18th century furniture - Gustavian

In Sweden, as in Britain, the last 40 years of the 18th century were a golden age of design, and the beginning of a recognisable Swedish furniture style. The term 'Gustavian' is used to describe the Swedish Neoclassical style, and refers to the period from around 1755 to 1810.

Gustav III
The greatest exponent of the Swedish Neoclassical style was King Gustav III. He spent time at Versailles before being crowned in 1771, and developed a love of the French Neoclassical style. On his return to Sweden, he invited French cabinet-makers to Sweden to make furniture. When he wasn't able to pay them, they returned home, leaving behind their handmade furniture - this was copied by the local craftsmen, but in a less ornate style that became known as 'Gustavian'.
Walnut was often used in those earlier pieces, later furniture was usually made from local woods such as pine and schubirch, and then painted rather than gilded because it was cheaper - Sweden was a much poorer country than France at the time.
Gustav's enthusiasm for Neoclassical design led him to incorporate the style into his ancestral home, Gripsholm Castle. The Grand Cabinet, an official reception room, was lavishly decorated in this way.

Fashionable Homes
Furniture and floor-and-wall coverings were all designed as part of an integral interior. The most fashionable floor-coverings were inspired by those of Louis XV's carpet factory, the Savonnerie. However, floors were often bare, so were panelled to resemble marquetry designs.
Upholstered fitted and non fitted furniture was covered in red, blue, or green damasks, which matched the wall coverings. Chairs were oval or square backed, with turned, fluted legs. Daybeds and badkarsoffas, or bathtub sofas - where the sides of the sofa were the same height as the back and curved to create a bathtub form - were typically Gustavian and proved popular.

Late Gustavian Furniture
Swedish furniture design became more austere later in the period. The rectilinear two-part cabinet is a provincial example of this.
Gustavian pieces are clearly influenced by European, especially French, styles of furniture. However, Swedish designers interpreted the style in a way that is instantly recognisable as Scandinavian.