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 French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silk, Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Cherry, Ebony
Early 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Ebony
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Ebony
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut, Giltwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
1840s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Bone
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Burl
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Maple, Wood, Upholstery
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cherry, Ebony
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Fruitwood
19th Century Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Giltwood
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Walnut
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Glass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Mohair
1820s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Walnut, Wood
1840s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood