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.
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
18th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
Early 1800s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Softwood, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
20th Century Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Ash, Burl
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Upholstery
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Sterling Silver
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Beech, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Giltwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Glass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Mohair
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bouclé, Cherry
Early 1800s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fruitwood, Oak
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
1880s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Birch