Biedermeier Chairs
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.
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fruitwood
20th Century Biedermeier Chairs
Wood, Beech, Maple
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Other
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Cherry
1990s Canadian Biedermeier Chairs
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birdseye Maple
Early 1900s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
Early 1900s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Silk, Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Pine, Paint
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Chairs
Beech, Maple
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Leather, Wood
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Chairs
Beech
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Chairs
Brass
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Wood, Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Velvet, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Silk, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Cherry, Paint
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Walnut