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.
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Hardwood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Yew
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
1850s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Birch
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Oak, Softwood
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Other
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Burl
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Ash
Late 19th Century Hungarian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Other
1840s French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Hardwood, Beech
1890s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1860s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Oak
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Birch
Late 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut, Paint
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1860s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Pine
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century French Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Softwood, Walnut
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood, Oak, Walnut, Spruce
1810s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1830s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
1830s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Cherry
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Softwood
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Silver
1820s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash, Ebony
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut