Biedermeier Blanket Chests
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.
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Metal
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Spruce, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Brass
Early 1800s European Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Oak, Wood
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Brass
1970s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Bamboo, Wicker
Mid-19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Paint, Wood
Early 20th Century Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Wood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Burl
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Pine
Late 17th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Poplar
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Paint
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Brass
18th Century German Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Cherry
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Brass
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Blanket Chests
Walnut