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 20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Glass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Mirror
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1920s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
Late 20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Mohair, Wood
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Satinwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1880s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
1810s Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Maple, Spruce
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Birch
1810s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1880s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Maple
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Fur, Fabric, Upholstery, Elm
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Cherry, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Beech
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
1850s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Fruitwood
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Satin
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Softwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Walnut, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Linen, Upholstery, Walnut
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
Late 18th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Leaf
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce, Stucco