Dawn Hill Antiques Swedish furniture is in a class of its own. From the exuberant decoration of the […]
Tag: Gustavian
Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt’s Home In Veranda
I have been holding on to Veranda’s November / December 2011 issue which featured an 18th century manor situated in Sabylund, 2 hours west of Stockholm. Built in 1780’s in the Gustavian aesthetic, the house has stayed virtually intact as it was back in the 18th century.
In the red room, chalky white finished chairs with gilt wood embellishments are covered in Chinese red damask. A Swedish day bed functions as a sofa and a bed, and is accompanied by a table surrounded by Gustavian white painted chairs. A Swedish Kakelugn stove has gold painted garlands on the tile. A number of small rectangular portraits hang on the wall.
In the main room, light blue painted walls are framed with wall moldings, and hand painted garlands add a romantic feel to the walls. Sheer drapery allows the light to come into this room. A settee and Louis XVI chairs with a blue and white stripe slipcovers form a seating area with a Empire table and crisp white tablecloth. A pale light blue and white scheme pull together a soft, yet delicate look for this room. A pink rug, and lighter pink upholstery seen on the backs of the chairs offer up a subdued, yet tender room to lounge in. Large gilt oval portraits add a historical feel to the room.
A grand library filled with the owners original books offered a taste of the high life. Books were so much more valuable in the 17th and 18 century, and having a library filled with them, suggests the owners were well off. A 1799 white stucco medallion mounted on a simple wood frame depicts the houses first owner. A Dutch or German table centers the room, with English cane chairs backed to the books. Swedish pewter candlesticks sit on the table, along with a brass telescope for viewing nature. The shelves are painted in a blue/ gray, houses natural leather books adding such rich contrast. Furniture is left in it’s natural wood, which adds a rustic effect.
“The most interesting thing about this house is that it has actually been lived in all these years” says Johan who owns the house. His wife Ingrid Lagerfelt and their two children live in this home currently. Their ancestor inherited the house from the original brother and sister who built the home. Johan is a doctor, and his wife Ingrid farms the estates 2,500 acres of land.
More from Veranda:
- Swedish Design Inspiration – Veranda.com
- Eugenia’s Swedish Shopping Resources – Veranda.com
- Swedish Country Interiors -Book Review – Veranda.com
- Swedish Antique 18th Century Daybed – Juan Montoya
- Winter Warmth – Veranda.com
Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt’s Home In Veranda
Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt’s Home In Veranda
An Up-close and Detailed Look At The Wall Painting
Lars Sjoeberg The Swedish Room Photo Credit Ingalill Snitt
If you are wanting depth to your walls, here are some of the very simple faux finishes you can do yourself.
Start by selecting a color theme for your room. In this post you will see a variety of color examples from pale blue, to lighter warm yellows and lighter greens.
Working with glaze, crackle finishes, and distressing techniques can make your furniture appear older than it is. Likewise, layering paint on your walls will also create depth and give you that old world look we all have fallen in love with. Here is how to do it…..
1. Ragged Finishes
Color washes are finishes that are produced with rags and paint.
Color washing is usually is achieved by a using rags which attach to a roller.
The trick to achieving this finish is to work with translucent glaze. Don’t attempt this finish with solid paint. Using a glaze mixture of (half glaze, half paint), paint is applied over a previously painted wall. The effect it produces a subtle textured finish.
A Primitive Effect Using Green, seen on www.ralphlaurenhome.com
Notice the whole wall isn’t ragged, just a small portion of it. Also painted furniture in the same tones are paired in this room to join together the various looks.
Keep All Tones In The Same Color Family
- One tip that I have learned through ragging finishes is to have the glaze mixture matched to be a few shades darker or lighter than the wall color. If you decide to do three colors, keep the tones quite close in color. The overall effect will be soft, and subtle.
Glaze + Paint For A Final Top Coat
- Another trick I have learned is to go over your entire project with a layer or two of glaze mixed in with a small amount of paint. The entire effect of the tinted glaze dulls the look slightly, and hides the roller effects. The idea behind this is to make your work appear subtle. You want to keep people guessing as to what you used to complete the finish.
2. Dry Brushing
Brushed finishes, is an effect which is achieved by dipping your brush into paint, and then removing most of the paint, on a rag. The small amount of paint allows you to add a very soft effect over a previous layer of paint.
The effect depends much on the brush you use. If you use a badger softening brush which tends to be very large and soft, it will produces a soft effect with paint.
I have used this effect with an old broom handle. The bristles are thicker, and harder, and produces lines than a soft shading.
Again, mixing together paint + glaze will allow you to get the look of an additional layer with a faux effect, and you may not have to wipe off the excess paint.
- In this picture, this effect can be achieved by using a dark brown artists oil paint. Most of the paint must be removed from your brush to achieve this look. This look can be achieved using brown artists oil paint over a muted orange base coat, slightly brushing the which highlights some of the raised details.
- Achieve depth to your furniture by applying a lighter coat over top of a painted finish. As you can see with this look, a lighter shade of green-gray is applied over a darker shade of green. This look could be achieved by dry brushing.
3. Sponge Finishes
Sponged faux finishes are those which a paint mixture is applied with a sea sponge.
Sponge painting is still the best and most frequently used mediums when it comes to classic faux finish painting.
Using a sponge, you can use multiple glazes layered over solid paint which gives the illusion of great depth.
Ideally, like most finishes, you want to start with a base coat, and build on it using a glaze mixture. The overall effect should be soft and serene.
Sponging can also be used on furniture to give an old world Swedish look.
In the past, I would use a base coat of brown, and then after it was dry, I would apply a base of oil paint in butter yellow and use a rag, or a textured paper towel to remove the paint. Within just a few minutes of applying the paint, I would remove it, and the oil paint which was wiped off on the rag I would then slightly dab here and there, on the furniture to create a very soft effect, making it seem as there was more layers to the paint finish. After it was dry, dry brushing with the same oil paint was used to blend in the textured effects.
4. Faux Leather
Terrific faux effects can be produced using a very heavy garage bag. Again working with a wall that has been painted, apply a layer of a glaze mixture on the wall. More than half glaze to paint.
Tape the wall in rectangular sections and apply the glaze in the taped area.
Next apply a heavy weight garbage bag to the wall allowing the folds to be pressed into the wall using your arms and hands.
Take the garbage bag off, and the folds of the bag produces a beautiful faux finish.
This is a very easy way to create a classy effect on the walls.
– Great Article- How To Faux Paint
5. Stenciling
Stenciling can be very powerful if it is done right.
Create your own stencils using a stencil cutter which is a fine heated tip that cuts through the plastic blank stencils with precision. Lay a piece of glass in between the stencil and the pattern, and cut away.
17th and 18th Century stenciling has always been the very best model of inspiration.
Here are a few very well done Swedish stenciled homes:
– Book Review: Jocasta Innes Scandinavian Painted Furniture
–Ted and Lillian Williams chateau in Normandy, France
-Neoclassical White Stenciled Walls-Petit Trianon
-Antique Original Red Hand Painted Trunk with Rosemaling Floral Motif
-This photo shows a great example of wall framing simply made by stencils and paint
-Here we see a stunning Rococo design stenciled, or hand painted on the walls for a distinct Swedish look.
There are so many shades of blue, which one do you pick? Swedish decorating is known for their partiality towards the color blue. Blue is one of the staple colors in 18th Swedish century decorating, so if you plan on decorating with this style, we can give you a few ways to incorporate the color blue into your design scheme.
First decide if you want a formal or country appearance in your home. Knowing which look you are attracted to can help determine accessories, furniture, drapery and wall treatments.
1. Formal Blue Interiors – Blue-gray, painted finishes became popular after King Gustav ruled in 1772, and since then they still remain fashionable.
Formal Swedish Tips- Line Furniture Up Against The Wall- This is a classic Swedish touch that can give the look of finer living. If you have a room where you can line a set of three chairs against the wall, or a pair of chairs and a accent table, this will always give your room that refined, superior Swedish appearance. Push your furniture in the middle of the room, and if you have a tv, consider hanging it on the wall. I find that this arrangement always gives the look of more space. You can never have too many chairs. Collect furniture that have fluted legs, such as side tables, benches, or chairs.
Formal Swedish Tips- Buy A Long Oval Table – Here is a Henredon oval table selling on ebay for just over $1000. Strip off the finish and paint it gray. A long, dining table echoes the simple curves of early Gustavian style. Dress up your furniture in light, greenish blue-gray paint finishes to get the high end looks found in the Swedish castles. Consider investing in a crystal chandelier, which coordinates with white or really pale blue or pastel walls and work with white upholstery. Squared picture moldings, and sconces really can add to this formal Swedish appearance. Consider stenciling your walls with green-blue leaf patterns along the inner edges of the walls, and collect old styled portrait oil paintings with dark grounds which give rooms a dark accent.
Formal Swedish Tips- Go For Gold Accents– Dress up your furniture with furniture appliques and ormolu mounts. You can make any picture frame seem so much more expensive by adding gold leaf. Gold leaf is really simple to apply. Follow this link, and I show you where I buy my gold leaf on ebay. Buy a sconce and gold leaf it. Get ideas from this post, where I wrote about the sconces that are the most sought after from collectors world wide. A thin rectangular mirror on ebay can be a great look, which you can then add on a brass candle holder. This DIY project will give you the Swedish look for less.
– Decorative Mirror Molding, French White Bow- $21 Buy it on ebay
– Decorative Scrolls For Mirrors, and Dressers – $40 Buy it on ebay
– Ribbon Bows Mold, Decorate Mirrors and Furniture- $13 Buy it on ebay
-Ormolu French Gilded Furniture Ribbon Large- $35 Buy it on ebay
Louis XV Antique GILT WOOD handcrafted CARTEL WALL CLOCK estimated $1200- buy it for $350, buy it on ebay
Antique Gilt Wood Cartel Clock $450 on ebay– buy it on ebay
– Formal Swedish Tips- Go Brighter With Bright Blue and White- Go for a home that has white accessories and upholstery. Don’t be afraid to go with bolder blues for drapery, upholstery and bed linens. Brighter blues look great in formal settings.
-20 Yard Bolt – 44/45″ White Polycotton Liberty BROADCLOTH- $61 Buy it on ebay
– Solid Poly Cotton Fabric In Bright Blue – Buy it on ebay
-Fabric By The Bolt – 40 YARD BOLT $190 on ebay- Buy it on ebay
-Sunbrella Canvas Air Blue Outdoor Fabric $21 dollars a yard- Buy it on ebay
Cane Back Cushioned Seat Side Wood Chair Fluted Distressed Hammered Nailheads
(Paint it gray, white, blue or what ever colors you are working with. Great frame, great price)
Another great Empire looking Swedish styled chair. Again, the frame would look terrific in a light gray or blue with a white upholstery. This chair sells for $665 on ebay
Here is another great accent chair, get two of these and pair it with a sofa. It is already painted white, and the white upholstery makes this chair look upscale. This chair sells at $719, which includes the shipping on ebay
Swedish Country Rustic Styles
2. Country Keys- Rustic Architecture – Country Swedish style is beautiful and worn. The countryside contains a mixture of rustic elements. Go shopping in architectural salvage yards and collect things that are worn. Wood is the key to getting the look. An old wooden door can be replaced by those builder typical doors you see in new homes. A old ladder can lean against the wall. Paint it in a darker blue and distress the heck out of it. Ceiling beams in their natural wood give an architectural feel to a home. Add some faux hallow wood beams across your ceiling. Get the look without having to hire 5 strong men to anchor it in place. Work with light wood flooring, and natural materials.
–Country Keys- Country Textiles- Skirted sofas, slipcovers in natural blends and textured walls are classic marks of styles found off the beaten path in Sweden. Ebay sells a number of Restoration Hardware’s stone washed Belgian Linen products new in their packages. You can buy new pleated drapes on ebay, along with bedding, pillow cases and more for half the cost in the stores. Raw and natural textures are the key to this look. I ordered this heavy oatmeal linen
for several of my drum lamp shades which I am re-covering. The material is heavy, and would be terrific for upholstery.
– Heavily distressed Mora clocks such as these on ebay, give your room that traditional Swedish look.
– Warm Old Barn Finish Table (paint it, and change the color) – $229 Buy it on ebay
– Reclaimed Salvaged Fir End Side Table- $564 on ebay here
– Country Keys – Go For Color On The Rustic Side– Muddy shades of blue work with the country styles. If you like the lighter shades of baby blue, distress your furniture more than you normally would. This certainly helps when the furniture’s wood is raw and stripped. The paint will blend nicely with the raw woods surface giving you a more authentic appearance. For complementary shades, pair blue with orange-red accents, along with shades of green-blues. Gingham upholstery also looks terrific in a country home, along with florals. Work with carvings, such as art that can be hung on the wall, and accessories that are carved such as standing wood birds which are painted and made from wood. Dala folk horse carvings are a Swedish country favorite. Pillows with embroidered blue-and-white folk patterns nicely work in a country home. Think about hand crafts, such as hand embroidered artwork, quilts, delft fireplace tiles, over-sized ginger jars, and colored glass.
Restoration Hardware Shower Curtains
Carved Mango Wood Accent Table Mindi Veneer Hand Finish Robin’s Egg Blue, this table sells for $229 on ebay Buy it on ebay
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.
Mary Mulcahy’s designs, first developed for her block-printed textiles, now grace the wall with the Les Indiennes collection by IVM Prints. The 12 hand-screened wallpapers include Rayure, left, and Veronique, both in indigo; additional colors are offered, Seen in Elle Decor April 2011
The company Les Indiennes is known for their beautiful hand-blocked textiles. Founder, Mary Mulcahy had a desire to find naturally dyed cotton, with large scale single colored motifs, but was unable to locate fabrics close to what she had in mind, so she created her own. Her concept started to take form after running into a craftsman in southern India, who knew exactly what she was after. In fact, the craftsman was one of the very few artists who still practiced the ancient art of kalamkari, which was an extremely complex and rare method of printing on fabric.
The Kalamkari Process:
1. Fabric Preparation- Cotton fabric is initially softened and bleached. This process needs to be done before any printing takes place. The process involves bales of organic cotton which are repeatedly rinsed and beaten against large rocks, then laid out on the grass to bleach in the sun. These steps ensure that the fabric will feel soft and luxurious, and so that the color application remains bright and vibrant.
2. Block Printing- After the fabric has been softened and lightened, printing begins. Craftsmen dip hand-carved wood blocks in dyes and presses them into the cotton. The dyes are derived from plants, roots, earth, and rock. One can only imagine the great care, and measurements taken to ensure the patterns are straight and line up with one another. Today we take for granted large printing machinery, when at one time, much of this work was done by hand. At Les Indiennes, the fabric is printed by hand, and hours go into each fabric panel. After the patterns are applied, the printed fabric is air dried for at least two days.
Author of Lily Oake Blog, Paula Arndt has a taste for the Swedish styles. Her most current project […]
Vintage Children’s Set On Ebay
With Neoclassical-style fluted details and a high-gloss finish, this chest is a cross between old and new, says Gambrel—“like a country cabinet dressed up for the city.” Given the playful juxtaposition of form and
finish, the 31.5″-tall piece would be at home in a girl’s bedroom. $2,000; chelseatextiles.com
Children dream in vivid color, and anything is possible to them, so why not create a room fit just for their personalities? When it comes to decorating your child’s room, you simply cannot go wrong, because almost anything is pleasing to them. Even if you try to create something special, they are overjoyed at your choices! Children love rooms where they can express themselves, and be creative. Imagination and playtime, – think of those two concepts while you are gathering ideas for their room, and you will do well with an overall theme…..
Most parents feel they can go a bit more daring in a child’s bedroom than what they would do for the rest of the house, which is why it is so darn fun to design kids rooms- you can be a bit crazy and get away with it.
Here are a couple tips to getting a great look for your kids room decor……
1. Invest In A Few Key Pieces- Don’t be afraid of buying an expensive piece of furniture for your kids room. A great chest, or genuine chair can stay in their room for years, and stay in the guest room when they move out and get married.
A great vintage reproduction play table would be a great focal point in a child’s room. Functional pieces that are also visually attractive should be the goal. This Louis XVI Child’s chair would match the Swedish styles quite well. Consider upholstering it with material that matches your child’s drapes and bedspread. This play-table would be great in a little boys room where red, and dark blue would say “I am a Boy“.
Get the general look of the Swedish style, by re-purposeing furniture. Change the hardware, paint furniture, and use a lot of distressing techniques to get the old appeal into the overall look. Buy transfer-ware tea sets for your little girl, and use a vintage french provincial end table, and re-purpose it with child’s chairs. Add wheels to the bottom of the end table to lift the table higher to give your children’s legs room to stretch out. French style play tables aren’t so common, so get the look using a vintage french end table.
Decorating doesn’t have to be expensive. Look out for vintage toys at your local flea markets, antique stores and thrift stores for great looking toys to decorate with. Wood has always been a signature style of the Swedish look. Melissa & Doug have great faux food which will make you want to join in for “tea time”
2. Decorate With Vintage Toys- Antique wood furniture can be painted, and roughed up unlike plastic. Greenleaf Doll Houses come in kits which you can set up, and paint. A vintage nightstand from ebay or craigslist might be a perfect match for a dollhouse. Customize the table to match the dollhouse.
Buy a wood rocking horse, and paint it yourself. You CAN get these horses for less than $1800! On ebay some of the vintage horses sell for $150 or so, which would allow you to customize it yourself. Kids are pretty rough on furniture, so putting genuine antiques in their room, isn’t the best of ideas. Buy something that looks great, but also something that if it gets damaged, you won’t be bent out of shape over. Invest in a few key pieces for their room, such as a bed, or a chest. The bigger pieces will set the theme, rather than the smaller items.
3. Invest In Storage Furniture– Kids have a heck of a lot of toys, and spending money on decorating a kids room does no good if there is no place to house their endless play toys. Ikea has a number of shelving which can be stacked and customized. The Expedit series has worked well for organizing kids toy collections. Organize your kids toy collections with shoe boxes. Buy matching bookshelves which you can devote an entire wall to. Back your child’s bed up to the bookshelves, which costs you only a couple of inches of space, but also save you from walking all over their toys.
For more ideas check out my pinterest page devoted to Children’s rooms……
Children Looking Into A Swedish Antique Shop- Credit
This boy is sitting by a lovely Gustavian childs table. The table has hand carved fleur medallions and a hand carved pearl bead border. The small Gustavian childs chair has the same hand carved pearl bead border. –blog.dnevnik.hr
Childrens Room With Swedish Bench
3D wallpaper from an installation by Swedish Deisgn Front Group
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Mora Clock in Salmon Paint Sweden, Circa 1820, Tall case clock signed “Matts Jonson/Mora”, Sweden circa 1820. Wonderful […]
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