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.
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cane, Wood
Late 20th Century Italian Biedermeier Seating
Bronze
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry
1960s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Walnut
1860s Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 1900s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut, Paint
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Maple
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Nutwood
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Birch, Upholstery, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery, Birch
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Nutwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Ebony
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Velvet, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Lacquer, Fabric, Wood, Upholstery
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Cane, Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fruitwood, Burl
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany, Upholstery
1970s American Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Cotton, Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Seating
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Maple, Wood, Upholstery
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Maple, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut, Fabric
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Leather, Cane, Amboyna