Round Gustavian Tripod Table
Antique 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Center Tables
Maple
Antique Late 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Side Tables
Pine, Paint
Antique Early 19th Century European Gustavian Center Tables
Wood
Vintage 1980s Swedish Gustavian Gueridon
Wood
People Also Browsed
2010s South African Minimalist Pedestals
Hardwood
21st Century and Contemporary Swedish Mid-Century Modern Table Lamps
Textile
2010s American Mid-Century Modern Chandeliers and Pendants
Brass, Bronze, Enamel, Chrome, Aluminum, Nickel
21st Century and Contemporary American American Classical Beds and Bed F...
Wood
Vintage 1940s American Mid-Century Modern Benches
Oak
21st Century and Contemporary Belgian Modern Patio and Garden Furniture
Limestone
Antique Late 19th Century French Louis XV Beds and Bed Frames
Giltwood
Antique Mid-19th Century Swiss Country Blanket Chests
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Asian Modern Dining Room Tables
Wood
2010s Pakistani Organic Modern Vases
Onyx
2010s English Louis XVI Coffee and Cocktail Tables
Wood
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Centerpieces
Blown Glass, Opaline Glass
21st Century and Contemporary American Rustic Benches
Wood, Oak, Walnut
2010s American Benches
Oak
2010s American Benches
Oak
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Bookends
Brass
Recent Sales
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Karl Johan Side Tables
Birch
Antique 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Dessert Tables and Tilt-top Tables
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Center Tables
Birch
Antique Early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Card Tables and Tea Tables
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Gustavian End Tables
Teak
Antique 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Dining Room Tables
Wood
A Close Look at gustavian Furniture
With clean lines and muted colors, antique Gustavian furniture is understated and elegant. It represents a more restrained version of the transition from Rococo to neoclassicism that was happening in France under Louis XVI. The style developed under Swedish King Gustav III, who reigned from 1771 until his assassination in 1792, and his son Gustav IV, who ruled until 1809. Although Gustavian furniture is mostly used to refer to pale painted cabinets, commodes, armchairs and other items, it involved a range of influences.
Gustavian-style furniture was inspired by discoveries at Pompeii and Herculaneum as well as the grandeur of European palaces like Versailles, with local softwoods such as pine and birch. There was also an emphasis on natural light; crystal chandeliers and large mirrors played a role in radiating the fleeting daylight of winter, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.
Where earlier furniture was curvy and florid, this new era was more architectural, with tapered and fluted legs and rectangular and oval shapes. Luminous gilt contrasted with the palette of soft blues on upholstery and painted surfaces. Leading furniture builders included Gottlieb Iwersson, Louis Masreliez and Erik Öhrmark. The latter, a French-born Swedish decorator, designed the Sulla chair, a seat that was demonstrative of technical skill and precise craftsmanship and drew on Greek klismos chairs. Masreliez’s Sulla chair was made by Öhrmark and featured decorative ornamentation produced by Jean-Baptiste Masreliez, Louis’s younger brother.
While the wealthy had furniture carved with neoclassical details like scallops and rosettes, more affordable options were adorned with faux finishes that mimicked marble and stenciled patterns. The simple elegance of Gustavian furniture would have a long impact on Swedish design, informing the 20th-century appreciation for function and form. In the 1950s, IKEA mass-produced copies of a Gustavian commode designed by cabinetmaker Georg Haupt, who created pieces for the Royal Palace, making the furniture a fixture of everyday Swedish life.
Find a collection of antique Gustavian seating, tables, decorative objects and other furniture on 1stDibs.
Finding the Right tables for You
The right vintage, new or antique tables can help make any space in your home stand out.
Over the years, the variety of tables available to us, as well as our specific needs for said tables, has broadened. Today, with all manner of these must-have furnishings differing in shape, material and style, any dining room table can shine just as brightly as the guests who gather around it.
Remember, when shopping for a dining table, it must fit your dining area, and you need to account for space around the table too — think outside the box, as an oval dining table may work for tighter spaces. Alternatively, if you’ve got the room, a Regency-style dining table can elevate any formal occasion at mealtime.
Innovative furniture makers and designers have also redefined what a table can be. Whether it’s an unconventional Ping-Pong table, a brass side table to display your treasured collectibles or a Louis Vuitton steamer trunk to add an air of nostalgia to your loft, your table can say a lot about you.
The visionary work of French designer Xavier Lavergne, for example, includes tables that draw on the forms of celestial bodies as often as they do aquatic creatures or fossils. Elsewhere, Italian architect Gae Aulenti, who looked to Roman architecture in crafting her stately Jumbo coffee table, created clever glass-topped mobile coffee tables that move on bicycle tires or sculpted wood wheels for Fontana Arte.
Coffee and cocktail tables can serve as a room’s centerpiece with attention-grabbing details and colors. Glass varieties will keep your hardwood flooring and dazzling area rugs on display, while a marble or stone coffee table in a modern interior can showcase your prized art books and decorative objects. A unique vintage desk or writing table can bring sophistication and even a bit of spice to your work life.
No matter your desired form or function, a quality table for your living space is a sound investment. On 1stDibs, browse a collection of vintage, new and antique bedside tables, mid-century end tables and more .