Biedermeier Cabinets
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.
1990s American Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut, Spruce
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut, Pine
Mid-19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Baize, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Birch
1750s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Steel
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Spruce, Cherry
Early 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany, Oak
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut, Spruce
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Ebony, Glass, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Cherry, Spruce
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Ash, Spruce
Mid-19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Metal, Brass
1950s German Vintage Biedermeier Cabinets
Maple, Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Metal, Brass
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass, Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Spruce, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Spruce, Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Steel
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mirror, Birch
Mid-19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Metal
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Glass, Cherry, Spruce
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Glass, Mirror, Elm
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Wood, Birch
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Burl, Walnut
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Pine, Cherry
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Wood, Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Spruce, Birch
1940s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Cabinets
Glass, Wood
1750s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut, Pine
Early 1800s French Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Cherry, Spruce
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Glass, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Maple
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
1870s European Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany, Softwood
1830s Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Spruce, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut, Pine
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Cabinets
Satinwood, Glass
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Bronze
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Metal