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 Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Mahogany, Maple
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Other
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Pine
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1840s Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Textile
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Birch
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Walnut, Lacquer
2010s Spanish Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Maple
19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Glass, Walnut
Early 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1950s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood, Spruce
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Elm
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Mid-19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry, Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Walnut
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cut Glass, Opaline Glass
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Nutwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm, Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry