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.
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
18th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Walnut, Wood, Lacquer
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cotton, Upholstery, Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 1900s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Wood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Early 18th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gesso, Wood, Giltwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Walnut, Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
21st Century and Contemporary German Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Ebony
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut, Spruce, Beech, Lacquer
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Softwood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1870s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Lacquer, Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Muslin, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Burl
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Beech
1820s Slovak Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Leather, Maple
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Wood, Birdseye Maple
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Yew