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.
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Beech
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Enamel
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Ash
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Spruce, Walnut
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Birch
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry, Walnut
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Oak
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Maple, Nutwood, Spruce
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1940s French Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Nutwood
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Suede, Beech, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Magnets
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch