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.
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Balkan Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Mid-20th Century Hungarian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stone
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut, Spruce, Beech, Lacquer
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bouclé, Beech
21st Century and Contemporary German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Wood
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Fruitwood, Walnut
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1850s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 2000s American Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 1900s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Mahogany, Oak, Ash, Rosewood
1840s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
1860s Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass, Iron
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Ash, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stone
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Furniture
Paint