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 Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mid-20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Tin
1960s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Fabric, Upholstery
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal, Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Softwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Fabric, Upholstery, Oak
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Sterling Silver
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Ormolu
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer
20th Century Dutch Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1860s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Softwood, Wood
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Ebony
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
1890s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Fabric, Upholstery, Beech
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Nickel
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Yew
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1880s English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Maple
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Upholstery
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Mahogany
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Softwood, Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Pine
1810s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Ebony
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry