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.
1920s European Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
1920s British Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1920s Austrian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Elm, Burl
1920s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1920s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
21st Century and Contemporary Biedermeier Furniture
Feathers
Mid-20th Century Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Marble
18th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Indonesian Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
21st Century and Contemporary Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood
1970s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Ash, Lacquer
21st Century and Contemporary English Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
1950s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Rattan
19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary English Biedermeier Furniture
Oak
Early 20th Century French Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Upholstery
1920s Italian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1920s French Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1920s German Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1920s French Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1920s Norwegian Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Bouclé, Walnut
1920s European Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1920s English Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Nutwood
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1920s German Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Velvet, Cherry, Paint
1920s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany