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
Fruitwood
1830s English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Chenille, Upholstery, Burl
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Cherry
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stucco, Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Early 1900s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 1900s Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Ebony
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood, Glass
1920s European Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Ebony, Satinwood
1960s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Softwood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Late 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1850s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1870s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mirror