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.
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1980s Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
Mid-19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century Scandinavian Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut, Softwood
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1870s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Lacquer, Walnut
1860s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Iron
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Softwood
1890s Polish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Palisander
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Giltwood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Giltwood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Softwood
19th Century Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Bronze
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Glass, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Walnut, Softwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Ash, Lacquer
1860s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Mahogany, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Muslin, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 18th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch