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.
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Spruce, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Glass, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Oak, Walnut, Softwood
Late 20th Century North American Biedermeier Cabinets
Glass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Metal
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1750s Italian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Oak
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Glass, Mirror, Giltwood, Lacquer
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Cherry
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Metal
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Glass, Walnut
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
1880s Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Poplar, Walnut, Wood
1870s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Metal
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Cherry, Spruce
Early 1900s Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Elm
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Spruce, Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Nutwood, Walnut
Early 1800s French Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Cherry, Spruce
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Spruce, Ash
1750s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Steel
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Ash, Fruitwood
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Steel
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Blown Glass, Fruitwood, Nutwood, Burl
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Cherry, Pine
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Burl, Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Wood, Walnut
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
1870s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Cabinets
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Paint, Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Cabinets
Walnut, Pine