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