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.
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1910s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Lacquer, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1940s French Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Cherry, Mirror
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Birch
1960s Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Cotton, Wood, Burl
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Maple, Walnut
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Silk, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
Mid-20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bouclé, Beech
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stucco, Wood
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1910s Unknown Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Softwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Velvet, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Giltwood, Lacquer, Paint
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1960s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Chenille, Upholstery, Burl
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Ebony
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Canvas
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Fabric
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut