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 Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Walnut, Lacquer
Mid-20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood, Burl
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Pine, Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1960s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Burl
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Satinwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cotton, Linen, Walnut, Down
1860s Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Upholstery
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Bone
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Spruce
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Ebony
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Hardwood, Beech
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1940s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Steel
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Elm, Walnut
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1850s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Glass
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce, Cherry
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Paint
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Silver