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.
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 2000s Biedermeier Furniture
Mirror, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut, Softwood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry, Spruce
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Wicker, Walnut
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Hardwood
1960s Swedish Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Beech
1820s Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Cherry
19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Porcelain, Paint, Oak, Wood
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
19th Century European Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch, Pine, Lacquer
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Leather, Birch, Cherry
Mid-19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Magnets
Mid-19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fruitwood
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Mahogany
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
1940s French Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Upholstery, Wood
19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Walnut
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Late 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Late 19th Century Dutch Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass, Bronze
Early 20th Century Swedish Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Birch
Mid-19th Century Unknown Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Fabric, Walnut
1990s American Biedermeier Furniture
Marble, Brass
1840s Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Pearlware, Upholstery
Early 19th Century Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Mahogany
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Lucite
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Crystal
Late 19th Century Swedish Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Birch
1850s Czech Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Glass, Wood, Walnut, Lacquer, Maple
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1750s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Steel
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Burl
20th Century German Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1970s American Vintage Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1820s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Wood, Lacquer, Cherry
19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
1860s Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Brass
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Upholstery, Walnut
Early 19th Century German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Maple, Spruce, Walnut
Early 19th Century Austrian Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Walnut
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Iron
21st Century and Contemporary Vietnamese Biedermeier Furniture
Wood
1820s German Antique Biedermeier Furniture
Cherry