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 German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bone
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
21st Century and Contemporary Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine, Burl
19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Burl
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Burl
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Giltwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Mirror
Early 20th Century Spanish Biedermeier Furniture
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Spanish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Blown Glass, Birch, Pearwood, Burl
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Pine
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1910s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Lacquer
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
17th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Fruitwood, Maple
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Elm
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Maple, Burl
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry