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.
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Iron
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Softwood
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Oak
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Ebony
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Fabric, Upholstery, Oak
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fruitwood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Yew
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Softwood
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Giltwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mahogany, Lacquer
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Sterling Silver
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1880s English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Maple
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Rosewood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry