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.
1980s German Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Beech
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Beech
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Upholstery
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut, Velvet, Upholstery
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Suede, Beech, Mahogany
20th Century European Biedermeier Seating
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1830s Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Birch
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1940s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Brass
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
1980s Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Pearlware, Upholstery
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1980s German Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Maple
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Cherry, Softwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1850s Belgian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Linen, Upholstery, Walnut
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Yew
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Nutwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Fruitwood, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Walnut, Ebony
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Rattan, Wood, Lacquer, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Cherry, Paint
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery, Burl
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Hardwood, Beech
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Birch, Textile
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Rosewood, Ash, Oak, Mahogany, Velvet