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 German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1910s Hungarian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1840s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple, Walnut
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Mahogany
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Canvas
Early 20th Century Scandinavian Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine, Burl
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Ebony
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Olive
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Pine
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Spruce
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry, Lacquer
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Ebony, Maple, Walnut, Paint
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Softwood, Fabric, Velvet
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1880s Polish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Walnut
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Ash, Maple, Walnut, Spruce
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Cherry, Softwood
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple, Pine
Mid-20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Velvet
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze, Ormolu
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Central American Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Carrara Marble
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
Mid-19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany