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
Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
1880s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Beech
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1840s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Wood
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 20th Century Danish Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1890s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century North American Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
Early 1900s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Early 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Burl, Paint
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1870s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Wood
1830s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Foam
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Pearwood
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Burl
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1830s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Iron
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 1900s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Slovak Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stone
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Paint, Hardwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Paint, Hardwood
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Mid-20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
19th Century Belgian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint