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.
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Satinwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Linen, Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Iron
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1910s French Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood, Walnut, Spruce, Lacquer
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Nutwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Art Glass
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut, Giltwood
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paint, Paper
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Lacquer, Cherry, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s Russian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Carrara Marble, Bronze
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Burl, Wood
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1870s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Maple, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood