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.
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Walnut
1920s Danish Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Ash
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Nutwood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer, Spruce
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Pearlware, Upholstery
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Oak, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
1980s Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Walnut
Late 19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Fabric
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wicker, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Beech, Walnut, Softwood
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Birch
Early 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Beech
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Beech
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Seating
Metal
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Suede, Beech, Mahogany
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
20th Century European Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Brass
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Pearwood
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Mahogany, Oak, Ash, Rosewood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Maple, Wood, Upholstery
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Ash
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood, Burl
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Biedermeier Seating
Wood