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-20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Mahogany, Maple
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Spruce
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stucco, Spruce
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Other
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut, Spruce
1870s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Carrara Marble
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
Late 20th Century Unknown Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Spruce, Oak, Walnut
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Birch
Late 18th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fir
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1810s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple
1830s Russian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate, Gold Leaf
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold, Silver
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood, Spruce
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Walnut
Early 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 20th Century Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Blown Glass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 18th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cut Glass, Opaline Glass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate
Early 20th Century European Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Marble