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.
21st Century and Contemporary Spanish Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
2010s Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Art Glass
2010s Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1970s Dutch Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
2010s American Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Ash, Hardwood, Oak, Maple, Cherry, Bouclé
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
1930s Mexican Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce, Walnut
1960s Dutch Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Steel
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Portuguese Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1950s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Rosewood, Lacquer
Late 20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Chrome
1960s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Oak