Biedermeier Seating
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.
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Beech
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry, Paint
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Velvet, Mahogany
1820s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Paint, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood
1840s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-20th Century European Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Cherry, Paint
1980s Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1830s Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1830s European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood
1940s Spanish Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1970s American Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Cotton, Wood
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut, Paint
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Bentwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Pearwood
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Gold Plate
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 1900s Italian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry, Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Velvet
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Upholstery
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Pearwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Pearwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Textile, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Spruce, Walnut