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.
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery, Birch
1830s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
18th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cane
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Olive
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Glass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Burl, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany, Paint
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Ebony, Satinwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Wood
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Fabric, Upholstery
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Cherry
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Other
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1780s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Wrought Iron
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paint, Paper
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass