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 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 1900s Danish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Japanese Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
1930s French Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
1930s Belgian Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Early 20th Century American Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Metal, Brass
2010s American Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Spruce
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Early 1900s American Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Spruce
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut, Spruce
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
Early 1900s American Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Rosewood
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 1900s Danish Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 1900s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
Early 1900s Dutch Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 1900s Dutch Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 1900s Dutch Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
Early 1900s European Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood
Early 1900s European Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass