Biedermeier Furniture
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.
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut, Spruce, Burl
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
Late 19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Rosewood
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Art Glass
1820s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Ebony, Giltwood
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Cotton, Birch
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 1900s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cotton, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Textile, Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1880s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
1830s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Lacquer, Wood
1910s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut