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.
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Cherry
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Cherry, Burl
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Burl
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Textile
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1920s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Gesso, Birdseye Maple, Maple, Giltwood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Ebony
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Ebony
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Maple
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery, Burl
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Suede, Beech, Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Other
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Wire
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Linen, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Cherry, Ebony
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Fruitwood
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Fruitwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1750s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Steel