Gustavian style
The reigns of Gustav III (1771-1792) and his son Gustav IV Adolf (1792-1809) mark a much admired golden age of Swedish design, referred to as Gustavian and late Gustavian style. Think Louis XVI and Empire style, but simpler and less opulent. That is Gustavian style. Furniture and appliances that fit easily into any modern home and blends well with IKEA furniture.
There are innumerable Gustavian
chairs around in Sweden, but it was the cabinet makers who created the epitome
of this style, the only craftsmen outside of France to reach French level of
skill. The biggest name of them all was George Haupt (1741-84). Figure on at
least for anything from his workshop, like the set of drawers to the left,
sold at Stockholms
Auktionsverk. Auction prices twice or three times that are known.
Stockholm's
antique stores and auction houses are
filled to the brim with Gustavian antiques, and if that is not enough, any
decent furniture store will carry replicas, handcrafted according to old
methods.
Books about Gustavian style
The standard work in English is "Neoclassisism in the North" by Håkan Groth, still available in paperback from a.o. Amazon.com. Highly recommended. But there are quite a few others as you can see from this list at Google Print. (You need to a free Google account to view the inside of the books.)
The epicenter of Gustavian style is found at the Gustav III Pavillion at Haga, just north of central Stockholm, inspired by Petit Trianon at Versailles, which the king had seen and admired. It is open to the public summertime.
Gustavian furniture is not necessarily gilded, like in the royal environment (top). Most of it was just painted light grey or perhaps in some other color, like these beautiful, comfortable and functional dining chairs. A set of 10 identical is something very unusual, very expensive and very likely to carry a "Not allowed for export" sticker on them. But pairs and sets of 4 abound and can be had for around to a piece, not much above the cost for a modern replica.