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 German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Cherry, Paint
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Wood, Birch
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silk, Satinwood, Giltwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Silver, Bronze, Enamel
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Ebony, Satinwood
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Satin, Birch, Maple
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1830s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Spruce
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple, Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Softwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Hardwood, Paint
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Glass
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron, Gold Leaf
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Upholstery
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1870s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Walnut, Spruce
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Ebony, Giltwood
Early 18th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gesso, Wood, Giltwood
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Satinwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paint, Paper
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut