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.
1960s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
Late 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1830s Russian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Linen, Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fir
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Walnut, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Silver
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm, Walnut
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Glass, Walnut
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Birch
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
21st Century and Contemporary German Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Mahogany
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Fruitwood
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Hardwood, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Spanish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Ash
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Lucite
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Mahogany
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1940s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Walnut, Ebony
20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Mahogany
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1980s Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass