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.
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood, Spruce
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wicker, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Pine, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Spruce
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Spruce
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch, Cherry
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
1940s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Birch, Burl
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pearlware, Upholstery
1880s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Oak
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Maple
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
17th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Opaline Glass, Uranium Glass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Other
1820s Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pewter