In the early 1990s, the Swedish National Heritage Board contacted IKEA regarding a collaboration based on the cultural and historical environment at Medevi. IKEA supported Medevi financially in exchange for support in producing a limited Gustavian collection – IKEA's 18th century series.
IKEA brought the Swedish furniture heritage from the 18th century to new life. The inspiration was everyday furniture with sophisticated lines and carved details in the Gustavian style. Lars Sjöberg, curator at the National Museum in Stockholm, was tasked with finding the right models for the new collection of 18th century copies. He made a selection of models and also contributed together with other experts with information of the production. The copies were inspected by curator Lars Sjöberg before they were quality-stamped with the Swedish National Heritage Board seal. The furniture was of high quality and was manufactured according to Swedish craft tradition; but modern industrial production was used to keep prices down. Some of the 18th century materials that did not meet contemporary safety and environmental requirements were replaced, such as straw in the upholstery and mercury in mirror glass. But the chair replicas were carved in one piece and had a seat frame made of solid wood with upholstery of cotton fabric and linen. In June 1993, the series was presented outside Älmhult and soon sold out. A new edition was produced and relaunched in 1997 and was also very popular then.