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 German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Walnut
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Hardwood, Beech
1830s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Fruitwood
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Natural Fiber, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1850s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold Plate, Gold Leaf
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fir
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Nutwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Spruce
Early 19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Gold, Silver
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain
19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ebony, Fir
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cane, Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Pine
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1830s Russian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
1810s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Paper
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Burl
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century Balkan Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Cherry, Lacquer
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Walnut
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany, Maple, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Italian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pine, Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Birch
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Stucco, Spruce
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood