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.
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Spruce, Nutwood
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Pine, Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bouclé, Beech, Walnut, Softwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fabric
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Cherry
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Fruitwood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Fabric
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1860s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Late 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Paint
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1840s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Fruitwood
1880s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Elm
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Pine
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Natural Fiber, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple, Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Ash, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Fruitwood
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood, Spruce
1850s Belgian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold, Silver
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate