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.
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Burl Birch Tilt-Top Square Table on Pedestal Base
Located in INTERLAKEN, NY
An exceptional 18th century Swedish Gustavian tilt-top table with a patchwork birch, burl rootwood top over a turned birch column that rests on a tripod pedestal base with cabriole l...
Birch, Burl
Swedish Gustavian Style 1880s Painted Cabinet with Carved Diamond and Rosettes
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Swedish Gustavian style painted wood cabinet from the late 19th century, with single door, carved rosettes, diamond motifs and dentil molding. Created in Sweden during the last qua...
Wood
Swedish Gustavian Style Painted Side Occasional Bedside Table
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
This Swedish style hand painted, in a Scandinavian neutral green color, table has been constructed from solid wood. Classic details on this table including a hand-applied finish and ...
Brass
19th Century Swedish Bedside Nightstand End Table with Drawer
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
This classically Gustavian side table featuring a cabinet with one hidden drawer. The table has been hand painted in a color called Gustav and has been constructed from solid wood. T...
Wood, Paint
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Pinewood, Porphyry Console Table by Jonas Frisk
By Jonas Frisk
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A gold, antique Swedish Gustavian freestanding console table made of hand crafted gilded, painted Pinewood in the Egyptian style with a crystal red porphyry top, designed and produced most likely by Jonas Frisk in good condition. The edges, borders of the tall Scandinavian side table are enhanced by detailed wood carvings, supported by four round, straight golden wooden legs particularized with Egyptian figures. The end table is standing on a gilded, painted base. Minor fading due to age. Wear consistent with age and use. circa 1810 - 1830, Sweden, Scandinavia, Scandinavia. Jonas Frist was a Swedish artist and designer, born in 1787, in Stockholm, Sweden and passed away in 1849. In 1805, Frist received the rights to design and produce mirrors and console tables by the Kommerskollegium. From 1810 - 1814, his studio was located on the street Storkyrkobrinken and from 1814 - 1824, he moved to the public square Riddarhustorget, in Gamla stan, in Stockholm. Frist's personal history remains lost in history. Kommerskollegium (The National Board of Trade...
Pine, Giltwood
$1,350 / set
Pair of Painted Side End Tables Bedside
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Classic pair of side tables, hand painted in a neutral creamy shade. The tables tops with rounded corners and baluster form and scrolled base create an architectural balance, imbuing...
Wood, Paint
19th Century Danish Gustavian IFR End Table - Antique Walnut Sewing Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A small, antique Danish Gustavian sewing table made of hand crafted polished Walnut, in good condition. The Scandinavian end table is composed with one drawer, detailed with the orig...
Metal, Brass
19th Century Gustavian Swedish Bobbin Style Extension Drop Leaf Oval Table
Located in Fort Lauderdale, FL
On offer on this occasion is one of the most stunning and rare, Gustavian drop leaf versatile table you could hope to find. Outstanding design is exhibited throughout. The beautiful ...
Wood, Paint
Swedish Birch Burl Top Tripod Table
Located in Greenwich, CT
Fine early 19th century Swedish Gustavian tripod table, the round top veneered in birch root burl timber with very vivid grain and color, standing on eboni...
Birch
Louis XVI Style Console or Card Table
Located in Sheffield, MA
Set against a wall as a console or lamp table, the top unfolds and the back legs slide to fully support the unfolded half of a square card table, sea...
Mahogany
19th Century Round Gustavian Table
Located in Houston, TX
Round Swedish table on 4 legs with criss-crossed stretcher below. Carved detail around the apron and rectangular medallions at the top of each leg....
Pine
Louis XVI Style Console or Card Table
Located in Sheffield, MA
Set against a wall as a console or lamp table, the top unfolds and the back legs slide to fully support the unfolded half of a square card table, sea...
Mahogany
Century Furniture VillaDomain Gustavian Swedish Style White End Tables
Located in Long Branch, NJ
Century Furniture VillaDomain Gustavian Swedish Style White End Tables Dimensions : 29" Wide X 29" Deep X 25" Tall This pair of end tables were made by Century furniture for their ...
Wood
$1,521
Swedish Lamp Table
Located in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
Large 19th century Swedish lamp table, 1890 Dimensions: 36.5 inches (93 cms) wide 24 inches (61 cms) deep 29.5 inches (75 cms) high.
Pine
19th Century Blue-Grey Swedish Gustavian Side Table - Scandinavian Kitchen Table
Located in West Palm Beach, FL
A blue-grey, antique Swedish Gustavian single center, kitchen table made of hand crafted painted Pinewood, in good condition. The Scandinavian side table is composed with one drawer,...
Metal, Bronze
Antique Hideaway House Beverly Hills Marble Top Nightstand End or Side Table
Located in LOS ANGELES, CA
Antique Hideaway House Beverly hills marble top nightstand end or side table Additional information: Materials: Marble, Wood Color: Antique White Period: 19th century Styles:...
Marble
$2,244 / item
Gray Gustavian Side Table
Located in Westwood, NJ
The antique gray finish highlights the table's refined features, including a bow front, a ribbed drawer front and beautifully reeded tapered legs with subtle turnings. Each architec...
Wood
$3,206
H 27.96 in W 33.47 in D 19.69 in
Antique Swedish Console Table with Original Paint and Gustavian Carved Decor
Located in Kramfors, SE
Antique console table in gustavian style dated September 24th 1852. Straight tapered legs, apron with period-typical gustavian carved leaves. Original thin paint which is slightly wo...
Pine
Pierced Carving Folding Round Side Occasional Table
Located in Rockaway, NJ
Fine carved teak occasional table stand pedestal, folding base.
Teak
Swedish Gustavian Style Black Painted Console Table (Reproduction)
Located in Round Top, TX
Swedish Gustavian-style black painted console table, a well-crafted reproduction in the timeless Scandinavian tradition. Constructed in pine with long, fluted tapered legs, this tabl...
Pine, Paint
18th Century Swedish Gustavian Console
Located in Tetbury, Gloucestershire
Well carved 18th Century Swedish Gustavian console. Decorative carved detailing around three sides, carved and turned legs and repainted in soft blue. Circa 1780.
Wood
Console Table Swedish Gustavian Style
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is an Incredible Swedish Gustavian Style 1 Drawer console table. its been restored and repainted with Milk Paints "Oyster White"
Wood
Swedish antique Gustavian Table with original paint
Located in Boden, SE
19th Century Swedish Gustavian table from Boden Norrbotten, Northern Sweden. The table is handscraped to its original color. Hardware is original to the piece. Made in painted pine. ...
Pine
Swedish Gustavian Style Console Table
Located in Hollywood, FL
This is a unique Swedish Gustavian Style Console Table. its been restored and repainted with Milk Paints "Oyster Grey.
Wood
Swedish Gustavian Blue Painted Bedside Cabinet Table with Drawer
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
As found in Sweden, this Swedish one door and one drawer blue bedside table has been constructed from solid wood. Classic details on this piece including patinated iron hardware. Thi...
Paint
19th Century Swedish Gustavian Painted Console Table
Located in Round Top, TX
Swedish Gustavian style console table with tapered legs. Applied carved embellishments top the legs and a lion medallion in the center of skirt each add to the romantic appeal of thi...
Wood, Paint
$3,900 / set
H 31.89 in W 46.86 in D 17.52 in
Pair of Swedish Pillar Console Tables, Early 19th Century
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Pair of Narrow Scraped Two Pillar Console Tables, Sweden, circa 1830.
Oak
Small Early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian Console Table
Located in Gloucestershire, GB
A small highly carved early 19th Century Swedish Gustavian period console table. In original paint with a Carrara marble top.
Carrara Marble
Pair of 19th Century Swedish Demi Lune Console Tables
Located in Atlanta, GA
This elegant pair of 19th-century Swedish demi-lune console tables embodies the timeless sophistication of Gustavian design. Crafted from pine wood, the tables feature gracefully curved half-moon tops and delicately tapered legs, showcasing the understated elegance characteristic of Swedish neoclassical furniture...
Pine, Paint
19th Century Swedish End Table Gustavian Style Pedestal
Located in Kvidinge, SE
Swedish end table in Gustavian style with a rectangle top, a single drawer, and a tri-foot pedestal base. The table is made of pine wood around 1890 Painted in a beautiful shade of...
Wood, Paint
Swedish Gustavian Style Painted Side Table Bedside with 3 Drawers
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
This Swedish style three drawer hand painted neutral toned bedside tables has been constructed from solid wood. Classic details on the table including a hand-applied finish and featu...
Brass
Swedish Gustavian Style Painted Side Table Bedside with 3 Drawers
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
This Swedish style three drawer hand painted neutral toned bedside table has been constructed from solid wood. Classic details on this table including a hand-applied finish and featu...
Brass
Sold
H 31.5 in W 28 in D 18.15 in
Set of Swedish Gustavian Styled Painted Side Tables Bedside with Drawers
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Set of two Swedish style three drawer hand painted neutral toned bedside tables. They are constructed from solid wood. Classic details on these including a hand-applied finish and f...
Brass
Pair of Swedish Gustavian Style Painted Side Tables Bedside
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Swedish Gustavian Style 2 Drawer Side Tables Bedside, A Pair These Swedish style two drawer hand painted neutral toned bedside tables have been constructed from solid wood. Classic ...
Brass
Pair of Swedish Gustavian Style Painted Side Tables Bedside
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
This pair of Swedish style single drawer with cabinet below Swedish blue nightstand or bedside tables have been constructed from solid wood. Classic d...
Brass
Pair of Swedish Gustavian Style Painted Side Tables Bedside
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
Swedish Gustavian Style 3 Drawer Side Tables Bedside, A Pair These Swedish style three drawer hand painted neutral toned bedside tables have been ...
Brass
Vintage Gustavian Side Table
Located in Los Angeles, CA
Elevate your space with this Vintage Swedish Gustavian Side Table from the 1900s. Crafted from light solid wood, pear shaped feet with a block stretcher for stability and support, it...
Wood
19th C. Gustavian Round Table
Located in Houston, TX
Beautiful Gustavian round table with stretchers.
Wood
Pair of Swedish Gustavian End or Side Tables with Stone tops
Located in Haddonfield, NJ
A charming pair of 20th Century Swedish nightstands or night tables in mahogany wood with green serpentine marble tops. These Gustavian brass gallery oval tables with fluted Louis XV...
Serpentine, Brass
Sold
H 29 in W 15.25 in D 10 in
Swedish Late Gustavian Period 1820s Painted Bedside Table with Drawers and Doors
Located in Atlanta, GA
A Swedish late Gustavian painted wood bedside table from the early 19th century, with two reeded drawers, double doors and three quarter gallery. Create...
Brass
Pair of Swedish Gustavian Style Lacquered Three-Tier Drinks Table
Located in Rio Vista, CA
Gorgeous pair of 19th-century Swedish drink tables made in the neoclassical gustavian taste. The lacquered three-tier tables feature a marble tile...
Marble, Brass