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.
1980s Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Wood
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Burl
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1850s Belgian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Mirror
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
1820s Russian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Canvas
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Birdseye Maple
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
1820s Slovak Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Bronze
1880s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1830s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Slovak Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Foam
Late 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wool, Cotton, Foam
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Silver, Bronze, Enamel
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Enamel
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
Mid-19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Baize
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry, Softwood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1880s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Birch
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut, Fabric, Upholstery, Oak
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron