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.
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Burl
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Beech, Maple
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch
1860s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Mahogany
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Brass
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1890s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Nutwood
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Wood, Birdseye Maple
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Natural Fiber, Cherry
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Mohair, Upholstery, Foam, Polyester, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Burl
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 1900s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cherry, Ebony, Softwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Cane, Amboyna
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry, Ebony
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1810s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fir
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Spruce, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut