Gustavian Furniture -Where, What & How To Buy

Dawn Hill Antiques Specializes in Swedish Gustavian Antiques

You’ve always loved the look. Clean, soft white, blues, washed out greens. The detailing is carved, distinct, and lineal. Basically, you know it’s Swedish, but did you know the origins of the style are founded in France and Italy?

True!

In a mini-history nutshell, Gustav III returned to Sweden from Versailles in the late 1700′s and was so taken with the architecture and furnishings he found in Versailles that he declared Sweden would become the cultural center of the North. To this end, his thirst for cultural enrichments for Sweden took him further to Italy where he embraced the Italian decorative styles. The blend of Rococo and Baroque into more austere lines is what we now identify as the Gustavian Swedish style.

Real Gustavian.com in Great Barrington, Massachusetts has a beautiful line of Swedish antiques

When you look at the simpler from of Swedish Country style, take a close look at the carvings, the lines of the chairs and benches and you’ll be able to see how this style was so influenced by the southern European neighbors all because Gustave III was a connoisseur of beauty and patron of the arts. For more on Gustav III of Sweden, click here. He was a true Renaissance man and one of the most powerful sovereigns of the 18th century.

Swedish Lighting at Dawn Hill Antiques

There are so many fabulous sources from which to find good Swedish furniture, old and new, but the few noted here have great websites from which you’ll be able to learn and potentially visit if you are in their neighborhoods.

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Get educated

If you know what your buying, you’ll be sure to make the right purchasing decisions as well as appreciating what you have. Read up, visit antique stores and ask questions. Most of all, enjoy the hunt!