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
Glass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
1870s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cane, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
18th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Giltwood
1860s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
1880s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Beech
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
Early 20th Century Danish Biedermeier Furniture
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silk, Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Leaf
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Felt, Glass, Walnut
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm
1890s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1810s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
1820s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Mirror
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Ebony
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fruitwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Glass
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas, Paint
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Rosewood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1820s European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry