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 German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Giltwood, Paint
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce, Fruitwood
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Birch
Early 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood, Spruce
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bone
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Beech
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Beech, Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1890s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Beech
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood, Giltwood, Lacquer, Paint
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1950s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate, Gold Leaf, Metal
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Glass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple, Lacquer
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Carrara Marble
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
1820s Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Suede, Beech, Mahogany
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Brass