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.
1950s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood
1920s British Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1930s German Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass, Chrome
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
1850s Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Glass, Mahogany
1910s French Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Bronze
Late 18th Century British Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Oak
1880s French Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Fruitwood
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Maple
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1960s Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Walnut
1930s Unknown Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Brass
1950s European Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Marble, Brass
Mid-20th Century European Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Birch
1940s American Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Mahogany
1960s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
1960s German Vintage Biedermeier Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Wood, Lacquer