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 Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wicker, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Linen, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fruitwood
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Other
Early 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Oak
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Fruitwood
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Beech
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Elm
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1840s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Bronze
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
1880s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Steel
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1870s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry