gold accents under glass. The overall dimensions: 24.25″ H x 24.25″ W x 24.25″ D, the weights & dimensions:
Unspecified 24″H X 24″D X 24″WUttermost Chesnee Accent Table is featured in a black finish, and made with a birch veneer and solid poplar turned legs. The finish has been distressed to show wood grain. The overall dimensions: 28.75″ H x 20″ W x 16″ D. The weights & dimensions are 20 lbs 28″H X 16″D X 20″W
Uttermost Achatius Table Lamp in Maple Wash is distressed in a maple wash finish. The table is finished in a crackled metal details, silver highlights, and aged black accents. Uttermost Achatius Table Lamp comes with an oval shade in silkened golden champagne textile with scooped corners and mitered creases. The overall dimensions: 33″ H x 7″ W x 11.88″ D, the weights & dimensions are10 lbs 33″H X 11″D X 7″
Uttermost Affleck End Table, features a distressed ash finish. The end table is both a MDF and wood construction . The top is finished to show natural grain. The overall dimensions: 27″ H x 22″ W x 22″ D, the weights & dimensions 27″H X 22″D X 22″W
Uttermost Leaf Botanical Study Framed Print Set features a set of 9 framed prints. Frames have champagne silver leaf base with a gray glaze and light black distressing. Designed by Grace Feyock, the overall dimensions: 13″ H x 11″ W x 1″ D , weights & dimensions
34.26 lbs 13″H X 1″D X 11″W
Trumeau Mirror from Adalina collection. This trumeau mirror is heavily antiqued with gold leaf with burnished edges. It features a dark gray wash and dark chestnut brown details. The trumeau mirror has ornate vine and shell design details. The designer is Grace Feyock, and the overall dimensions: 68″ H x 29″ W x 2″ D, the weights & dimensions are
27.4 lbs 68″H X 2″D X 29″W
The Avidan Mirror, 3 Panel Screen, Amiel Arch, and Amiel Large Arch are all beautiful. This stunning mirror features a narrow metal frame finished in heavily antiqued gold leaf with antiqued style mirrors. This Avidan mirror was designed by Grace Feyock, and heavily antiqued gold leaf finish. The overall dimensions: 80″ H x 29″ W x 1″ D, the weights & dimensions:55 lbs 80″H X 1″D X 29″W
Uttermost Brigita Birds Statues in Cream features four piece brigita birds statues which are distressed in a crackled cream finish. The birds feaure mossy green and rusty brown details. The overall dimensions: 3.38″ H x 5.13″ W x 3.88″ D
Lars Sjöberg is well known for his Swedish guides on Gustavian interiors and 18th and 19th century Swedish furniture. Sjöberg is a curator of the National Museum of Stockholm, and is author of several books : The first one being The Swedish Room (Creating the Look) published in 94, then L’Art de vivre en Suède, (2002), and his most current book Classic Swedish Interiors published in 2010Lars Sjöberg has made it his life’s work to preserve Swedish manor houses that originated out of the 17th and 18th centuries.
Over 40 years he has acquired over 10 homes from around Sweden. His most current book – Classic Swedish Interiors published in 2010,focuses on Sjöberg’s most complex project: the manor of Regnaholm. The home was unoccupied for about 40 years when Sjöberg arrived in 1966. This home was his first allowing him to experiment with refurnishing and copying old Swedish furniture. Odenslunda, a small manor from the 1770s details an exquisite panelled exterior and is said to be his family home. Sörby was a renovation which was a 17th-century manor house, reproduced in its entirety for an exhibition in Stockholm.
Well known for his in depth knowledge about Swedish history, he has transformed many grand homes around Sweden with the help of his wife Ursula, and father whom was a metal smith and skilled in the carpentry trade. He told The Telegraph that as a young child his mother would read to him the history of Finland and Sweden and for his 10th birthday he was given his grandfather’s book about Sweden’s palaces and manor houses which fueled the fire for collecting historical furniture and restoring anything Swedish. In the 1990’s he designed a Gustavian collection for the Swedish company Ikea. The Ikea collection was designed with his help, and being that he was involved with the Swedish National Museum in Stockholm, he was the perfect go-to-guy.
The Swedish Room” written in 94, with his wife Ursula is still one of the very best books on Swedish decorating and remains current considering it is more than a decade old.
This wonderful book features 192 pages of great attention to detail of the many ornate finishes found in Swedish decorating. This book is a must have for any decorative artist or faux- finisher.The interiors selected for this book are simple ones with soft color schemes, washed plastered walls, pickled floors, and certainly authentic 18th century interiors. The homes all feature a cleaner, pared-down look with not a lot of clutter which you would normally see see in french homes, but rather very carefully selected objects that are neoclassical in nature. Sjöberg features stately homes, which appear to be palaces or mansions in nature, but with simplistic interiors and basic elements. Swedish impressions from farms and cottages with higher end furnishings can inspire any person who is after the grander looks but with a natural appeal.
