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.
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
Early 20th Century Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Softwood
1770s English Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
1960s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Parchment Paper
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bentwood
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bentwood
21st Century and Contemporary European Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Beech
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary European Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Beech
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bog Wood