Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
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.
1980s Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Other
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch, Burl
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Early 19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Glass, Cherry, Mahogany, Burl
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak, Softwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Pine
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry