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.
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Softwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Rattan, Wood, Lacquer, Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Beech
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Walnut, Giltwood
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1770s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1820s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Ash, Lacquer
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Lacquer, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Softwood, Wood
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain, Wood
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood, Paint
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Gold
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Fabric, Upholstery, Rattan
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Burl
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Satinwood
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Birch
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Lacquer, Walnut
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Zebra Wood, Yew, Amboyna, Satinwood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood