Biedermeier Club 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 Russian Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Mahogany
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Velvet, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Mahogany
1990s American Biedermeier Club Chairs
Maple, Fabric
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Velvet, Giltwood
Early 19th Century Russian Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Giltwood
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Club Chairs
Fabric, Velvet, Wood
1970s American Vintage Biedermeier Club Chairs
Chrome
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Cherry
1970s Vintage Biedermeier Club Chairs
Chrome
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Birch
20th Century European Biedermeier Club Chairs
Leather, Pine
1970s Vintage Biedermeier Club Chairs
Leather
1970s American Vintage Biedermeier Club Chairs
Chrome
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Chenille, Walnut, Softwood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Birch
20th Century Biedermeier Club Chairs
Leather, Wood
1970s Unknown Vintage Biedermeier Club Chairs
Upholstery
20th Century Biedermeier Club Chairs
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Club Chairs
Wool, Fruitwood, Giltwood
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Fabric, Cherry
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Club Chairs
Beech, Ebony, Walnut, Burl, Amboyna
1950s German Vintage Biedermeier Club Chairs
Wood, Upholstery