The death of Gustav III in 1792 and the political turmoil in Europe brought greater informality and with England as a model this trend evolved into an unpretentious Neoclassicism. The late Gustavian style bespeaks both simplicity and austerity. Smooth mahogany furniture without intarsia became fashionable and the natural grain of the wood was given precedence. Bureaus were furnished with brass trim and fittings. The late Gustavian armchair, “baljfåtölj,” with its soft seat and curved, padded backrest, and the “sullastol” with its broad, padded backrest were the height of fashion.
