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 Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch, Cherry
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Elm
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Bronze
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Maple
1960s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Beech
1840s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Walnut
1940s French Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Pine, Lacquer
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wicker, Walnut
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Early 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Suede, Beech, Mahogany
1940s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
1750s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Steel
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Other
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood, Spruce
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Oak
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut