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.
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch, Pine
1850s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
1820s Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
Late 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Iron
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Pine
20th Century American Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
1820s Russian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Carrara Marble, Bronze
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Spruce
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
18th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Pine
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Pine
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Softwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal
1980s Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Other
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
1950s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Cherry
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut