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.
1910s French Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Burl
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Maple, Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Linen, Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Satinwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Nutwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood, Walnut, Spruce, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Art Glass
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Lacquer
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 18th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paint, Paper
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut, Giltwood
20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Lacquer, Cherry, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1980s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Russian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Carrara Marble, Bronze
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1870s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry