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.
1830s English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine
Late 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1840s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Poplar, Walnut, Wood
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Birch
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm, Walnut
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
20th Century English Biedermeier Furniture
Chrome
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1850s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Giltwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
18th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
18th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
20th Century Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ceramic
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1820s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Paint