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.
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Beech, Cherry, Lacquer
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry, Lacquer
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Velvet
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Birch
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1960s Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Cotton, Wood, Burl
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Silk, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Bouclé, Beech
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Maple
1910s Unknown Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Softwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Velvet, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Chenille, Upholstery, Burl
1990s American Biedermeier Seating
Maple, Fabric
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Metal
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Yew
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cotton, Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 1900s Italian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch, Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Muslin, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Cherry, Paint
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut, Spruce, Beech, Lacquer
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut