Gustavian Style — by Guest Mom Leslie
images of furniture from Country Living
One of my favorite styles in interior design is the Gustavian style. (Quick history lesson: the style was named for King Gustav III, who ruled Sweden from 1771 to 1792, and the trend lasted about 30 to 40 years after his death.) Picture light-filled rooms with no rugs on the floors and bare windows. It may sound bleak and cold, but rooms inspired by the Gustavian period and the Swedish lifestyle are some of the warmest and most inviting I've seen. The colors of this period are creams, whites, blues and grays. With darkness covering Sweden for most of the wintertime, it's no wonder that, for centuries, the Swedes have filled their homes with light and remembrances of summer sunshine. This classic Swedish look is also characterized by hand painted furniture, large, curvaceous clocks, and neoclassical shapes.
images from Swedish Reproduction Furniture and A Beautiful Living, a lovely Swedish style blog
Because the style is so classical, it appeals to a large variety of decorating tastes, from period-influenced traditionalism to urban/modern. My taste hinges on the more traditional Gustavian style, but this post, at Desire to Inspire, showcases a home which perfectly translates this Swedish look into a contemporary family home.
What do you think?
posted by Gabrielle of Design Mom at Thursday, January 17, 2008
14 Comments:
this too is my favorite...never been to sweeden, but I CRAVE this kind of simple yet lush decor!--sarah jane
Great look. Love the information, too. No rugs, in that cold climate?
Pictures like that leave me so inspired!!! It is amazing how the somewhat ornate furniture can translate into such a serene & simple space.
Um, yeah--I totally love it.
That would be perfect for this cold Minnesota winter!
thanks for putting a name and history lesson to a style i love - but didn't have a word for!
love the gustavian. ditto on thanks for putting a lesson and name to colors and textures I love too!
Oh, I need to rethink my house! Thanks for the fresh look.
Thanks for the link! Lauritz.com is a great swedish/danish auktionsite where you can find the most beautiful old gustavian furnitures!
All the best,
Amelia
www.abeautifulliving.se
Wonderful, beautiful! Love it! The light and color palette are perfect! Great post!
Thanks for including links to where we can find reproductions. This article reminds me of my many visits to Stockholm, Goteborg, and the Sweden countryside. Lovely!
I think it's the soft colors that I like most about this look. Beautiful photos - thanks!
My goal for last 20 years has been to make my entire home over in Gustavian style, I love pale blue and white and have made each room up around that palette, even handpainting my own furniture and adding gold leaf to frames and accents on furniture. Airy but rich and warm too.
I love it when people talk about Gustavian style!
(LilyOake in Seattle)
I'm from Norway, and even though our culture didn't really encorporate a lot of the Gustavian style, it still remains a beautifully classic way of styling the home. Houses in Scandinavia have always been amazingly insulated so there has never been a need for carpets. I love that aspect of the no carpet look, it also means less dust! Beautiful pictures and great blog!
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