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.
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cane, Wood
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Maple
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Burl
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Opaline Glass, Uranium Glass
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron, Tin
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Beech
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm, Walnut, Burl
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bouclé, Beech, Walnut, Softwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fabric
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Leather, Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Burl
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Fir
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Maple
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
1850s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cherry, Spruce
1870s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Enamel
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Cherry
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Maple, Burl
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Sterling Silver
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry