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.
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Wood, Birch
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Upholstery
20th Century German Biedermeier Chairs
Birdseye Maple
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Lacquer, Upholstery, Cherry
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Wood, Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Chairs
Wood, Beech, Maple
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cane, Cherry
1940s Spanish Vintage Biedermeier Chairs
Wood, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Rattan, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 1900s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Nutwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
Early 1800s Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
20th Century German Biedermeier Chairs
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Nutwood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Chairs
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Mahogany
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Cherry
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Wicker
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Upholstery, Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Chairs
Wood, Birch