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.
Early 19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Boxwood, Oak
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century American Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Bronze
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Spruce
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Walnut, Pine
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
1840s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1960s European Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Bone, Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1850s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fir
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Art Glass, Blown Glass, Cut Glass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Spruce
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Cherry, Lacquer, Spruce
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Late 20th Century American Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Cherry
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Late 19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Fabric
Early 19th Century Baltic Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ormolu
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Metal, Brass
1830s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birdseye Maple, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
1870s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Birch
Late 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Mirror, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Mid-19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
21st Century and Contemporary Italian Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Softwood, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1890s Norwegian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
Early 20th Century Austrian Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Velvet, Ebony
19th Century Danish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Spruce, Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Ash
Early 20th Century Czech Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut