Biedermeier Children's Furniture
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 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Wood
1920s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Elm, Burl
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Fabric, Bentwood
Mid-20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Metal
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Irish Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Oak, Pine
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Bentwood
19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Hardwood
Mid-20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Metal
19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Hickory, Pine
Mid-20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Metal
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Wood, Upholstery
Mid-19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Leather, Wood, Paint
1870s American Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Wood
19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Pine
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Children's Furniture
Cherry