The most impressive of this book is his Ekensberg home which is located on the banks of the Lake Mälaren, about 40 km away from the Swedish capital Stockholm. This three-story Italianate villa built in 1788-90 feature some of the most stunning pictures. One in particular shows a time capsulated finish after layers of wallpaper were removed which revealed late eighteenth century decorations. (See below) The walls were originally covered in a linen which provided a perfect base and smooth surface for painting. The house was built and finished in neoclassical style during the time after the return of king Gustav III from Italy 1784. Lars Sjöberg has continued renovating this house since 1976 and says the work is never finished!
The book is split up into 5 main sections detailing specific periods of Swedish history.
Section 1- The Stirrings of International Style discusses the impact of the French and Italian Baroque of the period between 1640-1720.
Section 2- New Alignments discuss the Late Baroque and the Influence of the Orient, and England through 1720- 1750.
Section 3- Progressive Refinements discuss the spread of the French Rococo throgu the period of 1750- 1770.
Section 4- Elegance and Enlightenment discuss the Gustavuan style thriugh 1770-1790
Section 5 discuss the influence of Neoclassicism and the French Empire which took place between 1790- 1820
Additional sections discuss painters in Dalarna, Halsingland and Gastrikland, with a section that details restoration and recreating period homes.
Thank you to Belgian Pearls for the bottom fabulous pictures. The rest were obtained from a free preview of Google Books, which can be viewed for free. This book needs to be on your shelf. I guarantee it serve for many inspirational projects.
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The photos above and below were taken in a room designed by Suzanne Rheinstein at the Greystone Estate, the site of Veranda’s annual showhouse Picture seen on lusterinteriors.blogspot.com
Architectural Digest & House Beautiful magazines both publish annual lists of current successful designers, and Suzanne Rheinstein always is noted as one of the top designers in the LA area. Other established designers such as Michael Smith, Thomas Beeton, Kathryn Ireland, Barbara Barry, and Waldo Fernandez also are all noted to be the best in Los Angeles.
Suzanne Rheinstein is owner of Los Angeles renowned Hollyhock, an extravagant LA Antiques Store. Rheinstein is known for her relaxed, elegant style, and special attention to luxuries. Beyond her store, and her book, Rheinstein also has a fabric line with Lee Jofa.
Rheinstein’s Manhattan Home made the cover of Elle Decor for the month of November 2010 featuring an upscale Gustavian designed residence in New York. After her daughter Kate got married, and grandchildren were too hard to resist being away from, her husband Fred relented and the couple finally found the perfect corner space in the upper east side of New York. Rheinstein tells Elle
“We adore our house in L.A.,” she says. “It’s very forgiving and full of wonderful family treasures. But for New York, I wanted something a little more city, a little more stylized. And I wanted the palette to be a little more calm.”
The Gustavian styled home is filled with hues of grays, creams, taupes and soft greeny blues which is known to be classic Swedish style. “There’s color, she adds, but “it’s just very offbeat, like the pale ochre pillow on the chaise…….”
Beyond the beautiful extravagant 18th century antiques Rheinstein owns, is a stunning mural which has captured the publics attention. Bob Christian, a decorative painter and artist created a gorgeous mural that surrounded the room. The overall effect was a large scale toile look. The room wouldn’t be the same without it.
Her current book At Home: A Style for Today with Things from the Past, features six distinctive homes that express Rheinstein sophisticated elegant style. The book also features both of her own homes in Los Angeles and New York. Rheinstein’s book is beautifully photographed, and shows an inspiring volume of her own work, in which she mixes Gustavian with Edwardian and Regency with ease. The book shows a range of styles including a brick farmhouse in the Virginia countryside to a Beach in Newport Bay.
She has been quoted saying it is better to buy quality one-of-a-kind pieces, and decorate around them “Fewer but better things, painted surfaces, a mixture of furniture styles, a personal art collection and attention to comfort, colors, textures, details and light.”
We couldn’t agree with her more.
This 18th century Antique Swedish Gustavian Painted Bench is the epitome of Swedish furniture. They are almost impossible to find in America, and quite expensive to purchase. Rheinstein’s Swedish bench is upholstered in a dark beige with undertones of olive and grey. The bench perfectly sets the stage to match the paint on the walls which also governs the paint colors on the hand painted floors.
See the November issue of Elle Decor For More Pictures of Her home.
Visit Hollyhock’s web site to see antiques, upholstery and decor items for sale
Suzanne Rheinstein’s Designs on Style Compass
These classic Louis XVI Style FauteuilDining Chairs are often found featured with classic Swedish decor. Note the chairs are painted in a classic gray and washed in a fauxfinish and upholstered with a a red Ticking stripe.
Joni from Cote De Texas has an in depth article on Suzanne Rheinstein’sGeorgian home which is worth viewing. It has been hard to locate any of Suzanne Rheinstein’s work, and Joni seemingly has went out of her way to gather some of the previous rare pictures of her amazing home through the transformations. We borrowed a few of her pictures that really show the Swedish style in its best!
Compare her New York apartment with her LA Home, and you will see so many beautiful painted floors. Paint can completely transform a room. The colors on the floor in the above picture create a calming atmosphere. The detail on the console is exquisite! You would want to float a piece like this in the center of the room. – Picture from Cote De Texas
Christine Adams
