Late 19th Century Swedish Painted Pine Settle Bench

A beautiful late 19th-century Swedish painted pine settle bench, with a wonderfully understated design and lovely soft, timeworn patina.

Sourced in Sweden, this is a particularly charming example of traditional Scandinavian country furniture. The original paintwork has been carefully dry-scraped, revealing the many layers of old paint beneath and giving the pine a wonderful depth of colour and texture. We particularly like its simple spindle back, restrained proportions and lack of unnecessary decoration. It has a lovely calm, understated appearance that would sit comfortably in both traditional and contemporary interiors.

Originally, these benches were designed as multifunctional pieces of furniture, providing seating during the day and additional sleeping accommodation when required. The large drawer beneath the seat pulls out to form the base of a simple bed, a clever and practical feature typical of traditional Swedish rural furniture.

In excellent condition for its age, with a wonderfully aged surface and plenty of character. The bench is structurally sound throughout, with the wear and imperfections one would expect from a piece of this age.

The seat is currently covered in plain calico, ready to be upholstered in a fabric of your choice. One of our photographs illustrates how it could look upholstered in a lovely heavyweight blue-grey linen. The bench is sold with its existing calico-covered seat, and we would be happy to discuss upholstery options if required.

Details

• Item: Antique Swedish painted pine settle bench with pull-out bed
• Origin: Sweden
• Date: Late 19th century
• Material: Pine
• Style: Traditional Swedish country furniture
• Finish: Carefully dry-scraped paintwork revealing multiple layers of historic paint
• Features: Spindle back, simple panelled arms, large pull-out bed drawer and upholstered seat
• Dimensions: 99 cm high × 186 cm long × 65 cm deep
• Seat height: 52 cm
• Condition: Excellent antique condition. Structurally sound throughout, with historic wear, marks and imperfections consistent with its age. Beautiful dry-scraped paintwork and patina.
• Upholstery: Currently covered in calico and ready for reupholstering. The blue-grey linen shown in one photograph is an illustrative option rather than the supplied upholstery.