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 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Antler
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Chenille, Upholstery, Burl
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut, Paint
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cane, Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1880s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Steel
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Rattan, Wood, Lacquer, Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Ash
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cotton, Linen, Walnut, Down
2010s American Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stone, Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Bronze
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pearlware, Upholstery
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century English Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Beech
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1830s Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Elm
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cherry, Spruce
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Maple
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut, Spruce