Breakthrough for Swedish Period Furniture

Eight of Sweden’s premier producers of period furniture are building a U.S. retailer network for their products. The launch on the North American multi-billion dollar market could result in a double turnover and new employment opportunities in just a few years time. The companies recently signed a preliminary deal with an American partner who will work with the powerful interior decorating companies in the United States. ”This is a breakthrough for Swedish furniture tradition and it could finally make place for classic Swedish style on the international market,” says James Minard from the Gustavian Room.

Through cooperation with the New York-based partner, the Swedish-American Development Company, the association is now ready to enter the U.S. market. A retailer network will be created in the Eastern United States and in the old Swedish settlement areas around Chicago. The customers are found in the upper middle class where there is an evident interest for investing in period furniture and thus creating family heirlooms.

The Swedish period furniture differs from competitors' because of the 18th and 19th century Gustavian tradition, mainly using light colors on quality wood. The types of wood used are beech and Swedish birch and alder, which are unique in the furniture production market. The wood is brought from the Skaraborg area on the Swedish West Coast. The sales of Swedish produced period furniture have decreased during the past ten years. Internationally, the market has been dominated by Italian, French and English companies manufacturing quality period furniture, together with Asian companies producing lower quality copies. At the same time, the demand for classic period furniture has increased worldwide and especially in the U.S. A few years ago, eight period furniture manufacturers in Tibro, Sweden, involved in the network Industrial Development Center (IDC), laid out a strategy and merged into the association the Gustavian Room (Gustavianska Rummet).