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
Spruce, Cherry
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1880s Swiss Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Steel
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Mid-19th Century Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Gold Leaf
1950s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Pine, Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Walnut
1860s Scandinavian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Hardwood, Maple
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pearwood
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut, Paint
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Lacquer, Spruce
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Elm
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Silver
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Birch
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Spruce
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Early 2000s Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Ash, Maple
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Beech, Cherry, Lacquer
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Mahogany