Tag: Gustavian

Swedish Feed

The Light And Airy Furniture Of Sweden

Dawn Hill Antiques

Swedish furniture is in a class of its own. From the exuberant decoration of the Rococo style with an abundance of curves and natural motifs that gave way in the late 1700s to the restrained Gustavian style, Swedish furniture appeals to many. Owing to its clean lines and simplicity, it mixes well with other styles, both traditional and modern.

“You cannot talk about Swedish design without first considering the natural environment of Sweden. It is a country of islands, with the sea on one side and the interior populated by dense forests,” said antique dealer Paulette Peden of Dawn Hill Antiques in New Preston, Conn. “In the winter months there is a very short period of daylight, so the Swedish people craved the light, and created rooms painted with pale colors, and light furniture to make the most of the precious daylight.” The Gustavian style was named for Sweden’s King Gustav III (1746-92), during whose reign the talented craftsmen of the Stockholm Guild made well-designed furniture like chairs, tables, secretaries, cupboards and settees.

Read more – liveauctioneers.com

Guides - Magazine Editorals With Nordic Decorating

3 Swedish Style Homes Featured In Magazines

Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt's Home In Veranda 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:

Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt's Home In Veranda 6

Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt’s Home In Veranda

Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt's Home In Veranda 5

Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt’s Home In Veranda

Johan and Ingrid Lagerfelt's Home In Veranda 4

An Up-close and Detailed Look At The Wall Painting

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Guides - Swedish Paint Finishes

5 Faux Wall Painting Techniques That Are Easier Than You Think

Lars Sjoeberg The Swedish Room Photo credit Ingalill Snitt Source

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.

Ralph Lauren Ragging

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.

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Guides - Nordic Decorating

Decorating With Blue: Swedish Style Decorating Ideas

Swedish DecoratingThere 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

Swedish Looks For Less

 

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)

Swedish Looks For Less

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

Swedish Looks For Less

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 Diamond Matelasse Shower Curtain

Restoration Hardware Shower Curtains

Swedish Looks For Less

Carved Mango Wood Accent Table Mindi Veneer Hand Finish Robin’s Egg Blue, this table sells for $229 on ebay Buy it on ebay

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Guides - Swedish Designers

Swedish Furniture From Bukowski Market

Rococo Desk 1700's -Swedish Furniture From Bukowski Market- Gustavian, Gustavian Furniture, Rococo Swedish, Swedish Antiques, Swedish Auction Markets, Swedish Online Furniture AuctionsRococo 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.

bukowskis.com

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DIY - Do It Yourself Swedish Home

Les Indiennes Fabrics

Elle Decor April 11

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.

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DIY - Do It Yourself Swedish Home

A Nordic Design Staple- The Swedish Kakelugn Tile Stove- Part 2

Author of Lily Oake Blog, Paula Arndt has a taste for the Swedish styles. Her most current project is updating an armoire into a faux Swedish tiled stove. She needed a front entry “closet” for her c.1950 Cape Cod “Elinor Cottage” and found the perfect piece on Craiglist.

Unsure of what to do with the armoire, she tossed around the idea of hand painting swags, and wallpapering the armoire. She turned to her Swedish decorating books and the classic Swedish tile stoves caught her attention. The idea was perfect!

Paula’s Process:

Instead of hand painting every tile, she decided to paint the graphic once, and then scan the image into Photoshop, and apply the paper graphic to the armoire. Here is how she did it:

The process can seem a little complicated. To understand fully how Paula transfered her images, watch this video from Jackson’s Art Supplies, which shows how Golden Fluid Matte Medium works.

1. Due to lack of time, she decided to design a pattern and have it printed as wallpaper through Spoonflower, instead of hand painting every tile. The size Spoonflower printed ended up not matching up to the measurements of the armoire, so she decided to design the faux tiles in Photoshop and then use an old method of transferring the image to the painted surface with Golden Fluid Matte Medium and her laser printer.

Her method must be used a laser copy print paper. She uses 28# from Hammermil. The glue used is Golden’s acrylic transfer medium.

Simply copy off the image you want to transfer. The image needs to be a mirror image, as it will transfer backwards from what is on the print. Photoshop or GIMP, allows you to change the picture so it will present a mirror image.

Next, coat the surface of where the graphic is to be put with the glue and immediately apply. Place image face down onto the glue. Smooth down thoroughly. A craft roller will come in handy for this project, and can be purchased on Amazon for around $11.

It is important to coat the surface well or the image wont transfer. Once the image is placed into the glue, you cannot reposition the graphic. You must be very accurate in how and where you place it the first time.

Paula suggests letting the image dry over night. In the morning you can take a cup of water and your fingers to wet the surface and rub away the paper – the image will reveal itself on to the painted surface. Jackson’s Art Supplies suggests you can lift the graphic off of the surface after three minutes. Either way, the image is then embedded into the new surface.

Paula has a love for the Swedish styles, so do follow her website. She will be revealing the new tiled armoire when it is finished.

Here is part one of her armoire makeover-“Transforming An Armoire into a Faux Swedish Tiled Stove”

-Lily Oak- Swedish Stove Mania

–Paula’s Facebook Account

Other Links:

-Join Our Swedish French Decorating Group On Facebook

-Contemporary French Blue & White Tiled Stove with Cast Iron Hearth.

–Master Henriks– Blue and White Swedish Stove

Faux Kakelugn Cabinet From henhurst.blogspot.com

Swedish Stove- Featured On Home Design With Kevin Sharkey

From Book “The Swedish Country House”

 

Swedish Tile Stove –http://www.alltomkakelugnar.se/

These relics include the Rococo stove, and furniture by Karl Johan-From Book “The Swedish Country House”

This enchanting enfilade in a Swedish Home-From Book “The Swedish Country House”

Close-up of the Tiled Stove

Blue and White Swedish Tiled Stove- completelytotallymadly.blogspot.com

This home was featured in Swedish Magazine Skona Hem

Blue and White Stove

Beautiful tile stove used in the interior design of a Houston home. Interior design: katrincargill.com

Lars Sjobergs house featured in Country Style by Judith Miller

Tile stove in Rundale Palace, the largest & most important baroque
and rococo period architecture & art monument in Latvia.visualtravelguide.com

Beautiful tile oven in the Rundale’s Palace. No two tiles are alike.

(Pilsrundale, Bauskas region, the Middle Latvia)

Lars Bolander’s Book Scandinavian Design

Russian tile stove- elledecor.com

Tiled Fireplace- interiorstyledesign.tumblr.com

Swedish Tile Stove- houseofturquoise.com

Better Home and Gardens Magazine

Katrin Cargill’s Bedtime Stories

Gigi Capone’s Ironing Board Wallpaper-riced by the 5 yard roll and sold by the 15 yard triple roll. One roll will cover 33.75 square feet or 3.14 square meters.

Ilse Crawford’s Ett Hem Hotel in Stockholm

Outstanding Blue and White Tiled Stairway

Guides - Nordic Decorating

How To Decorate A Child’s Room In The Swedish Style

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……

Kids Mark French Chairs

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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Guides - Touring The Nordic Countries

Krusenberg Herrgård: An 18th Century Swedish Luxury Hotel

Krusenberg Herrgård is an extravagant hotel beautifully situated by Ekoln, a bay in Lake Mälaren. The estate dates back to the mid-15th century and is now a first-class hotel and conference facility that has retained its genuine style and old charm.

The manor house was built in 1802, and the wings date from the 18th century. Enjoy a walk through their large park and apple orchard with more than 100 old apple trees. The artist Gustaf Cederström, who grew up on the estate, painted his best-known work,”Karl XII´s likfärd”(The funeral transport of Charles XII) .

About the Hotel:

When staying at Krusenberg you can take the opportunity to take a tour with a canoe or rowboat which is supplied from the hotel. In winter, the situation is ideal for skating. The latest addition Sjöporten is a newly built house with exclusive sauna and spa. The building is right on the water’s edge and includes two wood-burning saunas with magnificent views of Lake Mälaren. Upstairs there is a spa area with treatment rooms and relaxdel. The house is built and furnished to suit those who appreciate “the good life”.

Manor house accommodates our renowned restaurant serving carefully prepared food in season. The kitchen is home not only cooks but also to their very own pastry chef who bakes fresh bread and pastries for every meal. Meals are served in the main building’s beautiful dining rooms. At this hotel you can also take the opportunity to relax in one of the most prestigious salons.

Manorhouse is 25 minutes from the airport and within easy reach of both the Stockholm and Uppsala. The hotel also offers a historical walking tour with a guide.  Active guests will appreciate the petanque court and the tennis court.  Meals are accompanied with wines from the manor’s wine cellar.

Krusenberg Herrgård is only 25 minutes from Stockholm’s Arlanda Airport and conveniently situated for both Stockholm and Uppsala. Uppsala city centre is 20 minute drive away. Sweden’s oldest town, Sigtuna, is 18 km from the Krusenberg Herrgård.

See the official website here

Krusenberg Herrgård Photo Credit

 

 

 

 

 

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Guides - Nordic Decorating

4 Resources For Swedish Decorating

Paint And Paper In Decoration – David Oliver

Swedish furniture has been sensationally popular the last 10 years as a style that is fresh for decorating the upscale home. Gustavian style has appeared in some of the more prominent decorating magazines in the US such as Veranda, Architectural Digest, World of Interiors and even more frequent in European magazines such as Campagne Decoration.

The casual appearance of lighter colored painted furniture has been popular for centuries.  France was credited with the influence of the Swedish furniture in the 17th and 18th century.  Many of the formal pieces found in the palace of Versailles were made over in the same shape and form, but painted instead of stained wood. The decadence of the French furniture couldn’t be copied because it was too costly for Sweden at the time, as well as Sweden has their own taste in mind.

In France, side tables were constructed from the most costliest woods, with decoration that took hours if not weeks to complete.  French cabinet makers through the 17th century used techniques such as inlay, (pictures cut from ivory or wood, and set into wood), or marquetry, ( veneer composed of numerous woods, and stained which produced a pictorial mosaic), lacquering and japanning, (the application of numerous layers of varnish) were all costly, and time consuming.

While France had the best of the best, some say Sweden did a better job of re-interpreting the design elements seen in France such as the furniture by scaling down the formality.  Linen was used instead of silk, paint was used instead of the stained wood, and faux painting replaced marble walls.

Borrow Interior Design Elements From Sweden For Your Own Home

Marks Of The Swedish Style

1. The Use of Paneled Walls (But In A Different Way)

The French were known for their paneled walls. Paneled walls are well known to be the most expensive and rich form of all wall treatments.  Originally they were hand carved out of wood, as labor was inexpensive in the 1700′s.  Today much of the decorative baroque looking ornaments are made from plaster.  Wood panels once served to insulate a room from the cold stone frame of a building.  It is also quite apparent that paneling was installed for decorative purposes as well.

Boiserie is the term used to define ornate and intricately carved wood panelling seen in some of the well-to-do French estates. The earliest known examples of boiseries were unpainted, but later the raised mouldings were often painted or gilded. For a great example of painted paneled walls, look at Charles Spada’s Country Home, which gives some great examples of 18th century color combinations.  Martha Stewart shows a wonderful example in a green palette.  A very formal dining room is done up in blue, and arches painted in  oranges and pastel blush tones.

 

The Gallery, designed by Geoffrey Bradfield

Boiseries were popular in seventeenth and eighteenth century French interior design and the Palace of Versailles. The panels not only appeared on the walls, but were also used to decorate doors, frames, cupboards and armoires as well. Often pictures would be set into the boiseries, the carving framing the picture rather like a conventional frame.

Decorating With Paint -Get This Look For Less….

Many of the wealthier Swedish people borrowed this look for their estate homes.  Costly wood paneled walls were a far stretch for many of the Swedish people in that day, as it is for many people today.  Paneled walls can cost thousands, and be tremendously time consuming.

Why not fake it with paint?

The Belvedere in the park of the Petit Trianon shows a fine example of what a person could do with paint to simulate the heavy ornamented look of the French style.

In Lars Sjoberg’s house featured in Country Style by Judith and Martin Miller featured walls with blue frames around them.  Using two painted frames simulates the look of framed walls.  Further in the post, you can see many more frames painted on the wall which do a beautiful job of showcasing furniture placed in front of it.

Picture Featured in Campagne Décoration

In the USA we have a chain of stores called Habitat For Humanity – Re-stores which carry all sorts of architectural elements from wood screens, to paint, sinks, and so forth, which are heavily discounted. 

Here we see the paneled wall idea made from doors which are positioned side buy side.  Consider purchasing similar styled doors in sets of 3, 5, or 7 which can be linked together using door hinges. As you can see here, it works! 

Picture Credits– A Special Thanks to Aged And Gilded Blog, TweedlandThe Gentlemans Club, And
Lars Sjoberg’s Book- Classic Swedish Interiors

Here are some companies to keep in mind: 

1.  Decorators Supply– They have over 13,000 designs in their carving library.  For over 100 years they have specialized in creating finely detailed composite replicas of the hand carved wood ornaments found in the most extravagant homes.

2. Bailey Interiors.com – Decorative Plaster Ornaments and Claws

3. Beaux-Artes offer decorative wall panels which can be used on walls and ceilings. Their products are cast from historic ornamentation and are available in over 20 different Finishes.

4.  Victoria Larsen offers a number of ornamental frame molds which allow you to make dozens of your own molds in the privacy of your home.  She also offers raised plaster stencils for the wall in a variety of patterns.

Consider a yearly subscription to Veranda, Architectural Digest, World of Interiors and  Campagne Decoration.

We will be discussing accent furniture in Part 2,  and Swedish painting techniques in Part 3

 

Remember this home? 

Look at the detail in the background…..

Check out Classic Swedish Interiors  for more photos to get a better view of the far room

Guides - Nordic Decorating

Swedish Mora Floor Clocks

Mora Clock in Salmon Paint Sweden, Circa 1820, Tall case clock signed “Matts Jonson/Mora”, Sweden circa 1820. Wonderful salmon paint with gilded detail, all having an exceptional patina. Original clockworks have been newly cleaned and adjusted

Swedish Mora Clock Painted In A Soft Blue With Cream Painted Carved Accents From A Tyner Antiques

Sweden Circa 1790 Early Mora clock, Sweden circa 1790, in original pale salmon paint. The bonnet features beaded detail around the face and the crown, as well as oval glass panels on either side for viewing the clockworks. Both the bonnet and case retain their early, rounded glass. All original with newly cleaned and regulated clockworks Cupboards and Roses

Below:

1. Swedish Painted Pine Tall Case Clock, C. 1780, of the Rococo Style with carved and polychromed case detail. Mora movement and original paint decoration – Lillian August Designs

2. A Swedish tall clock in a rare pillar design with and original faux painting resembling marble. The face is an unusual combination of metal exterior with a gilded center echoing the gilt paint on the feet. The clock is in working order with the added feature of a calendar. Sweden, circa 1800. Dawn Hill Antiques

3. Swedish tall case clock, c.1780-1800, of the Gustavian period, the rococo case carved with neoclassic gilded motifs and  retaining traces or its original paint. Mora movement. Lillian August Designs

Below:

1. Mora clock, Sweden circa 1820, with dial signed “P. Svensson / Rageröd.” Scandinavian pine case with reeded panels and dentil molding under the bonnet. The original clockworks have been newly cleaned and regulated. Sold By Cupboards & Roses

2.Sweden Circa 1848 “Mora” clock, Sweden dated 1848, with a beautifully carved case retaining its original painted decoration including the two sets of initials commemorating a marriage. Inside the case is a record of the clock’s provenance which reads,”Carl Nilsson, 1786-1850. Worked as a clockmaker in Northern Slätthult, Jönköping County. Buried in the cemetery of Villstad. This clock was purchased June 13, 1964 by Emil  Johansson.” Sold By Cupboards & Roses

3.Antique Black Swedish Mora Grandfather Clock, circa 1850,  Antique Swedish Black Painted Grandfather Clock. The lovely curves of this clock are typical of the Mora grandfather clocks, famous from Sweden. Sold by Scandinavian Antiques

Swedish Mora Clock From swedishinteriordesign.co.uk

Swedish Mora Clocks From swedish-clocks.com, rlgoins.com, Swedish Interior Design

Shannon Bowers Home, Swedish Design- Painted Blue Mora Clock

Swedish Painted Pine Tall Case Clock, C. 1780 Lillian August Designs, Swedish Interior Design

 

Guides - Nordic Decorating

5 Space Saving Pieces For The Swedish Home

Crown Prince Frederik and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark gave a short interview to German Vogue

One of the things I enjoy the most about Swedish furniture is its clean lines and compact nature. Bessie of the housing crunch and the typically small living quarters in that area of the world, the furniture they make is ideal for tight living. If you have a small apartment or home, then Swedish furniture may be a great type of furnishings for you to use. Here are some good space-saving ideas:

1.    No arms – Chairs and couches with no arms or every low arms opens up a room and make it more comfortable visually. The lack of arms on chairs also makes them easier to slide under a table or get out of the way when you need extra room.

2.    Multipurpose – There are many pieces of multipurpose furnishings that are unique to Swedish furniture.  Many times you will see things like a loft bed with a desk underneath or a couch that doubles as a bed. These ways of making furniture more useful are great ideas in a small home.

3.    Storage – Storage is also a big issue. Many Swedish homes do not have closets or they have very little space in them. That is why storage is so important. Bringing back the idea of multipurpose use, you will find that many Swedish designed benches also raise up so that you can store things inside them. Footstools do the same thing in the living area, as do coffee tables. Anything that can hold something will. They even put storage drawers under the beds.

4.    Clean lines – Clean, uncomplicated lines mean that the room looks bigger than it really is. You do not want a lot of heavy furnishings taking up the space. Instead, think thin and organic with unvarnished wood and exposed metal fittings.

5.    Easy to assemble – The trials and tribulations of living in a small space is that when you have to move you have to get everything as compact as possible. That is where easy to assemble and disassemble furniture comes in hands. If you can move something in a box instead of trying to heft it down a flight or two of stairs it is much more convenient.

As you can see, Swedish furniture is ideal for tight living. If you have a small home and want to make it feel like a larger space, Swedish furniture might be your answer.

Author Bio:

Paul and his wife Julie both spend quite a bit of time coming up with ideas, blogging, and researching all things related to childcare through “babysittingjobs.com/”.

Swedish Tables and Console Ideas From Victoria Magazine 2001

Gustavian Style Dining Chairs Seller Cupboards & Roses

Living With Light:The Scandinavian Way

The colours used in many Scandinavian homes are whites, neutrals and the tones and hues of nature – the grey blues of a northern lake at dawn or the cool vanilla light of the midnight sun.

Surfaces are painted pale, or emboldened with blocks of bright white. Windows, triple glazed to keep in the heat in winter, are dressed with fine, unlined fabrics to let in the maximum amount of light, and mirrors reflect every gleam of precious daylight or candlelight into nooks and niches.

Living with Light shows you how to decorate the Scandinavian way using subtle colors, textures and accessories to maximize light both day and night.

1st picture “Its form is so light and airy,” says Robert Stilin, noting that the slender frame supports an expansive top. “It would make a nice work surface in a studio or a library.” The speckled, brushstroke finish lends it a casual feel that, he suggests, would be perfect in a country house. “A dark finish would make it more modern.” Leaves extended: length: 58″; depth: 52″; height: 29″; material: alder in #1021 gray finish (other finishes available); delivery: 14-16 weeks; by Country Swedish; price: $6,353 –Seen on Ten Most Divine Drop Leaf Tables 

 

2nd Picture – Rococo Drop Leaf Table “This has a more feminine quality,” says Stilin of the cabriole legs and beveled edges, adding, “the white finish recalls a Gustavian interior.” Accessorizing would lend it different looks. “You can go traditional with blue-and-white porcelain or rustic with vintage French linens.” Leaves extended: length: 71″; depth: 36″; height: 29″; material: solid hardwood in snow-white finish (custom sizes and finishes available); delivery: 12 weeks; by White on White; price: $3,300

3rd Picture – A Very Fine Painted Louis XVI Demi Lune Console with Marble Top Seller Branca

The home of the artist/fashion designer J Morgan Puett

Swedish Dining Chairs From Circa Antiques on One Kings Lane

Late Rococo Chairs- Gronsoe Castle Sweden 1780- Lief Almont Antiques

Swedish Side Chairs- Laserow Antiques

Another Photo From Living With Light:The Scandinavian Way

I like to bring the same unstructured look to choosing furniture too, and this house in Sweden (see more like this in ‘Living With Light’) has the ideal combination of practicality and charm. The hand-woven rag rugs are traditional in Sweden, and are often handed down through the generations.- Gail Abbott – Drop Leaf Swedish Dining Table

 

Guides - Swedish Designers

Book Review: Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room

The-Swedish-Room

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.

Swedish Decorating – Lars Sjoberg

 

Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room

 

Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room
Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room
Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room
Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room

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Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room
Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room
Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room
Lars Sjöberg’s The Swedish Room
The Swedish Room – Picture Credit -Thank you to Belgian Pearls
The Swedish Room – Picture Credit -Thank you to Belgian Pearls
The Swedish Room – Picture Credit -Thank you to Belgian Pearls
Swedish Furniture and Decor – The Swedish Room

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