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
Mahogany
19th Century Russian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Birch
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Plaster
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Upholstery
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
18th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Upholstery
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
20th Century Danish Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Ash, Burl
Late 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany