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.
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cut Glass
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Early 2000s German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1930s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
19th Century British Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
1890s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Faience, Pottery, Majolica, Ceramic
1990s German Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
17th Century Thai Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
1890s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
Early 1900s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
1890s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1890s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Blown Glass
Mid-20th Century Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
Mid-20th Century Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Blown Glass
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass