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.
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Ebony, Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Mahogany
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1890s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
Early 1900s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1930s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Nutwood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Oak
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry, Paint
1820s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Paint, Cherry
1940s Spanish Vintage Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Lacquer, Fabric
20th Century German Biedermeier Seating
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry
1850s French Antique Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Maple, Lacquer, Cherry, Satinwood
1790s Danish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry, Fruitwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Seating
Ash, Fruitwood
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Wood, Beech, Maple
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Cherry
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Seating
Wood
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Seating
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Seating
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Seating
Cherry