Biedermeier More Lighting
The authentic Biedermeier furniture on 1stDibs is representative of the first modern European decorative style not dictated by the tastes of the aristocracy. Following the Napoleonic wars, a growing, wealthy urban middle class in the German-speaking states of Central Europe began to demand rights and privileges once granted only to nobles. To avoid trouble, the upwardly striving confined their political discussions to one another’s homes. And so the salon was born.
Cabinetmakers in cities such as Vienna, Berlin and Mainz began to offer goods that reflected the tastes and needs of the new class. The makers of Biedermeier chairs, tables and other furniture used little or no gilding, silver hardware or other lavish ornament. Ebonized trims are common on Biedermeier cabinetry, and neoclassical elements — lyre-shaped chair splats, carved scrollwork, table supports shaped like Greek columns. But the strongest aesthetic statement came from the wood — richly-grained, honey-colored, often book-matched veneers of walnut and fruitwood.
There are two iconic Biedermeier furniture forms, both made to outfit rooms designed for conversation. One is the sofa, deeply upholstered with a strong, architectural wooden frame. The second is the circular pedestal table, which stood at the center of the room, offering a surface on which to place coffee and cake services; or to roll out a map, or sketch out ideas on paper.
“Biedermeier” was originally a derogatory term — it derives from the pen names of two German magazine writers who mocked bourgeois manners. Looking at the elegant and refined antique, new and vintage Biedermeier furniture offered on 1stDibs, that is now an amusing irony.
20th Century German Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Bronze
20th Century German Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal, Brass
20th Century English Biedermeier More Lighting
Chrome
20th Century German Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
20th Century German Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Wood
20th Century French Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
2010s Italian Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal, Iron, Metal
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier More Lighting
Alabaster, Brass, Bronze
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Iron
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Metal, Wrought Iron
20th Century Moroccan Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
2010s European Biedermeier More Lighting
Metal, Brass
1960s German Vintage Biedermeier More Lighting
Plastic
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier More Lighting
Steel, Chrome
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal, Bronze
1930s European Vintage Biedermeier More Lighting
Crystal, Brass, Wire
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier More Lighting
Brass
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier More Lighting
Stone
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier More Lighting
Gesso, Wood