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.
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1890s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Walnut
Early 20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Beech
Mid-20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Wood, Upholstery, Linen
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Walnut
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany, Upholstery, Cotton
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Sapele Wood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Hardwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Softwood, Pine, Spruce
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany, Velvet, Upholstery
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Enamel
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silk, Wood
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mahogany, Giltwood
1850s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple, Lacquer, Cherry, Satinwood
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Walnut, Fabric, Upholstery
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Lacquer, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1850s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Maple, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut