Swedish Gustavian dining tables are the height of elegance
Whatever your style modern, traditional or down right funky, the dining table defines your taste and the tenor of your eating experience.
While glass and chrome might be for some and thick oak country tables for others – the number 1 choice in a classic dining table experience is the swedish gustavian dining table.
The Gustavian Style is a classic for all ages because it is both simple and complex and the same time. It is easy on the eye and not too fussy but with enough design content to keep it interesting.
Also the fact that most Gustavian dining tables can be extended is a great help in an age where more people than ever live in apartments and space is at a premium.
Most of the swedish antique dining tables start life as a 110cm diameter and then extend on wooden rails that are slotted underneath the table top. With a little bit of candle wax these mechanisms work great and are easy to use.
Depending on the actual gustavian dining table you choose, the extended lengths vary from 180-350cm with 2-3 extension leaves that can be kept in a cupboard when not in use. The leaves themselves have a length of 20-50cm depending on the table size.
Decorative features on these tables are as follows –
The leg shape is either a round leg with fluting on higher end models and a rose motif carved at the top of the leg. More rare are the pyramid leg shape that tapers down to a point from the top.
Normally the legs are held in place by bolts and nuts and so can be taken off for transport which makes life a lot easier if you are moving around.
Along the table edge you can find with a fluted gustavian skirt or plain strip – on the top models you may find detailed egg and dart carved friezes with great detail. Very beautiful indeed.
One thing to remember is that the original gustavian dining tables do not have any side skirts on the extension leaves although they can be added specially if you want them.
Finally the very long gustavian dining tables over 250cm have a set of drop down leg in the middle that help support the weight of the table top and hence stop it bowing.
