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.
1950s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate, Gold Leaf, Metal
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Early 1900s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Composition, Gold Leaf
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Enamel, Ormolu
19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1950s German Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1960s German Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain, Ceramic, Pottery
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Mid-19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Composition, Gold Leaf
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Leaf